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ALKING in the woods of Currabinny on a late summer’s afternoon back in 1980 produced gasps of admiration from us both. We were expecting our first child later in the year and there over the back garden wall of a house on The Terrace, was a column of virginal white. Consultation was necessary with Charlie Wilkins the following morning to ascertain what was this truely magnificent tree that Mary and I were looking so astoundingly at. Informed by the CTF that it was Eucryphia x nymansensis ‘Mount Usher’ (pictured left), it was noted as a future purchase. The following January, after the joy of the birth of our son, Darragh, we made the purchase of two substantial specimens at Nangles Nurseries to commemorate the birth of Darragh. They were planted, one either side of our entrance gate, and lived happily for a number of years, three or four perhaps. Then one day returning from work
Mary had a tale of woe. A JCB that had been working on our rough half acre, partly knocked one of them, and, in the process split it in half at the base. The following Saturday, with a little brute force and a lot of beginnners’ ignorance, we decided to address the situation, but being greedy thought, ‘ah! now we have three trees!’ A slate was inserted in the split, and allowed to grow until the autumn. Dug up then, they were replanted in a more central position in the garden, where 30 years on they now thrive, almost 35 feet tall. Eucryphia is a small genus of trees or large shrubs of the Antarctic flora, native to the south temperate regions of South America and coastal eastern Australia. There are seven species, two in South America and five in Australia, and several named hybrids. They are mostly evergreen though one species (E. glutinosa) is usually deciduous. The leaves are opposite, and either simple or pinnate with 3-13 leaflets. The flowers are produced in late summer or autumn, are showy and sweetly scented, 3-6 cm diameter, with four creamywhite petals, and numerous stamens and styles. The fruit is a woody capsule 1-1.5 cm long containing several seeds, and maturing in 12-15 months. The generic name is derived from the Greek for ‘well hidden’. The eucryphia is not at all well-known but it is a stunning tree in full flower. There being few trees that flower so late in the summer, it is a wonder that it is not more widely grown. It is not all that difficult to grow, except in the coldest areas. In a good year, such as this one, it covers itself from top to bottom with white flowers. In a bad year, the flower cover will be more scattered over the branches, but still lovely. Eucryphia is the most commonly used name - there is no handy common name. The foliage is evergreen on most kinds, a testimony to the mild climate of its native range in Chile. There are two main species, Eucryphia cordifolia, which is large and evergreen, and Eucryphia glutinosa, which is a large bush or small tree, and semi-evergreen or even deciduous in cooler climates. Like most deciduous trees, the latter is the hardier of the two. There is also a species from Tasmania, Eucryphia lucida, which is also smallish with pendulous flowers. The most famous of the hybrids is Eucryphia x intermedia ‘Rostrevor’ which arose in a garden in County Down, and has masses of single flowers. Another hybrid with Irish connections, my one, is Eucryphia x
nymansensis ‘Mount Usher’ which is named after the County Wicklow garden. This one makes a tall narrow column of dark evergreen foliage covered at this time of year with masses of flowers, some of them semi-double, which increases their impact. While all the eucryphias are happiest in a mild locality and on acid soil, they are hardy enough for all but the coldest districts. The species Eucryphia cordifolia and its hybrid Eucryphia x nymansensis are tolerant of limy soil but would be better on acid soil, or at least with a good mulch of acidic pine or spruce needles. All kinds like a moist woodland-type soil, with plenty of humus, that does not go dry in summer but with good drainage, which helps the trees to resist frost. If these requirements are met, they are fast-growing and begin flowering about two or three years after planting, when they reach two metres or so. The evergreen foliage is as dark as holly and makes a superb backdrop for a border, or shrub area. When the flowers come, they really light up their surroundings. Eucryphia can take some light shade and benefits from some shelter, but shade does tend to reduce flowering and it is best to give it a sunny position if possible. It is too big for a really small garden but could be used in a suburban garden, not planted too close to the house. It could be pruned to keep it to size but this tends to spoil its natural grace. Photographed below are the three Eucryphia which together make a spectacular show. This picture was taken on August 12, 2009, in Monkstown, County Cork.
Tips&Advice Most gardeners will have, over time, acquired tips and advice. Here we ask that these are shared with other members. Please send your tips to corkgardenclub2013@gmail.com
LABELS Here is a cheap way that, hopefully, will make weather proof labels. I’m painting ordinary white plastic labels (photo above) with black artist’s gesso primer (photo right) which you can get at any good art supply shop. This gesso is water based, so is easy to use and clean up after, but as it has a glue size it should make for permanency in the garden; at least it says on the jar that it is for interior and exterior use! Paint the gesso on with a small flat brush and when the gesso is dry (30 to 60 minutes) use a suitable stylus to engrave the plant name on the label; any sharp point, even a nail will do, but I got this stylus at the art shop (photo below). Use soft wire to tie them to trees and shrubs; I used old copper electrical wire. You can now experiment with other shapes of labels.
BOW LINE KNOT A bowline knot makes a fixed loop at the end of a rope or string. The loop can be secured over an object like a post or passed through a ring or hole before the knot is tied. You can find endless uses for this knot in the garden. It is easy to make, easy to undo, and will not come undo when it takes any strain. This knot can be made using any thickness of garden twine or rope. These instructions will guide you in making a simple bowline knot with string. Hold one end of the string in your left hand, and one end in your right hand. Make a small loop with the end of the string in your left hand. These instructions assume you start with an ‘underhand’ loop, so that the free end of the string is under the intersection formed by the loop. Put the end of the string in your right hand through the loop made by your left hand. The end should be coming towards you as it goes through the loop. Bring the end around (behind) the string that is facing up from the loop. Put that same string back through the loop. This time the end is going away from you. Take the top loose string in your left hand and all the rest of the string and pull in opposite directions to tighten the hitch.
Gardener’sDiary
INDIAN SUMMERS One could be forgiven for thinking that the term ‘Indian summer’ had much to do with the Far East, with rides on overflowing public transport through Delhi or Bangalore, and oriental dishes full of hot curried ingredients served up in paper thin tacos, fajhitas and burritos. You would be quite mistaken, for the ‘Indian’ referred to is not a remnant of the British empire, but to the Indians of North America. Revise your mental picture now and think of North East America, of ‘Dances with Wolves’, and huge herds of wild buffalo, the cry of a wolf called ‘Two Socks’, moccasin footwear and tented tepee villages. Here in the land of the Iroquois warriors, summers were long and autumns golden, full of ripe fruit and long shadows - to be quickly followed of course, by terrible winters of freezing cold snow, biting winds, and frightfully long, pitch black nights. Home, you’ll agree, is a much more genteel place, even with all the fog and rain. EVERGREENS Evergreen plants now come into their own, gaining a significance they have lacked since springtime. In particular, varieties of Cordyline ‘Torbay Dazzler’ look handsome in the faltering light so too ‘Electric Pink’ in its rich-red colouring. Phormiums too, in shades of orange and russet, dark red and warm plum look delicious. I notice a solitary architectural-looking Yucca with its huge candelabra of white bell-shaped blooms and variegated leaves in the back garden. This plant is assertive now and it contrasts well with both deciduous and evergreen neighbours. Cordyline ‘Torbay Dazzler’ DAHLIAS There’s an aspect to the culture of dahlias which I feel I should
mention this week and that is, the labelling of each variety as they are cut down prior to lifting and drying. I often fail to do this myself in the great rush to complete the various jobs about the garden and once the different varieties are grouped and stood together, it is impossible to determine which colour is which. Tie a label then to each stem down low, so that the plants can be easily identified at planting time next year. Be sure to include name, colour, variety (cactus, decorative, ball, pom-pom) and the height at which they flower. SPIDERS Spiders continue to dominate the wildlife scene in the garden as the days of October continue to cool and darken. Cobwebs are still to be seen draped from every shrub and rose, so wet and white in the pale morning mist that they sometimes look like tatty linen spread out to dry. The orb spider with its huge pregnant bump and dark cross-like outline of on its back is responsible for these woven wonders, but they had better move into more sheltered positions soon, for wind and rain will destroy their handiwork as surely as frost on dahlias. TULIPS Choose your requirements now and hold them in store until mid to late November. If you are hard pressed for time, they can be planted up to Christmas and later but source them now whilst multiple choices are on the shelves. Some, like those sold as ‘lily-flowered’ (‘Maytime’, ‘West Point’ etc) describe the shape of the tulip flower Tulipa Kaufmanniana ‘Chopin’ - characteristically waisted blooms. In the case of those sold as Viridiflora, it is the green flush that appears on the petals of such varieties as ‘Greenland’ and ‘Spring Green’ that makes them special. Some of the earliest to bloom are Kaufmanniana varieties such as the vivid red ‘Alfred Cortot’ and lemon-yellow ‘Chopin‘. Some of the last to bloom are the flamboyant Parrot
tulips which includes a greatly-respected favourite ‘Estella Rijnveld’ which is the colour of raspberry-ripple ice creamoutrageous but irresistible! A CHOICE VARIETY Whatever about your choice among the tall stately tulip range I would recommend sourcing half a dozen or more of the species tulips; miniatures in every respect, with captivating blooms in early spring. They’ll return every year (increasing as a result) and not fade away like their larger cousins. There’s a variety ‘Little Princess’ in a tangerine and black colouring which is a real stunner and particularly good for rockeries and troughs. Others include ‘Lilac Wonder’, ‘Lady Jane’ (white), ‘Tinka’ (yellow and red). The bulbs themselves are tiny, hard as a golf ball and usually coated in a type of furry brown skin. PROTECTION FOR WOOD Complete the painting maintenance on timber fencing, pergolas, and garden seating that need attention before the days shorten further and we lose those few evening hours of light after tea. Other items made of timber; garden sheds, decking, arches and the like should be similarly inspected and attended to by way of creosoting, painting, or part renewal. Inter-lap fencing must remain secured to stout posts driven deep into the soil if the panels are not to be blown over in winter. These posts, because they’re driven down into the damp soil are always first to succumb to rotting so give these a good inspection as you tour around. If some need replacing, would you not consider using ‘Metposts’ which are manufactured specifically for securing square timber posts?. These have long spiked metal ends which are driven into the ground. The above ground square section holds the timber posts. Rotting is eliminated, rigidity is improved, and maintenance of the timber post is vastly reduced. CHOICE TREE You might like to consider a planting this autumn of a paperbark maple called Prunus serrula, for it boasts a flaking, chestnutcoloured trunk and fine spreading branches. Ferny leaves compliment it further and these turn a rich red before leaf fall. For a winter bark effect quite different from
the silver birch which has become very popular in recent times this fits the bill. Prunus serrula could easily be rated the prince of specimen trees for the small garden, for it looks wonderful when framed by a green lawn. It will attain a height of 18 feet after ten years.
Prunus Serrula in the winter. FADING Plants that flowered with renewed enthusiasm during the recent fine spell are now dying gracefully. They have, all of them, given of their best. Japanese anemones are slowly being reduced to the furry yellow buttons that were their centres, whilst the perennial Rudbeckias have been downgraded to a simple nucleus of rounded black fur. Agapanthus seed pods still stand stiff and ghostlike above their collapsing leaves which now lie mushy, wet and miserable looking on the rapidly cooling soil. Only the warm wine and deep rose pink of the hydrangea Altona gives cause for enjoyment along with the shocking pink of nerines and the mysteriously hooded dark blue blooms of Aconitum. Even with these, their days are numbered.
MonthlyWork General duties FLOWER BEDS & BORDERS The winter and early spring can be dull times of year with little flowering in the garden. Ensure cheerful displays by planting winter- and spring-flowering bedding, such as pansies, polyanthus and primroses, wallflowers, Sweet William and Bellis daisies. Plant as early to give plants time to establish. If you don’t have room in the garden yet, pot them up into 9-10cm (3.5-4in) pots and plant out later. Keep the plants well watered if no rain is forecast to ensure they establish quickly. HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS Cut back faded herbaceous perennials and, providing the old foliage and stems are disease free, add them to the compost heap. Some perennials produce attractive seed heads and these can be kept on for added winter interest and to provide shelter for overwintering insects and food for birds. Overcrowded clumps of perennials such as achillea, aster, campanula, delphinium, lupin and phlox may need lifting, dividing into smaller pieces and replanting. Once these plants become overcrowded it can affect their flowering. Overcrowding also makes them more prone to diseases, such as powdery mildew. Lifting and dividing will revive their flowering ability. SOW SWEET PEAS If you have room in the cold frame or greenhouse, sow some sweet pea seeds in 7.5-10cm (3-4in) pots. The young plants can be planted out in spring to give early summer blooms. PATIO GARDENING This is the perfect time to plant up your patio containers with small trees, shrubs, fruit and climbers. As patio plants are highly visible all year round, look out for plants that give interest for as long as possible. Obviously, evergreens are a great choice, but also look out for long-flowering shrubs, plants that produce fabulous autumn foliage colours, autumn berries and fruit and colourful or interesting stems for winter interest.
When planting up containers always make sure you use a fit-for-purpose compost, which will ensure great results, good growth and fabulous displays. If you want to grow ericaceous plants, such as rhododendrons and azaleas, but your garden soil is not suitable, these are great subjects for patio containers. Fill containers with ericaceous compost for the best results. Although temperatures will be cooler than in summer, don’t forget to keep an eye on patio planters and other containers to make sure the compost doesn’t dry out. Even when it rains, it doesn’t guarantee that your containers will receive enough water, so check the compost and try to keep it evenly moist, without drying out or becoming waterlogged. Many summerflowering patio plants will still be flowering their heads off and producing vibrant displays. Keep them flowering for as long as possible by giving weekly feeds with a liquid or soluble fertiliser, and keep up the deadheading of faded flowers. LAWNS Rains have softened and greened lawns which were parched up to very recently. Those who scarified can now expect to get an almost immediate re-establishment of green growth especially if they were wise enough to follow with a balanced feed. The sight of a scarified lawn is a sorry sight for about three weeks following the thatch removal but it will recover and be a joy to cut and tend in the new season beginning in early spring. Feeding with a granular autumn lawn fertiliser will green up the grass and toughen it up ready for the rigours of winter. It will also ensure it comes back to life earlier in the spring. It needs to be an autumn feed, as spring and summer ones contain too much nitrogen and this can make the grass weak and more susceptible to winter wet, cold and diseases. Don’t forget to apply lawn treatments evenly to prevent underfeeding, overfeeding or scorching. This is the last chance to get your lawn into good shape ready for next year. Start by raking the lawn thoroughly (scarifying) with a spring-tined rake to remove all the accumulated dead grass, moss and other debris (thatch); an electric lawnraker or scarifier makes this job so much easier. The aim is to aerate the soil and remove debris that can cause fungal diseases. If you’ve done this properly the lawn should look as if it has had a right going over! If your soil is clay or the lawn has been used a lot and had a lot of foot traffic, the soil will be very compact and this can lead to moss and waterlogging problems. So aerate the soil with a hollow-tine
aerator or garden fork inserted to the depth of its tines. Then fill in the holes with a top dressing. Sharpening up scruffy lawn edges is another time-consuming but most rewarding job-the results are immediately visible. Use a proper half-moon edger (if you can rise to a stainless steel model, you’ll find it leaves a much cleaner, sharper edge) the lawn will look good all winter. VEGETABLES Harvest pumpkins and squashes when they’re ripe and ready. Leave them in the sun, or in a greenhouse or garage, to let the skins harden and dry off, before storing them in a cool, dry, dark place. Dig up outdoor tomato plants and hang them upside-down in the greenhouse to allow the fruits to ripen. Or pick the fruit and place them in a drawer or similar place with a banana skin – the ethylene they give off will speed up ripening. Any that don’t ripen can be used to make preserves and green tomato chutney. Plant out spring cabbages to their final positions if you’ve not had chance to do it yet. Cover them with horticultural fleece or netting to stop the pigeons getting to them. Finish planting autumn onion sets for a crop in early to mid-summer next year. Autumn garlic can be planted in mild areas having free-draining soil. Otherwise it can be started in containers or modules, and planted out when more mature. Radishes, mustard cress, and winter lettuces can be sown and grown in grow bags in a greenhouse or in pots or troughs on a sunny windowsill. FRUIT Now’s the perfect time to order all new fruit trees, bushes and canes ready for planting in November. Remember to check rootstocks and pollination groups before ordering fruit trees to ensure you have trees that will produce bumper crops and won’t outgrow their allotted space. Cut down and remove the fruited canes of blackberries and hybrid berries and tie in the new ones. Lift and pot up or plant out rooted strawberry runners. These will make new plants to fruit for the next five to six years and are useful replacements for old or diseased plants. Remove and destroy apples, pears and plums affected with brown rot to prevent the disease from spreading. If the mummified fruit is left in the tree it will affect next year’s growth and fruit. Do not let fallen apple, pear, plum and peach leaves infected with diseases lie on the ground. Garden hygiene is crucial in the control of these common problems. Towards the end of October, put sticky grease bands on fruit trees to protect them
from female winter moths. Tree stakes will also need greasebanding if they provide a route up into the branches. HERBS Lift and divide sections of selected herbs. Pot them up and bring into the kitchen to provide supplies over the autumn and winter months. Basil will not survive outside during the winter, so bring it into the greenhouse, or to a heated conservatory, to protect it from the cold. Keep pinching off any flower heads that appear, to keep plants producing lots of tasty leaves. TREES, SHRUBS, ROSES & CLIMBERS This is the perfect time to plant hardy shrubs, trees, climbers, roses and hedges. The soil will still be quite warm and the roots of new plants will get established quickly as a result. Make sure the soil is well prepared with plenty of organic matter. Mix in more of the compost and bonemeal with the soil dug out from the planting hole. Always plant at the same depth that the plant was originally growing and firm the soil around the roots. Trees need staking with a good tree stake and secured with two tree ties. Climbers need to be tied into their supports; tying branches horizontally or in a fan shape not only looks more pleasing, but it also improves flowering. After planting, give the plants a good soaking to settle the soil and roots and to ensure fast establishment. Then mulch the soil around the plants with a 5-7.5cm (2-3in) thick layer to help keep down weeds and maintain soil moisture levels in spring and summer. Evergreens will benefit from shelter from strong, cold winds if you live in an exposed area. Put up shelters of windbreak netting supported on strong stakes. This month is your last chance to trim deciduous hedges to keep them looking tidy over the winter. GENERAL GARDENING JOBS Weeds can still be growing during mild weather. You can hoe regularly to keep them in check. Perennial weeds with long taproots, such as dandelions, or creeping roots, such as ground elder, can still be treated with a weedkiller. Good garden hygiene helps to prevent disease carry-over, so rake up and destroy badly diseased leaves. Do not compost them. Diseases such as black spot on roses, leaf spots and scab can all be reduced in this way. Make garden compost with all weeds, kitchen waste and other autumn debris. Make sure there’s a good mix of plant material.
GardenNotes
The Rabbit’s Eye View A workshop on using perennials with horticulturist and author Noel Kingsbury hosted by GLDA at Kildalton College, Piltown, Kilkenny, is on Saturday, 12 October, 10.00am to 4.30pm. This workshop will explore how plants are linked to their natural habitats and ecology and how this connects to the way we use them in designed gardens and landscapes. Noel Kingsbury is particularly interested in getting students to get ‘the rabbit’s eye view’ – believing that close observation of garden plant growing habits and lifecycles can add enormously to our ability not only to be good gardeners and designers but also add to a better appreciation of our plants. He has been professionally active in horticulture since 1986. During 1986-1993 he ran a nursery near Bristol, growing herbaceous plants and tender species suitable for conservatories. His interest in the latter put him firmly in the vanguard of ‘The New Exoticists’, a young generation of gardeners who were interested in pushing the limits of what it was possible to grow outside and recapturing something of the spirit of adventure of Victorian horticulture. Undertaking garden design projects
Club Agenda
Thursday, 10 October HESTER FORDE Coosheen Garden Container Gardening. Plant Sale, Tip of the Month, Garden forum, Raffle, Refreshments. Competition: Class 1: Three Dahlias (distinct or mixed) Class 2: Three Flowers from your Garden (distinct or mixed) Thursday, 14 November JANE McCORKELL Garden & Landscape Design Association
Garden Design Plant Sale, Tip of the Month, Garden forum, Raffle, Refreshments. Competition: Class 1: Three stems of Autumn Flowers (distinct or mixed) Class 2: Three Stems of Berried Shrub Thursday, 12 December CHARLIE WILKINS Cannabis No Plant Sale, Tip of the Month, Garden forum, Raffle, Refreshments No Competition
during the 1990s, he began to explore the possibilities of growing plants in ‘artificial ecosystems’. The problem he recognised was: ‘people were wanting wildflowers, but often had a hopelessly romantic notion of what that meant. The fact is that we (in Britain) have very few garden-worthy native plants, indeed we have a pretty restricted native flora anyway, so I began to be interested in combining natives and non-natives, in combinations which would require minimal intervention from the gardener’. Recognising that there was very little knowledge about such planting in Britain, despite William Robinson having been a pioneer in doing just this back in the 19th century, Noel looked overseas, to see what the rest of Europe was doing. Seeing what was happening in Germany was a revelation, where gardeners and landscape architects were learning from this incredibly rich tradition of Pflanzensoziologie. Transport available from Cork. More info on www.glda.ie
Gardening Adverts
LAWN TREATMENT Autumn treatment will help green up of your lawn and also harden the plant going into the harsh conditions of the winter months. This enables the plant to remain healthy even in the low temperatures. If moss is a problem in your lawn then this is the perfect time of the year to tackle the problem. Lawndoctor treatments are affordable with treatments from €19.00. To find out more about Lawndoctor services visit their web at www. lawndoctor.ie Mention the Cork Garden Club and you will get a 20% discount on Autumn treatment. Cork Garden Club meet on the second Thursday of every month (except July and August) in Ashton School, Blackrock Road, at 8.00pm. Membership €30.00, Partners €50.00, Visitors €5.00 per lecture. Comments, articles, notes, photographs, and advertisements greatly received by the Editor, Cork Garden Magazine. Please email to corkgardenclub2013@gmail.com