December, January In Our Gardens by Philippa Thomas. We now have limited daylight hours as we approach our shortest day of the year. This, sometimes bitterly cold, crispy Wintery weather can be beautiful and yes, icy cold in equal measures. Maybe, dazzle your friends and neighbours this Christmas and New Year 2020 with a beautiful [...]
November In My Garden by Philippa Thomas. Don’t our four seasons provide a constantly changing Dalkey landscape? Did you notice that local councils in the U.K. and Here reduced the mowing of roadside verges, sowing them with wild flower seed mixes, such schemes not only make urban spaces more visibly alive with interest but provide [...]
September In My Garden by Philippa Thomas. Goodbye Memorable August and Welcome Promising September. Our days are now becoming noticeably shorter and our nights are sometimes more gusty and cooler than our past August. Stunning Autumnal colours with hues of butter yellow, brilliant rusts, golds, oranges and scarlet reds to mention but a few breathtaking [...]
July In My Garden by Philippa Thomas July brings long warm days that continue late into the evening so it gives us the chance to make great use of our gardens. Our gardens are literally, bursting with life. It is the perfect weather for pottering about, hosting barbecues, outdoor dinners, reading your favourite book with [...]
June In My Garden by Philippa Thomas JUNE, MANY SAY, IS THE LOVELIEST MONTH OF THE YEAR AND OUR LONGEST DAY OF THE YEAR FALLS ON 21ST JUNE. Our extra light and warmth encourages our gardens to put on an exuberant burst of growth. It’s hard to beat that feeling of abundance and the whispered [...]
There is a great sense of satisfaction from spending time working in the garden. There are also many benefits for our physical and mental health from being active in the outdoors. For example: Gardening involves many of our critical functions including strength, endurance, dexterity, learning and problem solving, and sensory awareness Some Benefits of Gardening [...]
April in my Garden by Philippa Thomas Imagine, our days are longer than our nights now. So our plants are responding with more rapid growth. Possibly, April is the busiest time of the year in the garden. ‘April prepares her green traffic light and the world thinks go.’ Christopher Morley. Every day now, there is [...]
My Garden by Philippa Thomas Is not Sorrento Park, Dillons Park, Our Vico Strip, Killiney Hill, Bullock Harbour, Dalkey Island, Hyde Park, Cuala - All our green areas, our parks, - simply THE LUNGS OF OUR TOWN WITH ITS 'VILLAGE' ATMOSPHERE. MAYBE, 'BEE' THE DIFFERENCE, GREEN UP YOUR WALLS. Perhaps too, consider a small ornamental tree. [...]
My Garden by Philippa Thomas Wishing You All, The Warmest Greetings Of The Season And Best Wishes For Happiness In 2019. Berries are the jewels of our December gardens as well of course, being a festive treat for our birds. Our feathered friends love Holly, Mistletoe, Pyracantha, Cotoneaster, Hawthorn, Crab Apples and Rosehips [...]
If you grow lilies or fritiillaries you will have this bright lacquered red beetle pest. I first saw lily beetles in my garden about 2014. They were more a curiosity, and after I found and killed the two of them, there was no sign the rest of the year. From then I would occasionally come across them doing no particular damage and delete them on sight.
