The Gardening Diary

There is a timeless beauty about meadows in full flower, and few things can match the pallet of colours spread across such vast areas, flowing and moving in the wind - a great example of nature doing its own thing showing us that the need for rules and regulations need not apply.The poet Tennyson"s passion for a 'careless ordered garden' led to this prose:'The honeysuckle round the porch has woven its wavy bowers,And by the meadow-trenches blow the faint sweet cuckoo-flowers;And the wild marsh-marigold shines like fire in swamps and hollows gray,And I"m to be Queen o" the May, mother, I"m to be Queen o" the May.'One of the many things that Belvedere has to offer is the wild meadow opposite the gothic arch, such a peaceful place to stroll with the dogs or picnic with the children looking down on the lake and wildflower meadow filled with ladies bed straw, marigolds and daisies.Wild flower meadows are becoming extinct all over Ireland due to building, intensive farming, spraying and fertilizing and as a consequence so are many of our skylarks, moths and butterflies. Also we are seeing a direct impact on working bees and bumblebees.  We all can play a part in reversing this trend by doing our bit to plant more wildflowers in our gardens and on our land. The importance of ecologically friendly management of areas in or around towns or villages is recognized in a number of competitions, awards and grants, including the Heritage Council Wildlife and Local Heritage Grants and also the Tidy Towns Competition, organized by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.If your community group is interested in applying for or /participating in either these, or similar grants or /competitions, this guide will be of relevance to you. http://www.westmeathcoco.ie/servicesa-z/heritage/conservation/ My own personal choice when creating a wildflower meadow is to use pathways of mown grass creating islands of flowers and sections of colored grasses such as pennisetums festucas and miscanthus sinensis. Planting these will give you great movement of grass - and their  seed heads - swaying in the wind. Consider a mixture of bright greens and blues with deschampsia cespitosa for some golden brown then mixed with wild purple coneflowers (echinacea) stiff goldenrods (solidago rigida) and a general wildflower mix with some annuals of course.I must add that shaking seeds on top of grass does not really work that well. You have to expose the soil by raking back the grass. It is common sense really: for seeds to strike they need to be in contact with loose soil. A really effective way to create pathways and borders is to hire a turf cutter. This will remove the grass in rolls and then draw out your borders and pathways leaving a grass pathway. Wait until the weeds start to appear then spray them. This will give your wildflowers a head start. Use a non ryegrass mix (ryegrass is too vigorous); shake your seeds on now, and cover with a light dressing of soil. Remember wildflowers like low soil fertility so better not to use fertilizers.Although early Autumn is the best time for sowing, mid Spring is also an alternative.Wildflower mixes contain flowers like blue cornflower, the scarlet corn poppy, reddish purple corncockle, corn chamomile with slightly scented, daisy-like flowers, and corn marigold with bright yellow flower heads to name but a few.By planting these beautiful plants we can reverse the tide and help support out environment. A critical chain of events is triggered for years to come once wildflowers are lost. We don"t often realize it, but wildflowers support entire ecosystems for pollinators, birds, and small animals on a micro scale. Butterflies and other insects, small birds, and animals depend on seeds, nectar, and pollen for their food supply and life support system. In addition, some pollinators are not very mobile or have very small home ranges or depend on just one species of plant and die once their habitat has been destroyed.Belvedere is promoting the planting of wild seeds by introducing its own brand of seed shakers, seed and herb mats on sale at the visitors" centre and a programme to introduce more wild flower areas within the grounds. And I also will let you know how I get on with my own wildflower planting in my own garden.For those of you wondering about planting wild flowers or creating meadows on you land or gardens or even in pots here are the basics .• Try to rid the meadow of weeds before planting. Weeds are the most common reason for the failure of a wildflower meadow. You can use a chemical-free method called Solarization (rids your soil completely of weeds, pests and diseases. The process of solarizing uses the heat of the summer sun to raise the soil temperature high enough to kill the harmful organisms and seeds hiding in the soil.)• Till and prepare the soil as you would for any seedbed, then apply the seeds at twice the rate recommended on the package. To facilitate even spreading, mix seeds with equal portions of horticultural sand.• Keep the seedlings moist and weed diligently.• Cut back the meadow in July keeping an eye out for birds and small animals .• Don"t forget to include some annuals in your mix. When planting in the Spring, some of your perennials won"t bloom until the following year, so you"ll need annuals for color this year. Many annuals reseed themselves, so you may see them coming back year after year.What to do this week...• Rose pruning is done in the Spring, with the blooming of the forsythia as a signal to get moving. Pruning roses isn"t difficult, but it does require sharp tools. The hybrid teas, grandifloras, and floribundas are all pruned in a similar manner. First, remove all dead or diseased-looking wood. Then cut out all the weak canes or any branches that are growing inward toward the centre of the bush.For the hybrid teas and grandifloras, select 3 to 6 strong canes and cut them back to a height of 12 to 18 inches.With floribundas, it is often desirable to leave more canes of a greater height (24 to 30 inches), depending on their location in the landscape. You will prune climbers less severely and at a different time from bush roses since they produce their flowers on wood of last season"s growth. They should be pruned following bloom. In general, pruning climbing roses usually involves shaping the plants to a desired growth pattern or the complete removal of one or two of the oldest canes .• Divide and re-plant large clumps of snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) when finished flowering but while still green.• •Watch out for slugs and snails now, especially on emerging shoots and herbaceous perennials. There are a number of methods for dealing with them other than using poisonous slug pellets so check out the alternatives in your local garden centre. Alternatives such as sharp grit around the plant and beer in jam jar lids . If they are not dealt with they will strip young growth as it appears.Grow your own vegetablesTomatoesGrowing tomatoes is easy. You can start off tomato seeds on a windowsill and when ready beside a window or outhouse - even in hanging baskets. One thing about tomatoes is they are hungry plants and require lots of plant food that is why there are specially formulated foods for them as they require lots of potash.Also the plants require 'pinching out' which means you must remove the growths between each shoot. Tomatoes want to produce growth not fruit so removing the new shoot growths means the plant produces more fruit. Tomatoes require daily care. You cannot forget about them for one hot day. The decline is quite rapid and under-watering brings many problems. The best tomatoes available for purchase are vine-ripened tomatoes. My father and I have been planting the variety moneymaker for generations and it has always worked for us although there are many varieties. Unfortunately, these are the most perishable, which is a reason why most supermarkets purchase green tomatoes and allow them to ripen at the store. These, unfortunately, will never have the flavour or texture of a vine-ripened tomato.Plant the young plants when they are about 15-20cm (6-8in) tall and the flowers of the first truss are just beginning to open. If you are planting into your greenhouse border make sure you have dug in plenty of garden compost or peat during the winter. If you have used the border before for tomatoes, it is better to change the soil or sterilise it before using it for tomatoes again. This will help avoid soil pests and root diseases becoming a problem. Just before planting, rake in a general-purpose fertiliser. If you are going to use a grow bag or pot remember they will require a lot more watering and care. Plant approximately 45cm (18in) between the plants and 75cm (30in) between the rows. In a grow bag, generally plant no more then two plants per bag.What to look out for...Forsythia x intermedia 'Lynwood"Forsythia x intermedia 'Lynwood" is commonly known as 'Forsythia' or 'Golden bell'. This popular deciduous shrub reaches heights of 3 meters (10ft); with a spread of approx 2.5 meters (7.5ft). Forsythia is a spring stalwart with spectacular and dramatic flower colour. It is often used as a spring cut flower. Massed sprays of bright yellow star-like flowers crowd the leafless stems from as early as February and continue to flower until the end of March. The lush green foliage will arrive just as the flowering is coming to a close.Forsythia is tough and robust with very few pest and disease problems, although it can have a tendency to wilt in very dry weather so water when needed and incorporate a good quantity of bulky compost when planting. This spring charm will grow in anything from full sun to partial shade and is not fussy on soil ph.If you have problems with air pollution e.g. vehicle exhausts, you should consider Forsythia as it is resistant to these emissions.Reader"s questionsDear John,Is it too late to plant garlic this year and if not, where"s a good place to buy from?It is a bit too late for this year. Generally, planting garlic is ok up until the end of February. The best garlic is purple wight or Solent wight.. Try your local garden centre or a seed catalogue like Unwins seeds. Remember to work in some good compost and bone meal before planting your cloves.I planted mine about three inches deep or about three times the size of the clove. Happy Gardening.Send your queries to:John Smith at info@belvedere-house.ie