Going out in a Blaze of Glory

Here in the Co. Cork countryside, summer has been winding down over the past few weeks to make way for another beautiful autumn. Blooms are making a dramatic last stand before relinquishing the spotlight to the yellows and oranges of the new season, and we are loving the show!

Here’s a few of my potted plants currently adorning the potting bench—

This is a fresh batch of “Mind Your Own Business”

One can never have too many Hydrangeas!

The sweet smell of Gardenia. 

Beyond the bench is the tree throne & weeping willow

 

My first attempt at Morning Glories has been glorious!

Geraniums and climbers to beautify the “ugly shed”

Here’s a few “volunteers” that have popped up this year.  Gotta love bonus plants!

Waiting in the wings are the ripening pumpkins. This year I’ve added a few new varieties since we expanded our patch. We’ve got white pumpkins and mini pumpkins in addition to the traditional orange beauties.  Here is their progress so far —

You can be sure we’ll have more pumpkin updates in the weeks to come, so stay tuned!

Mind Your Own Business

I recently was introduced to this fascinating little plant that packs  a powerful punch! Also called Baby Tears, but here in Ireland it’s known by this sassy name. In fact, I  had an exchange with a woman on a gardening page who thought I was being cheeky  when I answered the question, “What is a plant you’re currently growing that is hard to find?”  I commented with, “Mind Your Own Business”, and she called me rude. When I tried to clarify, this was the conversation that followed -

Me:  It’s a plant - Mind Your Own Business 

Her:  It is my business. We are both on this page. 

Me:  But do you understand that the name of this plant is actually “Mind Your Own Business“?

Her:  I did not. My apologies. 

I  had read that it makes a good ground cover, so I purchased a single plant and divided into 16 small plugs. We shall see if this troublemaker is a good alternative lawn for the roadside grass. More photos

 to follow!

Where Shamrock Grows Wild

I love growing shamrocks inside the cottage.  Always fleeting, but certainly cheerful! 

I especially love how they grow wild and like this when you put them in a less sunny spot. Those lovely long stems twisting and flailing toward the light are one of my favourite things!

No wonder these little plants are so beloved - easy and inexpensive to grow, and guaranteed to bring a smile to your face!

New Beginnings

This is always an exciting time of the year here at the cottage. Seeds have been sown , ground has been tilled, fertilised and weeded. 

This for me is exciting stuff. My Boston Ivy is getting an early start this year. I’m looking forward to seeing our front wall completely covered in it. This stuff grows really fast once it takes off!

And let’s not forget the Bluebells! It’s the first big wave of colour for the season, and here you can see the buds just starting to peek out -

And finally, look who’s back at work??

It’s my beloved Summer Hubby! This and the clocks changing tonight tell me that springtime is really here.

Happy planting, everyone!

Hydrangea Hype

 

I have slowly become obsessed with hydrangeas. They seem to grow themselves here in Co. Cork. In fact, there was an enormous Lacecap growing here when we bought the Cottage. It was overgrown to the point of being unmanageable, so I let my hubby talk me into cutting it to the ground. I fully intended to replace it with a rose hedge, but it came back flowerless but very healthy the following year. And THIS year, we got this -

Over 6 feet tall now!

This next one is a mophead that I got as a Mother’s Day gift 3 years ago. It was an indoor plant, but is thriving outside on a large pot -

I recently added these pink Annabelle shrubs put by the road. 

This is a miniature Curly Wurly that I keep on our porch -

I love the cupped petals on this one. 

I added 2 large Curly Wurly shrubs in pots to our patio.

The obsession is still growing, so next season we may add some white varieties to the collection!

Re-Booting My System

Well friends, a lot of time has passed since my last post. A LOT.  Looking back on 2017, I only posted 6 times.  There was plenty going on, but nothing I felt like writing about, except for those 6 posts. So now I'm ready to fill in the gaps and get back to blogging!

As you may have read, my 90 year old Mom came to live with us from Texas at the first of the year, and she sadly passed on a couple of months later.  We all loved the time we had together, though not long enough.  She was an absolute joy, and not a day goes by without missing her terribly.

My husband Seamus was my rock after Mom was gone.  Luckily, he was home and with me every day for the first few months since his work is seasonal.  I threw myself into several different projects around the cottage and garden. That helped a great deal. I did this -

Gravel in place of grass = less mowing!

And this -

I LOVE this rocking bench.

And planted these - 

But somewhere along the way, something happened.  My hubby started his tours and I was alone a lot. And then, the big, beautiful spruce tree behind the cottage died and had to be removed. I know that doesn't sound like a tragedy, but  after that, I just couldn't find the joy in the things that usually bring me joy.  

I stopped crafting. I stopped painting furniture. I stopped walking in the forest. I started binge-watching telly.  Oh, and binge eating junk food.  You know, REALLY productive stuff!! LOL

And if that weren't bad enough, Mother Nature brought us the first-ever hurricane to Ireland in the form of Ophelia.  And this was the result -

I thought I cried when we lost the ONE tree - In total, it was over a dozen large trees, including the huge cypress that came down on top of our new shed. The insurance examiner was quick enough to come out and assess the damage, but due to the widespread damage across Ireland, getting our site cleared took a couple of months. When the clearing was done, this is what we were left with -

And here are a few of the Before and Afters -

BEFORE

AFTER

 

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

                                 

                             

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

It breaks my heart to see the AFTERS, but it's important to remember how it was before so it can hopefully be again. I am determined to plant more TREES, and lots of them!!!

Once the trees were taken away and the shed was rebuilt, both my hubby and I suddenly got the home improvement bug again - FINALLY!!!

So, at long last, I'm happy to say that new projects have sprung up at Moonlight Cottage! Stay tuned, because I have plenty to show you in my upcoming posts. I try not to leave you hanging too long this time!