Chillin on a Saturday.

Wild Violets are flowering in the hedgerow…

and Nasturtiums are self seeding like crazy in the polytunnel. I will spread these around here and there as they are great for attracting beneficial insects. Some will also go the school garden. Had a gardening free day today…only went out there for the morning walk around and opening the polytunnel.

After lunch we drove down to Lough Meelagh…about 5 miles away. The dogs came too as it’s a handy way for them to take a wash.

Freddie was’nt too impressed as the water is very cold still. Sorry Freddie!

The water level in the lake is very low right now as we have’nt had much rain for several weeks. The red on the trees shows the Winter level of the lake. The red is from

the iron content in the water of this mountain stream which feeds the lake at this point. The land around here is rich in naturally occuring iron.

Bright yellow Celandine in flower near the shore…soon it will be crowded out by the fast growth on the Reeds and  Horsetail…but not before it has finished flowering.

Most of the trees here are Alder and Willow…neither mind having wet feet when the Lough is higher. Shame to see rubbish here…next time I will bring gloves and a plastic sack to gather this up.

Soon it is time to head back home again…out through the wonderful fairy gates…take a right and on to Arigna.

Hope you all have a relaxing weekend. Happy Easter!

More Garden Musings from Prospect Cottage.

Equisetum arvens, the bottlebrush like plant in pic, commonly known as Horsetail or Mare’s Tail, hated by many people as a pernicious weed does have many benefits. It is high in silica, which fixes calcium in the body, making it a good herbal remedy for osteoporosis. The plant also has strong diuretic properties. For the organic/natural gardener it is Horsetail’s fungicidal properties that make it a useful plant. It is particularly useful as a preventative for blight on Potatoes and Tomatoes. To make the preparation collect the whole plant, foliage and stems. For each oz pour on 2 pints of hot water and allow to stand for 24 hours. Strain and use undiluted. If you have dried Horsetail 2ozs makes 10 litres of spray.Most of the beds in the garden have now been planted up. This bed has a mix of Broccoli, Peas and Onions. The large plants at the end of the bed are Oreganos, the golden variety is slower growing than the green. The Bees love the flowers of Oregano. I was a bit premature planting out the Peas as they have been hammered by the wind and heavy rain, but they will come on.Lots of Silverweed about at the moment, a member of the Potentilla family, it likes the damp ground we have here. Geese are said to be partial to the leaves. Its traditional herbal use was as a treatment for bleeding and for cosmetic uses such as the removal of freckles.