As March ends.

The weather has been fab here this week. Lovely and sunny with a high of 24 c on Tuesday. Very unusual for an Irish March. Today has been duller and 14 c. That’s why the Irish weather is called crazy! It is just unpredictable! Work continues on edging the beds with stone from the old building in the back field.  Coming on very nicely.

Dicentra spectablis is in flower in the bed nearest the house. This cottage garden favourite has collected many common names along the way. Dutchman’s Breeches, Venus’s Car, Bleeding Heart, Lyre Flower and Lady in the Bath.

Lady in the Bath is my fave name for it. She is a rather uncomfartable upside down lady in her bath though!

Dicentra likes a sheltered spot and does well in a woodland setting. The only requirement is a mulch each year after flowering. Well drained soil is also needed for this lovely plant to be happy.

Propogation is by seed or division of clumps in Spring or Autumn. The roots are very brittle.

There is also a white flowered variety and a golden leaf one which I’ve only seen in books. The only caution with Dicentra is that some people’s skin can be irritated by contact with it. I never touch it…just admire fondly from my kitchen window where it resides in the shade of the Birch tree.

Lamium or Dead Nettle is also in flower at the moment…somewhat earlier than usual I think. This also grows in the shade of the Birch tree where it is spreading nicely…covering an area where not much else would grow. There are about 50 different Lamiums…very useful plants for shaded areas.

The Spring bulbs are lasting well this year…the weather being a bit kinder than other years.

Loosestrife or Lysmachia to give it it’s proper name is emerging very boldly. The colours are very striking now…later they lose the mad pink. This is the variageted variety and like the more common one it spreads like crazy so be careful where you plant it. Again it is a plant that does well in shade. It also likes damp soil. Clumps can be divided every 3 or so years if you want more of it. Some people consider it a bit of a weed but I really like it. Ah well…they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Plants for free @ Prospect Cottage.

Another beautiful day in the garden today. On days like this I really have no wish to be elsewhere. Flowers like the little Primula pictured above gladden the heart and lift the spirits. Most of the day was spent lifting, dividing and planting perennials. Division is a great way to get free plants, it is a form of propogation in which new plants are not grown from seeds or bulbs but separated from the parent plant. Division is also a way of stopping clumps from becoming overcrowded and ensures the new plants come true to type. Most of the plants from today’s work are going into a new flower border that is being established. Pics when it is finished, hopefully by end of coming week! 

Pulmonaria or Lungwort as it is commonly known is a plant that can also be divided. This really needs to be done in Autumn or early Spring as it is in flower at the moment. I would’nt have the heart to divide it when it’s in flower, probably would’nt be a good idea anyway.Lungwort is a great plant for shade and will thrive even under trees. The flowers change from pink to blue as they open. The name Lungwort refers to the blotchy leaves, which were likened to diseased lungs in the past, the plant was once used to heal various lung disorders.