February meeting:     Last month we had D.J. Murphy from Bandon and two of his helpers to speak on gardening topics.    As usual, they were extremely interesting and brought a lot of plants and garden ornaments for sale.   As many of you know – DJ has a garden centre in Bandon and opens his garden during the summer, he also decorates his house for Christmas and welcomes visitors for mince pies and mulled wine.

One of the members of the club was seen struggling home after the meeting with a laughing Buddha in her arms, which she had purchased.   He is said to have magical powers – ask her to tell you all about it!

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The Schedule for 2003 – 2004 is now available to all paid up members.    Details are also available on:    homepage.eircom.net/~cfhc

A total of 20 people viewed the website since the February meeting.    Well done!

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One member contributed material for this month’s newsletter.   Thank you Eileen!

Dates for your Diary:

·        Leap and Glandore Flower and Garden Club are holding a Flower Festival in St. Fachtna’s Cathedral, Rosscarbery on May 30^th –June 2^nd    Cobh will be represented there by Carmel Raftery, Angela and Sheila.`

·        Visit Fota House and Gardens and enjoy a coffee in the restaurant.   An escorted walk of the gardens will be held on Sunday 9^th March, all meet in the car park.    The walk will be led by Cormac Foley (Duchas), David O’Regan (head gardener) and Prof. Tom Raftery.

·        Fermoy F&GC will host Brenda Cox at 8 p.m. on Tuesday 4^th March.  She will give a teaching demonstration of Church Flowers.

·        A tour of Lismore Castle Spring Gardens will be led by the head gardener on Sunday March 16^th.   Tel: 058-53540 for further details.

·        DJ Murphy will demonstrate the creation of an indoor garden in the Munster Arms Hotel Bandon on Wednesday March 12^th.   Cheese and wine and a fashion show will be included.

·        IGPS meet on Friday March 7^th at 7.45 p.m. in the SMA Hall Wilton for a talk by head gardener on Lodge Park Walled Garden – Well Grown, Little Known.

·        Kinsale Flower Club hosts James Burnside NIGFAS on 10^th April.

·        A “Snowdrop” week will be held in Altamont Garden Centre, Carlow from 10^th – 16^th March.    Tel: 0503-59444 for further details.

·        A one-day gardening course by Dermot O’Neill and Helen Dillon will be held in Dublin on 22^nd March.   Tel: 086-8891798 for further details.

Things to do – Now!!:

Prune your roses :   Remove any dead shoots.   Remove any crossing stems and aim for an open centred bush with well-spaced branches.   Shorten all growths by at least two-thirds.   Cut back to a bud, which faces upwards and outwards.

Bergenias:      Trim off dead leaves and damaged pieces.   If there is a danger of the emerging flowers being damaged by frost, cover on cold nights.

Snowdrops:    Divide congested clumps now and replant into new ground.   Break large clumps into smaller pieces (3 – 5 snowdrops) and replant about 10 inches apart.

Hedges and trees:      Trim if overhanging pavements, windows etc.   Be considerate of your neighbours and those walking in front of your boundaries.

Herb Garden or Pot  :           Plan your herb garden now – or if space is limited use a pot.   Choose a sunny, south-facing position and dig in some grit to improve drainage.  Try to pick a spot as near to your kitchen as possible.   A cartwheel pattern laid out in decorative brick and each section planted with a different herb could be effective.   Or if you are not feeling that energetic, how about an herb pot.    A terracotta, “strawberry” pot is very suitable with different pocket shaped holes for each herb.   Soak the pot in water and put stones in the bottom for drainage.    Fill it to just below the lowest holes or pockets with compost.   Place rootballs of herb plants on the compost and coax the leaves through the first layer of holes, adding stones to keep the compost from running out when watered.   Add more compost to the level of the next set of pockets and repeat until full.   Plant an herb in the top and after placing pot in position, water well.

Sweet Peas:   The seeds can be placed in the open ground now.   First, nick each seed opposite the eye and do not soak.  Charlie Wilkins says so!   Sow a few inches apart.

Dahlias:          Place newly bought tubers and those saved from last year in boxes of old, moist compost and stand in a warm spot to sprout.   Cut off any new shoots, which develop and pot the tubers. 

Anemones:     Plant now (or in autumn) up to the end of March – first soak the corms overnight then plant out in a sheltered spot enriched with Browngold or similar, 3 inches deep and 6 inches apart.

Flowering Shoots:      Do you know that if you cut some shoots of the red-flowering spring shrub called Ribes (flowering-current) and bring it indoors for early forcing in bowls and vases of water, it will bloom in a white shade and not red!

The reason for this is that the biochemical mechanisms, which produce the red pigment, do not operate at the higher temperatures found indoors.

Many gardeners like to cut shoots of shrubs at this time of year so they can see them unfurl and blossom in more congenial surroundings.  

You are not confined to Ribes however, for all those shrubs which make their buds in autumn, will bloom in a matter of days, if cut and brought indoors this month.

Forsythia would be the most well-known of those plants capable of blooming indoors in a vase, but try winter jasmine, witch hazel, camellias, daphnes, viburnums and the white magnolia known as “stellata”.   If you cannot bear to cut shoots from your favourite camellia, then simply pick the buds, float them in a shallow bowl of water and watch them unfurl like so many miniature water-lillies.

Change the water daily and add an aspirin to help them last longer.

St Benidects Priory.  Gifts for Mothers Day.   Orders taken at the Priory or 4811354

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 All articles for inclusion in the Newsletter, or photographs for the website should be given (or e-mailed) to Margot

Tel: 4811563

e-mail: cfhc@eircom.net

Irish Peatland Conservation Council:          This group turn used stamps into money to help save Irish bogs.    If you would like to contribute – just cut the stamps off the envelopes leaving a 1 cm margin and post them to IPCC, 119 Capel St., Dublin 1.   They also welcome foreign coins, phone cards, post cards, petrol vouchers, supermarket club points and cap badges.   Last year the stamps raised 5000 Euro.

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Crossword Competition

Across:                                                            Down:

2.         Early Spring flowering corm                1.         Malus

5.         Some of these flowers have a beard.   3.         Prickly succulent.

7.         Encourage it to grow!                           4.         British Garden.

8.         Sweet smelling plant – a fag!               6.         Below the surface – normally.

11.       A sticky Australian!                             7.         Fern leaf.

14.       pH is less than 7.                                  9.         Autumn flowering bulb.

15.             From N.Z. perhaps.                              10.       Willow                                                

12.        Taxus Baccata

13.        A wise aromatic plant.

Name__________________________ Return to Margot, cfhc@eircom.net or bring to the May meeting.   There is a prize!!