A Little Piece of Kilcoan

This week, I’ve been creating a tiny (2m x 3m) show garden as part of the Antrim Garden Trail’s exhibit at Garden Show Ireland.

I wanted to create a little sample of Kilcoan in spring and, judging by the feedback, I think I may have pulled it off.

The weather has been so cold which helped as I would rather the plants were just beginning to flower than going over. On hind sight, I should have moved certain plants in to the tunnel a few weeks earlier, such as galium odoratum, centaurea montana, geranium macrorhizum, camassia and alliums. All of the plants were propagated  from our garden stock, except for the bulbs which were purchased and potted up in autumn.

The plants are as follows:

Bulbs

Muscari Peppermint, narcissus Geranium & Silver Chimes, tulipa Abigail & Blue Diamond, camassia esculenta and allium cowanii

Perennials

Galium odoratum, primula veris, geum rivale, silene dioica, geranium macrorrhizum Bevans Variety, polemonium Lambrooke Mauve, polemonium Stairway to Heaven, brunnera Jack Frost, alchemilla mollis, centaurea montana, lupin Chandelier, thalictrum aquilegifolium and aquilegia.

Trees – betula pendula & acer campestre

The focal point of the display is an “insect hotel” at the end of the path, adding a vertical dimension in a kind of sculptural sense. Although it looks ornamental, the spec is such that it should prove useful – corrugated card for lacewings, correct diameter of holes for solitary bees. It will also face south / southeast when brought back to Kilcoan which is important.

It was such a wonderful experience and the atmosphere was so amazing that I would highly recommend a visit (next year!).

New Pond

Time has run away with me as happens so often…I will try to catch up.

Since early March, we have been busy and the new pond is finally finished. We ended up having to use a liner as the soil was surprisingly sandy when we started to dig. The pond is essentially for wildlife and so we placed some of our clay soil on top of the liner, made the pond quite shallow with a gradual gradient all around. The stone wall at the back faces south and I’m desperately hoping to attract newts.

There is still plenty of work to do – I have ordered more oxygenators online and the edge on the meadow side is still very much bare soil but I’m sure it won’t be long filling out. I want to keep it as native/natural as possible. Plants so far are as follows:

Just beside the pond edge: Variegated flag iris, iris Gerald Darby, cowslips, geranium maculatum, water forget-me-not.

Behind the pond wall: lythrum salicaria Rosy Gem, aruncus dioicus and japanese astilbe.

In the pond: Caltha palustris, iris lasvigata, nuphar lutea, ranunculus lingua.

I have scattered local wildflower seed on the bare soil on the wild side beside the existing meadow, we still have a stone seat to make overlooking the pond. Gardeners may need patience but I’m willing to bet this time next year, the pond will look as if it’s been there forever…..and hopefully the wildlife will  approve!