Garden Centre Fever

It's official, garden centre fever is underway!
Last weekend Dundrum nurseries in Tipp was mobbed. Id say they made their money on seed potatoes and bedding plants alone. I bought a golden bamboo, two ferns, a tree peony(good value at 12 euros) and a thuja, in a variegated yellow green, hopefully it will block a draught in the south westerly corner! and I picked up an enormous tub of the brilliantly named Sea-mun-gus. Brilliant all round stuff , great in the veg garden, on the lawn, under fruit trees, for roses, anything really. Next best is also the brilliantly named "cock-a doodle-doo", Irish made pelleted chicken manure!!Great high nitrogen doses for lots of things in the garden.

what could you possibly get up to in here?

Took this pic in the enormous glasshouse as I was checking out the tree ferns.To be honest I was mulling over the moral dilemma of the state of Victoria in Queensland harvesting these amazing plants to send them to inhospitable climates like ours where after 40 years and more of growing they will probably die the first bad winter. I felt bad for the plants.

The girl working in there kept looking suspiciously at me!! Reminded me of backpacking, they searched me every time at customs. I almost never got to America because the first page immigration opened in Shannon had two lovely Visas for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran! This was in October 2002! Well on the plus side it was probably the most excitement U.S. Immigration had that day. Its good that our family keeps them busy. The banned my sister from travel a few years later after she overstayed a VISA.

A big Ey up!! to Jude in Sheffield who might remember a border crossing where a few of us realised we were in possession of illegal substances that had to be creatively ditched at the last minute!! Everyone should travel it really is an education!! Except maybe for tree ferns who would live longer at home in Australia.