“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale”.
Lauren DeStefano
Such a beautiful day, full of sunshine and fall colours, autumn at it’s most glorious!
Currently it is the time to take stock and make plans for this coming growing season. I have done a little of that, and I’ve also gone through my last years garden journal to check on what did well and what is just not suited to our type of garden soil, the amount of light and the temperature, and I’ve made a few notes on that. While I was checking all the beds, seeing what is growing well during the winter months, I noticed that herbs and some wild plans do very well during the winter in this area – it being the SW of Ireland. Our climate here is influenced by the gulfstream, this makes our winters mild, usually we only get a little night frost, and this seldom harsher than minus 3 or 4. The plant hardiness zone in this oceanic climate is around 9. So today on the fourth of February I took some photos of what is growing right now, what I can use from our garden. And there is quite a lot.
There are some large and strong lavender and rosemary plants, they are getting old now and a little woody, but still flowers profusely. Normally the rosemary blooms in the winter, beautiful pale blue flowers. I find that rosemary grows extremely well and fast here. The lavender sometimes blooms twice a year and gives a generous crop. Some years ago I planted a sage bush and it soon almost took over the plot, definitely overshadowing the oregano at the moment, again this plant gives beautiful darker blue flowers on spikes, which turn a rusty colour in the fall. Our oregano plants almost disappear during the winter, only a few leaves remaining, but they come up wonderfully well once the sun warms the soil. What does disappear are the different types of mint, the chives, and the lavas, but they also return with the warmer weather. The bay leaf plant grows in a pot, it is slow growing which suits me, I use it all the time. Curly parsley is another herb that stays green all winter. My French tarragon I’ve had to overwinter inside where it is doing ok. I have always loved growing herbs, because of their scent and of course because of their culinary uses. I like to cook with them. Other herbal plants in our garden, like the dandelion, three cornered leeks, borage, feverfew, shepherd’s purse, cleavers, and nettles, just appear and I only use some of them in my cooking, others like the feverfew for example I just like the idea of them being medicinal herbs, but because I don’t know enough about them – I do not use them. Nettles, cleavers, three cornered leeks, ransom, and dandelion I do use, but not for their flavour, more for their vitamin and mineral content.
I enjoyed telling about my herbs and wild plants, I hope you enjoyed reading about them. Today I cooked a Gingered Sweet Potato and coconut stew with lots of cilantro (which does not do well during the winter here – at least not outside!)
I saw a program recently where herbs were used in a border, and left to flower and bloom. It gave me an idea, I’ve tried it before with both celery and coriander plants, but I grew them in pots. I am now going try growing them in-between other flowering plants in my borders. I guess coriander is native to the Mediterranean. Celery, though, is definitely native to Ireland, there are still uncultivated wild celery plants growing on Irish soil. Their flowers are umbelliferous, lovely light delicate flowers which will definitely add interest to my border.
When I’m reading, thinking, talking, or writing about plants, their origins, their uses, their benefits, and their beauty, and how many of them travelled from faraway places, then I’m as happy and interested as can be. So much to read and learn about them.
The story of the Kalanchoe blossfeldiana is a nice one, at least in our household it is. Over the years I was often given one of these plants, and that in a variety of colours, red, white, yellow and rose mainly, but one year I received one with orange flowers, a real beauty! In fact they were all beauties. They fitted in alright with my other houseplants but I soon realised that the kalanchoe has something special, a strong will of its own, it grows how it wants, and rightly so. After it has finished flowering for the first time, I cut away all the large leaves. It then goes into its dormant period for a while. Eventually it starts to grow again and quickly show flower buds, they take long before they bloom open. The leaves it now produces are a lot smaller, growing into lovely rosette patterns. The stems grow of course depending on the light source. I leave my Kalanchoes (5) outside all summer but protect them from too much rain. I take them in during the autumn as they are not frost tolerant. I love seeing them coming into flower year after year. At times the colours of the flowers change, for example, my orange one never became orange again. As the years go by they are inclined to grow into very individual and interesting shapes.
Kalanchoe is actually a genus of around 125 species of tropical, succulent flowering plants. They are native to Madagascar and tropical Africa. I was surprised to read that the plant we call ‘mother of thousands’ is also a type of kalanchoe.
Although the genus kalanchoe was first described in 1763 by the French botanist Michel Adamson, it only became generally available and was commercialized in the 20th century after botanist Robert Blossfeld brought it to Germany and Paris. He found it growing in the cool region of the Tsarantanana Mountains in Madagascar. I know it to be a very adaptable plant.
Of interest is that Kalanchoe plants belong to the stonecrop (Crassulaceae) family.
The plant has been used in folk medicine, but is also studied in scientific circles. Co-incidentally a friend of ours in Tamil Nadu (South India) sent me a photo only recently of a flowering Bryophyllum Pinnatum which is also classed a subgenus within the genus kalanchoe. Bryophyllum is a group of plant species also of the family Crassulaceae and is native to Madagascar. Apparently these plants are used not only against kidney stones but in folk medicine are known to have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-histamine properties, also used for cancer treatment. Especially mentioned were the Kane and Kurichiyar Tribal Communities of Kerala. In Ethiopia this genus of plants is or was used for wound healing or tooth ache. In the Philippines as a muscle relaxant. For cats and dogs the Kalanchoe plant is toxic by the way.
A little clarification about Kalanchoe plant classification:
Crassulaceae is the family
Kalanchoe is the genus
Bryophyllum is the section or subgenus
Kalanchoe blossfeld is the species (and that is the species in the photos above and below).
The kalanchoe plant is known as a symbol of persistence and eternal love. In China where it is also a popular plant it is favoured at the New Year for its connection to prosperity.
Nice walk along the N71 surrounding Skibbereen town. River Illen flows through the town and has many different faces, this time a faint reflexion of the blue sky and some light white clouds.
In the Uillinn Gallery I had a preview of Majella O’Neill Collins’ paintings which I think quite interesting, this time her paintings imagine the journey of the MV Alta, a merchant ship that was abandoned at sea in 2018, it washed ashore in West Cork during a storm in 2020. The wreckage is still there. I did get the distinct feeling that ships or a ship and the sea were her theme. Enjoyed some of her vibrant work. Her exhibition opens next Saturday.
I was lucky enough to see a heron!
Love these pines against the blue winter sky. Birds have started singing!
Taking time out will be snippets of my walks and indeed of my time out
On this first Sunday morning of the New Year I decided to visit the small seaside village of Union Hall in West Cork. It lies just 15 minutes drive from where we live and though it had frozen during the night, the sun was pouring over the land warming and beautifying everything. I drove past Rineen Forest which is located on an inlet of the North Atlantic Ocean, on the eastern side of the townland of Castlehaven. I’ve often walked in this forest together with my grandchildren and family. It is a great stretch of interesting trees and contains the remains of a lime kiln. The birds too are forever singing and there is a wealth of wild plants, a lovely place. But I was on my way down to Union Hall a further five minutes’ drive along a steep and winding road.
Union Hall, is a small fishing village, it is very scenic and peaceful there. I love walking along the seashore, especially to see the activity of the seabirds and the many lichen on the stone walls. The road leads out of the village and onto the pier where there is a colourful variety of fishing nets, lobster pods and fishing boats. I chose the place for a silent walk as I wanted to start the year with a clear head. Locals did greet me and I did exchange a few words with other walkers and their dogs. An occasional cry from the seagulls and other seabirds resounded over the water. My breathing deepened from the sheer tranquillity and the refreshing sea air. A calm descended over me like only a connection with nature can do.
Over Christmas I obtained a little book on lichens, mainly about lichens of the National Forest in Glengarriff, but visiting that forest is for another time. Reading through it did heighten my already interest in the lichen of the area here and I naturally took some photos of those I found while on my walk. Lichens are fascinating, they are neither plants nor animals, they are living things that live in symbiosis with fungi. They are often very beautiful and intriguing. I’ll learn more about them this coming year I think.
In the photo above are the mussel shells, the remains from meals of seabirds, mainly seagulls who drop those on the sea walls to break open feast on the contents.
Interesting looking old stone building, some sort of store no doubt. Much more to discover about this little place!
All is calm in our little town on this Christmas Eve, the only sounds in our street are the wind howling and the odd car passing. It seems that people are all heading towards home, the shops are slowly closing and town is emptying. There is always a nice buzz in Skibbereen around this time of year. Traditionally young people who would have emigrated to America or the UK would try and get home for the festivities, these days it is students and those that made it overseas that return, it’s always a great time for rejoicing and that is palpable in the streets and shops as old friends and families gather. People seem cheerful. Nice!
But I did not mean to write about this. For me Christmas or Solstice time is special too but in other ways. I feel myself pulled deeper into nature, my wish is to go for a long walk and take note of all that is happening, and so much is happening underneath all the rest that nature is supposed to be taking at this time. Around me I not only see daffodils shooting up, but all sort of buds are getting bigger by the day. A myriad of small young plants are covering the ground where there are patches not covered by fallen leaves.
A fine Irish mist is making everything wet and glistening, as a result the colours of the tree trunks in our garden are not dull, they are bright and beautiful. This time of year is special, I read the old stories of animals being able to converse with each other in language on Christmas Eve, that somehow always stuck with me! These are the darkest days, midwinter, we celebrate the solstice and look forward to the light returning, the brighter and longer days, new life and renewed energy in nature and in humans. Christmas too is about new life, the birth of Christus, bringing light into the world. It is a beautiful time, hopefully a time of peace for all.
Here in our little house, Ian is working on writing his book, we just had lunch and some real Flemish marzipan that my sister Josephine sent us from Lier. Everything is peaceful, I’m listening to baroque music on rtbf Musiq3. Work is done, our garden birds are fed, and I’m enjoying writing my blog post and wondering how all my WordPress friends and followers are celebrating this time of year. Soon it will be 2024 and I hope that it will be a year full of blessing for you all.
Sending love and wishing peace to everyone.
‘Every gardener know that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle, a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl. And the anticipation nurtures our dream’ B.Winkler
‘What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness’ John Steinbeck
‘Don’t think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It’s quiet, but the roots are down there riotous’ RUMI
Lacework of the hydrangea flowers.
‘In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy’ WILLIAN BLAKE
Totally enjoying a beautiful winter, the sky, the plants, seedheads, and all the little miracles that manifest during this time of year are a joy to behold. Winter is a time for reflection and restoration in nature and in ourselves.
Wishing everyone a peaceful and beautiful Christmas and mid-winter time, may peaceful blessings be upon you all.
The wonders we discover in an November garden, the colours, the textures, the unexpected plants, the fungi, or still the odd insect flying around, and sucking nectar from the autumn flowers which still embellish the dying remains of summer growth. The grass has grown wild and is drenched constantly from the rains. The leaves decomposing already and covering both the path and the beds their colours dark and shiny in a golden sunshine.
Over the past summer I’ve added a few more shrubs which have taken on well, each moulding to their surroundings and looking now as if they have grown there for ever. The days are drawing in, there is at times a chill in the air, and the scent of cinnamon and baked apples coming out of the kitchen is wonderful. How I love autumn!
On the days when it is stormy, when the rain lashes down I’m inside, cosy, doing stuff one does when it’s too wet to be out there. There are still flower pots to wash and some tools to clean up and put away. Thinking of next spring, I’ve planted tulips and crocuses in containers and have put those in up-side-down plastic boxes so they won’t rot from the rain. The gladiola bulbs are still in the ground, I’ll pick those out before the first frost. My Lemon Vervain who’s survived the last three winters outside and which did very well in the tunnel during the summer is now well wrapped up in bubble wrap. The tea is rather refreshing especially with a little dash of local honey.
It’s amazing, and yet not surprising seeing we have a subtropical climate, that the whole garden is still very green and next year’s perennials are looking so good, especially the Foxgloves and the Sweet Williams. Also the oregano grows right through the winter, at least it does not die down.
These are the stems of the Golden Rod plant, I harvested them and realised that I love their colours and they are quite strong too, so I brought them inside and will use them in some craft or art project.
Vegetables are growing right among all the shrubs and plants, celery, carrots, leeks, kale and still some beetroot and parsley, lots of winter stews on the way… Lately though I’ve bought a nice Lebanese cooking book, and I’m following traditional Persian and Palestinian dishes on Facebook groups. I am very intrigued by their colourful dishes, their lovely spices and this coming winter I’ll experiment.
I hope that you enjoyed this little stroll through my garden. I also hope that everyone is doing ok and not affected by wars or climate disasters. I wish a blessing on each and everyone. All my love.
Some weeks ago now I had the opportunity to visit my native country again for a short time. So it was with delight that I departed from Dublin airport to arrive to the welcome of my dear sister Josephine in Brussel. It had been many years, since before covid, that I had been back. Her son-in-law Emile drove us home to Lier which is where my sister lives. This medieval town has special significance for our family as some of our ancestors used to walk its cobblestoned streets. It is no wonder then that when walking in Lier I get a strong feeling of its history, I love it. Our great grandfather was a cattle merchant there, I can see him doing deals with other folk, inspecting, selling and buying cattle. I looked for the Veemarkt, the historical cattle market area of the town, and found it, but that is for further explorations.
I would like to say a little about the townhall with its belfry. During the 14th century Lier had a thriving textile industry and in 1367 a Cloth Hall was built. This stood at the site of the present town hall. The beautiful belfry adjacent to the hall was built earlier, a bell in the tower was used to warn the town’s people of any danger, but also it contained the charters. It housed, and still does, a carillon with 23 bells which ring out regularly over the town square. In 1418 the function of the cloth hall was moved to the nearby guild hall of the butchers, the cloth hall became the present town hall, its extensive restoration was completed in the 18th century. A beautiful oak stairway, incredible ceiling paintings, and beautiful interior was designed and can be admired today. The present building is finished in Brabantic rococo style.
This is a story, according to folklore, about saint Gommarus, the patron saint of Lier. In the 8th century this big landowner and son of a lord became a hermit after he had served some time in the military. The town of Lier is said to have grown up around his hermitage. Gommarus is said to have saved a tree from death by tying his belt around it after it had been chopped. The tree lived. Subsequently miracles happened and saint Gommarus is since said to be protecting folks from fractures. The interesting Romanesque St.Pieter’s chapel (see photos below), built ca.1225, stands on the site of a wooden prayer room where saint Gommarus used to pray. The present chapel has undergone extensive restorations. It is situated in a very old part of the town.
Lace in Lier is not bobbin lace, it was and is still made using a small crochet needle making chain stitches in various thicknesses of cotton that are embroidered on tule, which is stretched onto an embroidery frame. I found these pieces in one of the museums, I thought it to be beautiful work.
Some more beautiful facades of the town square and on the far left is what was the guild hall of the butchers (vleeshuis).
In 1383 a start was made with putting down cobblestones on the huge market place, these are called ‘kinderkopjes’ in Lier, meaning little heads of children! On the right is a photo of the St.Jacob’s chapel which was extensively damaged during WI but rebuilt.
Below some photos of the beguinage, which at the moment is being restored in several places. It is a place which is so peaceful and has beautiful corners. It’s great to read up on the history of it.
The river Nete flows through Lier, and Lier has some wonderful greenery circling the town, this is the area of the Vests, where the original town walls were, they have been made into lovely walks. We saw a red squirel there!
Left is one of the remaining historical gates of the town which gave entry to the area lying within the town walls. This one is called the gevangenispoort, meaning the jail gate, this because at some time in the past it was used as a jail. Right is the famous Zimmer toren which is such a wonder in itself.
We had such a nice time, reminiscing and looking up history and taking photos, and of course all this while have plenty of stops for coffee and confectionery!
Here is a paling schuit, a type of fishing boat which was used to fish for eels.
And here is a photo of our great grandfather, a Lierenaar. And my sister Josephine who is wearing her sensible shoes in order to have an easy journey over the cobblestones! We only had rain on the first day. It was a short visit but it was brilliant! And I have a lot more to say about Lier. The day that I had to travel again came too soon!
agoyvaerts 