Your gardening photos

New Home · 09-03-2026 03:43PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124298506#Comment_124298506

Il looks a bit like Cleopatra.

New Home · 12-03-2026 03:35PM

Spring! And the bees are wearing pollen and nectar legwarmers, like 1980s ladies doing aerobic.

Nigzcurran · 12-03-2026 03:44PM

Wow!

10-10-20 · 12-03-2026 04:19PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124307059#Comment_124307059

Is that apple blossom or cherry, or what variety? It's spectacular.

standardg60 · 12-03-2026 04:43PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124307209#Comment_124307209

https://futureforests.ie/products/prunus-serrulata-tai-haku

I assume it's this, a spectacular sight for sure

10-10-20 · 12-03-2026 04:45PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124307262#Comment_124307262

The flower clustering looked different to what I had in mind for a Japanese cherry.

New Home · 12-03-2026 05:03PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124307209#Comment_124307209

Wild plums, damsons and gages, they sprout up all over the place to the point that we have to mow over the saplings to stop their spread. They're usually stunning, but this year they're absolutely breathtaking - you can't even see the branches! There's another one that for some reason (we didn't graft it) produces half plum coloured gages with pinkish flowers and reddish leaves, and half greengages with green leaves. Here it is, you can see some of the green at the bottom.

New Home · 12-03-2026 05:33PM

Here's a better one, from another angle.

looksee · 12-03-2026 05:41PM

I have a gage/plum (it has only ever produced one plum) which is slightly plum at the top, but it has sprouted from the bottom and is mostly gage (presumably root stock) but it is covered in flowers.

standardg60 · 12-03-2026 06:04PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124307267#Comment_124307267

You're right, should have spotted the flowers were more upright.

OscarMIlde · 15-03-2026 02:21PM

Muscari, wallflowers and Narcissus starting to flower now. The tulips I planted this year are barely emerging from the ground, while ones from three years ago will probably flower in a week or two.

Hobby farmer · 15-03-2026 09:49PM

Favourite time of the year.

J Mysterio · 16-03-2026 11:48AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124307059#Comment_124307059

What tree is it? Beautiful!

Edit: I see this was already answered

Thargor · 17-03-2026 04:45AM

These are back in Lidl, got good results from them last year so going to expand the area this time around, €3 for a 100g of what looks like pure seeds, Woodies are selling 200g boxes for €15 and if you read the fine print its 15g of seed and the rest is sand.

I know you're supposed to use natives but native Irish wildflower seeds dont seem to like me much, they were covered in insects all Summer anyway:

wildwillow · 17-03-2026 10:32AM

Using native seed is indeed the correct way when broadcasting seeds in the wild or waste ground, as some people do. Within your own garden I think it is acceptable. After all most of your formal planting is probably not native.

Because we had a very mild winter many of those annuals will self seed anyway. I've had to clear thousands of nigella seedlings from the flowerbeds.

looksee · 17-03-2026 10:33AM

I have very attractive Monkshood busily spreading all over a bed, I eye it suspiciously, but its a pretty plant.

wildwillow · 17-03-2026 04:40PM

Just don't eat it!! (Does anyone actually eat all those poisonous plants we grow.) I also love it's flowers and it is very hardy.

macraignil · 17-03-2026 04:54PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124319770#Comment_124319770

Remember reading there was a case in the UK of a gardener having died after handling monkshood. Not sure if this is the same case I read about:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-29949698

It may not just be eating this plant we have to be concerned about. Had one in my own garden that I got from a clearance shelf without having researched what I was buying and think the flowers look nice but I think the one I had has died after being over grown and neglected and I wont be getting another one after reading about how poisonous they are. Lots of other plants in my garden that have some connection with being poisonous that I would be unconcerned about.

looksee · 17-03-2026 05:32PM

Yes, I'm aware of the issues with it and would not handle it without gloves. Its in a reasonably inaccessible spot and we don't have children in the garden so I think its ok. I did pull out a Robinia Pseudocacia as it was growing at an alarming rate and into the neighbours' garden, but other than that, so many things from daffodils to lilies of the valley to foxgloves and dozens of others are poisonous you can only be aware and warn people off.

Nigzcurran · 17-03-2026 05:49PM

Hopefully not sounding too silly but is there a real danger to getting poisoned out gardening? I rarely wear gloves when working out in the garden unless there is nettles involved!

macraignil · 17-03-2026 05:59PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124319934#Comment_124319934

Not really in my opinion as we generally are not eating random things in the garden and monkshood is one of the few plants I have seen reported as having caused poisoning without having been eaten. That UK gardener may have even been eating his lunch directly after handling monkshood for all I know. I also never really wear gloves gardening but always wash my hands afterwards mainly because of Weil's disease risk that we were warned about when I worked on archaeology sites.

Happy gardening!

looksee · 17-03-2026 06:50PM

Agreed, I tend to wear gloves just for comfort, but there is nothing really I would worry about, especially if you don't put your hands into your eyes or mouth. You need to be a bit careful around hogweed, especially if you are hacking at it, it can cause a nasty rash - even the common one. The giant hogweed (which you are unlikely to have) is a more serious matter.

wildwillow · 17-03-2026 07:55PM

Ordinary hand hygiene should protect from any harm. It is essential to wear good gloves when handling plants like euphorbia, where the sap will burn the skin.

Also I taught my children and grandchildren not to put anything in their mouths unless it has been checked and/or washed.

I garden organically so fruit and vegetables are often nibbled on the go. I hose down the tomatoes in the greenhouse as little fingers love the cherry variety and rules are forgotten.

Cody montana · 19-03-2026 12:54PM

Tulips opening up in the sunshine.

Thargor · 21-03-2026 03:48PM

First mow done, never got to do a tidy up at the end of last year because of the rain in Limerick so it was a total mess and my little Lidl mower was struggling towards the end, such a relief though, cringing at it every time I looked out the window for the last 4 months.

The pond and the beds are absolute disaster zones but Im done for today, shower and a steak and chips now 😎

Nigzcurran · 21-03-2026 04:47PM

I had dug this up to build a new shed and left it lying on the grass with bare roots and originally was going to dump it but decided a week later to try squeeze it in somewhere. It can't decide if it wants to live or die after the way I treated it! Should I just leave it alone and hope for the best? It's in the ground about 6 weeks now.