A real delight to watch. I hope that male swan wasn't hissing at Molly though. It looks like a wonderfully peaceful place to be with all that wildlife around - just my kind of walk. That last shot of Molly is a real beauty - she's such a photogenic little girl isn't she?
Eileen,..i keep Molly well back where Swans are concerned as some will attack dogs and those Swans are very strong,..they do hiss at me but if i stand still they relax. I had one hairy experience when taking a break from bank fishing,..as i was eating lunch two Swans came out of the water walked up to me,..just stopped three foot away,..i didn't move,..gave them some cake,..they sat in front of me and were joined by four more,..they all sat around me and even poked at my pockets to see what i had,..eventually they all just sat there preening,..then the hairy experience hit,..how were they going to react when i stood up among them?,..threw some more cake on the ground and while they were scoffing,..off i went. =================================================================================== Thanks Islandlife,..very pleased you liked that video. =================================================================================== Sedum album 'Green Ice' The Chinese Lantern plant is thriving. Pansies just starting to bloom,.. from seeds sown in Spring. Rose ( Rosa 'Laurie's Golden Orange'.)
@Philip Nulty - I get swans here from around October to April. Year before last there were 8 but this past year only 2. I believe they're truly wild and they stick pretty much out in the marsh. Never come close to shore. This year the pair out there was joined by a flock of Canadian geese plus a bunch of resident ducks. Part of the problem with my marsh is that it is designated an Eco area and nobody is allowed to touch or do anything with it and it is slowly being overtaken by the blackberries and weeds so much so that from the path you can't SEE out to the water or even get close. I can see the water through the trees from my back deck but does make everything really far away.
That is a problem when its designated as an Eco area,..Reeds and the like take over the shoreline pushing the Swans further out,..where i live they cut back the Reeds to about 10 foot from shoreline giving wildlife enough area to nest and of course for us humans to view them,..we have many many Swans here,..three species,..Mute/Hooper and Bewick's ,..at times there can be up to seventy seen together,..its interesting to see the same Swans come back each year with their young from previous years and all nest in the same areas,..nice to know you get Canadian Geese as well,..we also get Geese though i don't know the species.
@Philip Nulty - I'll definitely be on the look out for the swans arrival this fall. I love watching them even though my view is peek-a-boo. I keep wishing and hoping one of the really big trees will topple over and in doing so create for me a clear view of all the goings on in the marsh. We DO get Canadian Geese. Matter of fact we get so many they become somewhat problematic i.e. some of the smaller lakes in this area have now been closed for human swimming due to the high fecal content in the water from the geese. There were lots of geese nesting in the marsh this past spring. All would be dead quiet then suddenly they'd be screeching and squawking and carrying on like the end of the world was coming then suddenly all quiet again. Quite entertaining to listen to them and sometimes I can see where they're nesting and I can tell when another water bird goes close to a nest. I'm pretty sure they were nesting with all the accompanying carrying on then one day they were all gone! I have no idea what happened but it has crossed my mind that as all of them were suddenly gone they were possibly culled. Just a thought as there were lots lots lots of them out there and they all couldn't possibly pack their bags and buy tickets to Hawaii same day so to speak. Nor could raccoons or foxes or whatever get all of them same night. No doubt more will come back again this next spring.
Hi Philip. Super lovely garden and set up you have - love all your pets and your "open mind" about them. Ireland is a beautiful country and although I have never been I have watched many DVD's about it all. A perfect climate for gardening also if I read correctly. I bought a number of old & rarer cottage garden plants from an elderly lady & gent (was it Limavady?) years ago - these included some very rare "old double white" & "old double pink" Primroses plus others - Jack in the greens - Hose in Hose and singles like Tawny Port etc. Could not buy them here - your moist mild climate they liked and porospered. Very best wishes to you and yours. Syd.
Its hard to believe how much droppings come from flocks of waterbirds,..i remember when i had 24 ducks and how they would pollute little containers of water in one day,..water had to be replaced sometimes twice in a day. We get white Ibis here for the past few years seeing our climate is warming up.
Thanks Sydney,..afraid my garden is like a jungle compared to yours,..i can not resist adding another plant in if i find a space. Ah Limavady,..which is in Derry,..that's the English translation,..Limivady in Gaelic means,..'Leap Of The Dog',..you managed to get a few good plants from that couple,..they do thrive here with so much rain,..200 plus days of rain in a year. The pets give the feeling that one is not alone in the house,..quite a cozy feeling,.. plus the excuse to exercise my vocal cords without someone thinking i was talking to myself. Best wishes to you and yours Sydney. =================================================================================== The view at present from my front door,..30 foot away. General view,..back garden. No ID Roses and very tall. View from the front of a friends house,..better view than mine as he gets ducks and swans.
Hi Philip. I envy you your garden - you have more room to "spread your gardening wings" and a river/lake as well ? - we are "fenced about" on four sides and over these fences all we see is walls and roofs - nuff said.. My choice would be to do exactly as you do though like yourself I do pack 'em in" wherever there is space. Sadly we have a very serious Mole problem hereabouts and a lot of my garden - thats all the front and half the back is sheeted over with a thick layer of shingle on it to keep them at bay - they can wreck the garden overnight. Best wishes. Syd.
Syd,..ah Moles,..i don't recall anyone over here mentioning that they had Moles and i never came across one,..something i should know but it has escaped me,..i must check if there are Moles in Ireland,..devastating creatures from what you say and many gardeners abroad,..we are supposed to have no Snakes in Ireland,..saying goes that St Patrick got rid of them,..mmmmm he surely didn't pass on his secret of how to get rid of them,..or was he really on about the reptile or some people?,..i was in County Cork sitting on a grassy bank lo and behold there was a pencil sized snake and this wasn't the first or last one i came across,..i suppose if people don't see them they think they are not there,..if you say you came across one,..pshaw they mention St Patrick. Where i live its like where many people envy,..river and lake so close,..a short walk to countryside,..but we do have a lot of rain,..we are never satisfied. =================================================================================== Islandlife,..thank you for your nice comments,..isn't gardening great in that we can create what is in our mind and live it in reality. =================================================================================== Very tired tonight,..well its morning now of course,..almost 0200,..spent five hours moving my furniture around,..all due to purchasing a table and chairs i spotted on my visit to Dublin over a week ago,..of course to fit them in the sitting room meant moving a couch from one corner to another at the opposite side of the room,..then moving the TV to where the couch was,..sounds easy,..well the TV was worse than i imagined,..it was wired to the SKY Box and DVD Player,..plus Video Player,..Stereo,..Charger for Wireless Earphones,..removing all of them and cleaning the floor where the TV and Couch were took 5 hours and i still have to set up the entire lot tomorrow,..gardening is easier. Phlox just starting to bloom,..had to cut back Delphiniums to allow sun to reach them. I was sure that all my Hollyhocks this year were the same color,..until i looked more closer. Under the Fuchsia Tree there are lots of Ferns,..Shuttlecock and Harts Tongue,..what i take care of are the Orchids,..growing in an old Horse Feeder Container for the past 12 years and they flower every year,..not in flower as yet but looking healthy.
Hi Philip. I think your set up is really superb. Totally agree just how very tiring it is shifting furniture about - likewise now I also struggle. Are you into antiques ?? Nice pics of your Phlox - lovely plants big and small. Did spot in your last pic the little Harts Tongue Fern - a plain little plant but one I would not be without. Always nice to talk to you. Best wishes. Syd.
Stunning foto's of your stunning garden, Philip. You have such an interesting variety. Those Phlox are coming right along now aren't they. I saw that you had one of those Chinese Lantern Plants---mate, don't plant that thing in the ground, or you will never get rid of it! It is a beautiful thing when orange in the fall...but I planted one in my garden and its pernicious underground roots went all over, even into the neighbour's garden. Beware. It took me four seasons to get it all out.
