Bealtaine Cottage

Serinde's picture

I cannot recommend this website enough, whether for the beautiful photographs, the refreshment of spirit that goes with wandering through Colette O'Neill's Irish gardens or recognising that the basic hard graft that has brought her to where she is today can be accomplished by anyone willing to do the work. She has published books and has a YouTube channel, too. An inspiration: https://bealtainecottage.com/donations-2/

ClareBroommaker's picture

I'd like to spend some time reading her blog. The two pages I looked at immediately stirred these two reactions. 1) In the before photos, that, is a representation of poor, forlorn abused soil? I see all ground covered in growth except for in the tire ruts. I see a variety of plants--grasses, (and rushes, she says) trees, shrubs. It looks like fertile and probably deep soil to me! 2) Zowie, the centranthus is beautiful. I should try with it again.

Right now, though, I should get off the internet. I'm cold from my behind to my shoulders and should go outside to warm up doing some cottage gardening myself!

Serinde's picture

Well, I can confidently say that I wasn't expecting that response. ;-) Her land was a basically a bog, full of bog grass and course grasses not even useful for grazing. And very, very sour pH-wise. By Irish standards (certainly by Scottish standards), it was pretty melancholy, neglected land. Undrained, your animals at worst get foot rot... of course, stuff grows, but I can tell you the soil isn't deep. It probably sits over peat deposits. Squish or Bounce, depending on the time of year! The almost criminal aspect of all of this is that it can, with care, become very productive land, as Colette has shown. And yes, the Centranthus is gorgeous, isn't it?

Blueberry's picture

By Irish standards that is poor soil. IMHO Ireland is the only country in Western Europe that can feed itself in the coming collapse. The big problem for Ireland is the British Army. The current pop. is less than in 1850. So the road trip fly from St Louis to JFK. Next JFK to Shannon on Air lingus. Pick up rental car driver sits on the other side. About a 2-3 hour drive to County Roscommon. Have a good walk about lots of good music and Irish beer. Make time to travel West to Doolin in County Clare. Very different soil lots of limestone Doolin Cave. Have a nice stay at Daleys House and enjoy the music and food at Gus O'conners Pub. http://gusoconnorsdoolin.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doolin_Cave https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_Roscommon http://www.dalys-doolin.com/

Blueberry's picture

Picture looking out from Minard Castle at some wonderful farm land pic was taken in late Sept 2008. Also a link to Minard Castle of the same general area 10+ years later http://www.megalithicireland.com/Minard%20Castle.html

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