News
It’s time to clean up the garden

By Debby Looney, gardening expert
This weekend was a happy time for many gardeners – I certainly heard a lot of lawnmowers on my walk!Many lawns might be damaged, so it is a good time to take the opportunity to rake out thatch, apply mosskiller or lime and tidy up the edges. There are many feed and weed products available but if your moss is not a huge problem, I always advise going with a product which does not contain any iron (feric sulphate). This will cause your soil to become acidic, which in the long run promotes moss growth. However, if you have a thick layer of moss, using sulphate of iron will kill it - however it will turn black and it needs to be raked out.
Make a newspaper pot
Applying a good quantity of lime afterwards will counteract the acidity and prevent regrowth.
Glasshouses and polytunnels should be disinfected, and any pots and seedtrays cleaned and disinfected also, if not done yet! If you are wondering what to do on a wet afternoon with the kids you could make a stack of newspaper pots. These are simple to make, just cut the top off a 500ml plastic bottle. Take a sheet of newspaper, fold it in half, wrap it around the bottle and tuck the ends into the open end. Then you can slip it off the bottle and hey presto, a pot! Free and very handy! Ideal for sowing peas, sweet peas, beans, lupins and a host of other large seeds. The pots decompose so there is no transplanting involved, keeping the roots undisturbed.
If there are any water features in your garden, it is an ideal time to drain them and clean them. Ponds can also be cleaned out. I notice that a lot of my water plants and aerators died during the cold spell, so they do need to be taken out of the pond to avoid problems later on. When you remove them, just leave them at the side of the pond for a few hours, so any water creatures can crawl out and return to the water! You can use it directly as a mulch then, as it will be fairly rotten anyway. All pond plants can be cut back and tidied up, and water lillies can be repotted if necessary. Always use special pond baskets for pond plants and aquatic soil. Cover the top of the pot with gravel and lower gradually into the water to avoid everything drifting up and out.
I notice quite a lot of frogspawn already, so take care not to disturb it too much! Wait until the weather is warmer, around 12 to 15 degrees before replacing the aerator. Also, check pumps and clean out the filters, as they may have clogged up over the winter.
News
Sunflower day fundraiser for Killarney on Friday
Killarney Branch, Kerry Hospice Foundation are hoping the sun will shine for their Sunflower Day fundraiser which takes place on Friday, June 10. There will be collections at various locations […]

Killarney Branch, Kerry Hospice Foundation are hoping the sun will shine for their Sunflower Day fundraiser which takes place on Friday, June 10.
There will be collections at various locations in and around town as well as Foley’s Spar Shop, Fossa and Hegarty’s Spar Shop, Muckross.
“This is our first Sunflower Day collection since 2019. It is one of our main annual fundraising events and is always well supported by the local community” says Cathal Walshe, PRO., Killarney Hospice Branch.
The services provided by Kerry Hospice Foundation for people with life limiting illnesses at it’s 15 bed inpatient unit and “Suaimhneas” Day Care Centre at University Hospital Kerry have been well documented in recent years. Also highlighted is the fact that it costs in the region of €10,000 weekly to provide these services.
Kerry Hospice Foundation has plans for further expansion of its services into the future. An outreach clinic has already been set up at Killarney Community Hospital where patients can meet with a Palliative Care Specialist. This service along with the existing services would not be possible were it not for the generous support Kerry Hospice gets from the people of Kerry.
People can find out more about the work of Kerry Hospice Foundation at www.kerryhospice.com, on Facebook or on Twitter @kerryhospice.
News
Ted Healy Properties wins DNG Small Branch of the Year
A Killarney estate agents has received a national award at the DNG National Conference and Awards, which took place at The Curragh Racecourse last week. Killarney estate agent DNG Ted […]

A Killarney estate agents has received a national award at the DNG National Conference and Awards, which took place at The Curragh Racecourse last week.
Killarney estate agent DNG Ted Healy Properties was named the ‘Small Branch of the year’ at the awards sponsored by the Irish Examiner.
The Conference and Awards ceremony was attended by more than 150 delegates from offices across Ireland where a range of topics from Ireland’s property market outlook to DNG’s recent partner affiliation with Hampton International and the role of DNG in the residential and commercial sectors, were discussed.
Delegates were entertained by guest speaker Ireland Rugby legend and La Rochelle coach Ronan O’Gara.
The judging panel of industry experts, included Peter Dargan of Irish Times, Adrian Bushnell of Pan Research, Ross Killeen of Media Pro and Keith Lowe, CEO of DNG.
The panel praised DNG Ted Healy for the high standard of service to customers and the team’s use of Social Media to enhance their business.
A native of Killarney, Ted Healy officially opened his estate agency practice in March 2006 and has gone from strength to strength ever since providing a highly professional and competent residential and commercial estate agency service to the people of Killarney and its surrounds.
“We are so grateful to be recognised as the DNG Small Branch of the year. The whole team at DNG Ted Healy has strived towards excellent for the last 12 months, and this only motivates us to continue exceeding expectations and delivering excellence to our clients,” said Ted Healy.
The awards celebrate the hard work carried out across the DNG Network and recognise the successes of individuals within the organisation, rewarding the high standards of service, business acumen and professionalism that are demonstrated in each DNG branch.