Connect with us

News

The variety of grass

Published

on

0233611_shutterstock2075156815.jpg

One family of plants which you would think will grow better than any here in Kerry, would be grasses…

However growing grass which is not indigenous can be tricky. Most grass such as Pennisetums, those of the ‘cat tail’ flowers, enjoy warm, sunny weather, with well drained, light soil. I find that many of the showy Pennisetum, such as P. rubrum, (reddish foliage with purple flowers), Hameln, (green foliage, creamy flowers) or ‘Buttons’, (grey foliage, purple button shaped flowers) really need a long, sunny summer to produce good numbers of flowers and attractive foliage.

Autumn colour also depends on light condition.

Any Pennisetum I have grown in my garden has not really survived the winter, however, those I grow in pots along a south facing wall do very well. I think they are particularly effective if used as a seasonal plant mixed with bedding.

Festuca is a more resilient grass, doing a little better in our wet winters. Festuca also abhors waterlogged soil, and prefers a site in full sun. Festuca glauca is a steely blue, achieving its best colour in a very sunny spot.

Stipa is a good grass for most gardens, Stipa’s ‘pony tails’ has pretty curled foliage and masses of fluffy flowers. Stipa gigantica has elegant flowers which can reach up to 2m, though the foliage only grows to 60cm.

Hakonechloa macra is also very tolerant of wet winters. It is a low growing grass which is evergreen, with a lovely fresh, limegreen colour.

All grasses prefer well drained soil, and most like the sun. Many look attractive in the winter, even as they go brown, and are much used by insects to hibernate in. Clumps can be cut back severely – I am always in conflict when is the best time.

On the one hand, the skeletal fronds look beautiful in the winter sun, so I like to leave to leave the cutting until spring.

On the other hand, water can lodge in the base of the plant, causing the whole thing to rot. It would be ideal if we could predict the winter weather – if wet, cut back, if dry and frosty, leave til spring!

One grass I would recommend highly for Irish weather is Miscanthus. There are many varieties, from very tall to about 60cm. They all spread, so you will need space. Their flower heads are particularly liked by greenfinches in the winter, so they are the last grasses in our garden to be pruned!

Continue Reading
Advertisement

News

New local date for Hozier this summer

With over 22 billion global streams Hozier, whose other shows are completly sold out, has announced a new date in Killarney this summer. Not only will the Grammy-nominated, award-winning multi-platinum […]

Published

on

0253724_HOZIER_image.jpg

With over 22 billion global streams Hozier, whose other shows are completly sold out, has announced a new date in Killarney this summer.

Not only will the Grammy-nominated, award-winning multi-platinum singer and songwriter, perform in Malahide Castle and The Academy, but he has announced a gig at the Gleneagle INEC Arena on June 27.

Driven by the thought-provoking quintuple-platinum anthem, ‘Take Me To Church’, ranked the 30th most listened to song on Spotify, the track is the 103rd song to ever achieve the rare milestone of Diamond certification and the highest certified solo Alternative single in RIAA history.

‘Take Me To Church’ has surpassed 2 billion streams, the only Irish artist to achieve this feat.

Hozier’s success hasn’t been confined to the UK and US with the album also achieving Multi-Platinum status in Belgium, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, Ireland, Russia, Sweden, Poland, Switzerland, Austria and the Netherlands.

Major TV appearances have helped spread the gospel including stand-out appearances on Later with Jools, Jimmy Fallon , David Letterman, Saturday Night Live, Ellen, Jimmy Kimmel, and Graham Norton. Following a year of sold out shows and festival appearances across the US, Canada, Europe and Australia, VH1 crowned Hozier ‘Artist of the Year’ and he received the honours ‘Top Rock Artist’ and ‘Top Rock Songs’ at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards.

In addition, he scored nominations for ‘Song of the Year’ at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards at which he performed alongside Annie Lennox and ‘Favourite Artist – Alternative Rock’ at the American Music Awards.

He won BBC ‘Song of the Year’ and the coveted Ivor Novello award for ‘Song of The Year’.

As Hozier prepares to release his third album ‘Unreal Unearth’ in 2023, his 3-track EP ‘Eat Your Young’ was released on March 17 in honour of his birthday and St. Patrick’s Day.

Tickets for Hozier go on sale this Thursday at 9am.

Attachments

Continue Reading

News

First born Kerry Calf of the year is a girl!

The first born Kerry Calf of 2023 was born at Muckross National Park this week. Both mother and calf are doing very well. The rare and native bred is distinguished […]

Published

on

0254052_KNP_Kerry_Calf_newborn1.jpg

The first born Kerry Calf of 2023 was born at Muckross National Park this week.

Both mother and calf are doing very well. The rare and native bred is distinguished by its black colour, grazing outdoors in all seasons and is extremely hardy. The newborn calf can expect a long and peaceful life grazing in the National Park – the half moon close to Torc Waterfall is a popular grazing field.

Kerry cattle are a rare breed of dairy cattle – native to Kerry, descended from the Celtic Shorthorn, brought to Ireland as early as 2000BC. They are considered one of the oldest breeds in Europe, known for their milk quality and gentle nature.

Killarney National Park recognises the importance of conserving the historic Muckross herd. Former owners of Muckross Estate, Arthur Rose Vincent, were passionate about the Kerry Calf. Today, the rare bred are cared and managed by Chief Herdsman, Mike Fleming, particularity for preservation and agricultural heritage.

Another prolific breed is the ‘Cahernane Kerry’ owned and bred by dairy farmer, Ms Hilliard of Cahernane, Killarney. Ms Hilliard is one of the strongest advocators in the preservation and conservation of the bred. She is life-long secretary of the Kerry Cattle Society.

Continue Reading

LOCAL ADS

Last News

Advertisement

Sport

Trending