Gardening

The Burren is a huge area where limestone outcrops at the surface, forming limestone pavements and shallow meadows with jumbles of rocks and loose stones.

At its highest point it is 1,045 feet above sea level, and at its lowest it drops right down to the edge of the sea itself.

There are more than 600 different species of flowering plants, trees and ferns on the Burren.

They range from those like Mountain Avens, more often found in the Arctic tundra, to Alpine plants like Gentians, to orchids and ferns more commonly associated with Mediterranean climates.

The climate is mild, with winter temperatures seldom falling below six C and rainfall between 39 to 55 inches.

During our visit the sun shone almost every day (just lucky I guess!) but the sea breezes from the Atlantic kept temperatures at a comfortable 20 C.

I had expected most of the flowers to be over, since the best time to visit is said to be spring and early summer but, in fact, the range of plants still flowering in late August was remarkable.

The shallow meadows between the limestone outcrops were awash with flowers: Harebells, Scabious, Knapweeds, Mountain Avens, Saxifrages, Sanicle, Sea Campion, Burnet Rose, Eyebright, Selfheal...I could go on and on!

We did visit one garden while we were away, in the neighbouring region of Connemara.

Here the countryside is quite different, with high fells and many lakes and pools.

The Victorian kitchen garden of Kylemore Abbey is carved out of a hillside and incorporates not only fruit and vegetables but also a pleasure garden, a mountain stream and woodland garden.

It is in the process of being restored and replanted, and although there is a great deal of work still to be done it is an interesting place to visit.

The final memory that will remain of this visit is of the dry-stone walls of County Clare.

Used to the solid regularity of Cumbria's walling we were amused to find two types of limestone walls.

The first (and oldest) were seemingly ad-hoc, but surprisingly solid, collections of long thin slabs of stone, stacked lengthways across the fields.

The second type were much more regular, but built of huge blocks of stone, often ten feet long and four feet high.

We were not surprised to discover that these giant walls were recently built, with JCBs and mini-diggers!

Jobs for the gardener this week:

Prune climbing roses, cutting out any dead and diseased wood together with the oldest growths, and tying in new growths.

Remove suckers from bush roses, Lilacs and Rhododendrons.

Cut them off below ground, at the point where they leave the roots (if you can reach it).

Keep an eye on the weather forecast.

Low temperatures may mean turning on the heat in the greenhouse, while frost warnings will mean protecting or lifting Dahlias and other tender bulbs and corms.