Wild privet (Ligustrum vulgare) or Pribhéad in Irish is often found growing in hedgerows. Its leaves grow in opposite pairs and are spear shaped or lanceolate. They are dark green on top and pale green underneath but changing now to a dark burgundy colour (1a). It is a deciduous shrub, though when winters are mild…
It is surprising what can be sown in the garden in October. Spring is a long way off; the weather is getting noticeably colder and the light is diminishing both in length and quality. Some gardeners might think that it is time to clean and oil all garden tools and store them in the shed…
Flowering now is Ivy (Hedera helix) or Eidhneán in Irish, an evergreen, native climber which uses aerial roots along its stem to adhere to a host so that it can reach light (1). It is not a parasite as some people believe. It has its own root system completely independent of the host plant it…
The Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) or Draighean/Draighneán donn in Irish has produced a bounty of purple-black fruit in the hedgerows now (1). These fruits which are covered in a blue waxy substance are called sloes or airní in Irish. They are classified as drupes. These are fleshy fruits with thin skins and hard stones in their…
