Out on Brittas Road, near Thurles town, where the latter joins the junction with the N62, the daffodils (‘Lent Lillies’ or ‘Peter’s Leeks’) have been in full bloom for some weeks, “stretched in never-ending line” along the roadside, “Tossing their heads in sprightly dance”.
In Thurles town gardens, despite the recent cold spell of weather, it appears later arrivals will again be, “flashing upon our inward eye”, well before the first day of spring, which is set for Wednesday March 20th, (Vernal Equinox), 2024.
Interesting to note that a substance extracted from daffodil bulbs, called ‘galantamine’, is used as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Extracts from daffodil bulbs have been used as traditional medicines for a wide variety of diseases, including tumours, for thousands of years.
Helleborus argutifolius, the holly-leaved evergreen hellebore has large flowers bearing the green colour often reminiscent of a Granny Smith apple. These large blooms are set against a foil of spiny, evergreen leaves.
Helleborus argutifolius – (argutifolius means “with sharp-toothed leaves”). Today, hellebore plants of all varieties have strong associations with serenity, peace, and tranquillity. Pic: G. Willoughby 2024
The flowers of this plant appear in winter, just in time for Christmas, and remain in bloom on the plant during the winter months and often well into spring. The plant enjoys a light shady area to live, and given the right conditions, it will self-seed sufficiently to provide replacement plants, particularly if surrounded by a gravel surface. These beautiful plants are native to the island of Corsica and nearby Sardinia, and will grow to a shrub-like size in any garden when established; growing to over 120 cm (47 in) tall X 90 cm (3 ft) wide.
Same plants are a must for every garden, during those long dead months of winter.
Snowdrops began emerging, here in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, last week. Soon they will stand just 7–15cm high, while exhibiting beautiful white bell-shaped flowers on the end of erect stems, which in turn will be surrounded by two to three leaves.
Yes, Snowdrops are informing us that Spring is most definitely en routeto Co. Tipperary.
‘Snowdrop Time’
By English poetess, the late MrsMary Webb (1811-1927).
Ah, hush tread softly through the rime* For there will be a blackbird singing, or a thrush. Like coloured beads the elm buds flush All the trees dream of leaves and flower and light, And see, the northern bank is much more white, Than frosty grass, for now is snowdrop time. END
[*The little used word ‘Rime‘ is a type of ice that forms when the moisture in fog freezes suddenly.]
Daffodils (Narcissus), usually among the first bulbs to appear in the Spring, are already appearing in gardens in Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
Daffodil Bulbs Emerging Before Their Scheduled Time In Co. Tipperary. Pic: G. Willoughby. (October 22nd 2023).
Gardeners often worry when they see daffodils, and other spring bulbs emerge long before their scheduled time, but do not be overly alarmed as, fortunately, there needs be little cause for future concern.
If our weather is unusually warm, as it has been in Co. Tipperary this year, Daffodil sprouts may already appear above ground, showing a few inches of their green tipped stems.
Should weather become more volatile than is normal however, it is best to cover up these premature shoots with a layer of bark mulch, peat or straw, thus shielding them from future severe frost damage; latter which could result in the tips of the leaves turning brown.
“The Town Centre First policy aims to create town centres that function as viable, vibrant and attractive locations for people to live, work and visit, while also functioning as the service, social, cultural and recreational hub for the local community.” – Quote taken fromTipperary Co. Council’s commitment.
Without warning, they struck early this morning. Up came the long ago deceased ‘Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald ‘n’ Gold’. Having tossed a coin, left behind was the still barely surviving small group of rather delicate frail and confused, low-maintenance ‘Potentilla Dasiphora fruticosa ‘White Lady‘; the latter well-known for being resistant to attacks by rabbits in rural areas. (Very important to a rural town like Thurles with a large rabbit population).
Yes, I am talking about that large piece of wasteland, (some in their innocence may have called it a flowerbed), located centre on Liberty Square, Thurles, which for well over a year, has replaced some 20 car-parking spaces, thus driving consumers out of the town centre, to surrender their purchasing power to well-known German supermarket chains.
In the interests of fair play they decided to invite the local Thurles community, asking them to submit what they would like to see planted on this waste ground and in keeping with Tipperary Co. Council tradition, those who forwarded submissions were ignored on the basis that elected Co. Councillors and their Council Officials know best.
Then again I suppose we could always cement this piece of waste ground over completely and paint a bird on it.
Readers might wonder about the reference to the 18th century weighing scales in our video; same located today in Co. Galway. This same weighing scales type, which also was used on Liberty Square, sitting on a quadropod, during this same historical period, has now been located and can be made available to Thurles Municipal District Council. Same could be erected in the centre of this flower bed, to remind us and any lost foreign tourist, of our humble beginnings when, prior to our Liberty Square down-grading, we had a once busy flourishing town centre.
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