Fionnuala Fallon

Ireland

Contributor at Irish Times

Garden Writer at Freelance

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Articles

When is the best time of year to prune my garden hedge?

4 days ago | irishtimes.com | Fionnuala Fallon

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How to water your plants - it’s harder than you think

5 days ago | irishtimes.com | Fionnuala Fallon

As a horticultural student at the National Botanic Gardens many moons ago, I was taught how to water. How hard, you might wonder, could that possibly be? Harder than you’d think is the answer, as shown by the countless garden plants that die each year as a result of underwatering, or overwatering, or watering so heavy-handedly that it damages delicate leaves and stems.
Which varieties of willow and bamboo grow quickly?

1 week ago | irishtimes.com | Fionnuala Fallon

We value your privacyWe and our 84 partners store and access personal data, like browsing data or unique identifiers, on your device. Selecting I ACCEPT enables tracking technologies to support the purposes shown under we and our partners process data to provide. If trackers are disabled, some content and ads you see may not be as relevant to you. You can resurface this menu to change your choices or withdraw consent at any time by clicking the Cookie Settings link on the bottom of the webpage .
How the right water feature can elevate your garden and soothe your soul

1 week ago | irishtimes.com | Fionnuala Fallon

Few things have the power to make or break the magic of a garden quite like a water feature. A bad one is equivalent to trying not to listen to a bluebottle in a closed room; try as you might, it’s impossible to ignore. A good one, on the other hand, is transportive, channelling a sort of elemental life-force that helps to reaffirm our connection to the natural world.
Can my gooseberry bushes recover from an attack of sawfly?

2 weeks ago | irishtimes.com | Fionnuala Fallon

Q: Can my gooseberry bushes recover from an attack of sawfly? John Collins, Co DublinA: Most active between April and September, the larvae of the common gooseberry sawfly can rapidly defoliate not just gooseberry bushes but also red and white currant bushes by quickly devouring the foliage, leaving just the bare skeletons of stems behind. Two other species, the pale spotted gooseberry sawfly and the small gooseberry sawfly, cause similar damage.
Gardening: A purifying herb, symbol of immortality, culinary linchpin - what’s not to love about rosemary?

2 weeks ago | irishtimes.com | Fionnuala Fallon

In the kingdom of plants, culinary herbs occupy a special place in its complicated hierarchy, combining usefulness in the kitchen with many other valuable qualities, including an ability to support human health, and attract pollinators, as well as to be both ornamental and highly aromatic. A shining example is rosemary, one of the very first plants that I found room for in the sunny, stony, sharply drained beds around our little farmhouse.
Yellow is a polarising colour with gardeners. Here are 10 subtler daffodils to try

3 weeks ago | irishtimes.com | Fionnuala Fallon

Yellow, as I’ve mentioned before, is a colour that’s as polarising in the world of gardening as it is in so many other areas of life. For some, it’s the hue of warmth and happiness, a squeal of joy in an increasingly grey world. But for others, it’s both attention-seeking and unflattering, a lone wolf, a bilious shade that dominates at the expense of all others.
‘What’s the best way to grow flowers for my son’s wedding?’

3 weeks ago | irishtimes.com | Fionnuala Fallon

My son is getting married at the end of September and I’ve offered to grow the flowers for his wedding. I have a large polytunnel and greenhouse, and propagation is my passion. He and my future daughter-in-law would like a natural garden flower look, using some bright colours such as orange, yellow and russet. I know there’s lots of choice at that time of year, including dahlias, gladioli and rudbeckia. But my challenge is when to start plants off.
‘Our cherry tree has stopped fruiting. What can we do?’

1 month ago | irishtimes.com | Fionnuala Fallon

We moved house a few years ago, with a cherry tree in the east-facing front garden, and two eating apple trees in the west-facing back garden. The cherries were a wonderful surprise in the first year, but the tree has not been particularly bountiful since. Our apple trees produce lovely apples (two varieties) but their branches have been extending and taking up garden space. What should we do to maintain them, and how can we bring the cherry tree back to fruiting?
Spring has sprung, so here’s what to prioritise in the garden

1 month ago | irishtimes.com | Fionnuala Fallon

Like many gardeners, I have something of a love-hate relationship with this time of year. I love, for example, the sulphur-yellow crocuses flowering their socks off beneath the garden’s beech trees, the gilded spring evenings, and the rhubarb pushing up its sherbet-pink stalks.