flowers and herbs

Bee Friendly Wildflowers

Bee Friendly Wildflowers

22/04/2025

With one-third of our native bee species facing extinction, the wild buzz that once filled hedgerows, meadows, and garden corners is growing quieter every year....

22/04/2025

A Guide to Growing Cosmos

A Guide to Growing Cosmos

07/04/2025

Last season I trialled sending trays of some of the more unusual cosmos varieties as seedling plug plants. The exercise went an absolute bomb, with the who...

07/04/2025

Wildflower Meadow Maintenance

Wildflower Meadow Maintenance

02/04/2025

While a wildflower meadow requires less maintenance and upkeep than a large lawn, it is still a managed habitat and will need attention at strategic times of th...

02/04/2025

Native vs Non Native Wildflowers

Native vs Non Native Wildflowers

31/03/2025

At first glance, the idea that planting wildflowers is good for nature, or the ecosystem, or for pollinating insects seems like sound logic. However, as with ma...

31/03/2025

Why Sow Wildflowers?

Why Sow Wildflowers?

19/03/2025

What are the main benefits of sowing wildflowers in your outdoor space or of creating a wildflower meadow? First of all, it's best to go for a 100% native Irish...

19/03/2025

Cut Flower Seedlings

Cut Flower Seedlings

29/05/2024

I am not going to pretend that I know much about cut flowers, but what I will say is that I have a growing (excuse the pun) interest. As you may know, we a...

29/05/2024

A Guide to Perennial Flowers

A Guide to Perennial Flowers

27/05/2024

I have been spending more time in the Quickcrop nursery recently, as myself and Mags have been stock taking and working on some new cut flower seedling...

27/05/2024

Planting Summer Flowering Bulbs

Planting Summer Flowering Bulbs

31/01/2024

Many of you will have noticed it is no longer Autumn, so clearly planting tulips and daffodils aren't an option at the moment. The great news is t...

By admin
31/01/2024

How to Create your own Butterfly Garden

How to Create your own Butterfly Garden

26/10/2023

Butterflies are one of the most charismatic of all garden visitors, with their vividly coloured wings and elegant flight arcs. Species like Red Admiral, Peacock...

26/10/2023

How To Make a Herb Garden

How To Make a Herb Garden

24/04/2023

They may not be the first thing you think of when planning a vegetable garden, but herbs are very easy and rewarding to grow. They provide a rich array of optio...

24/04/2023

Quickcrop Nursery Visit

Quickcrop Nursery Visit

21/04/2023

I was over at the nursery yesterday morning (pinching a few trees to replace some of my ash that had to come down) and took a few photos as it all looked so b...

21/04/2023

How To Plant an Attractive Succulent Display

How To Plant an Attractive Succulent Display

20/12/2022

The trouble with pots and planters made from ceramic or stone is that they are heavy (extremely heavy if we're talking about stone), and can split in a heavy fr...

20/12/2022

How To Grow Winter Savory

How To Grow Winter Savory

10/11/2021

Winter Savory is part of the Lamiaceae family, it is not used as much as summer savory anymore because of its more bitter taste. As well as many medicinal pro...

10/11/2021

How To Grow Camomile

How To Grow Camomile

10/11/2021

Camomile (also spelled Chamomile), it is a herb most commonly used for its relaxing properties, it has long narrow leaves with attractive daisy-like flowers....

10/11/2021

How to Grow Chervil

How to Grow Chervil

10/11/2021

Chervil is a very under-rated and under-used herb. It has a very refreshing and slightly aniseed like taste. It's dark green leaves make the perfect addition...

10/11/2021

How To Grow Dill

How To Grow Dill

10/11/2021

Dill leaves are very aromatic and can be used to flavour a wide range of foods, particularly fish and pickles. Once it is dried out it quickly begins to lose...

10/11/2021

Stuff for gardeners to do in winter.

Stuff for gardeners to do in winter.

02/11/2021

This week I would like to talk about succulent plants and flowering perennials, as both give me something to do while the vegetable garden sleeps. First though,...

By admin
02/11/2021

All About Succulent Plants

All About Succulent Plants

03/11/2020

Succulent plants make ideal indoor displays so are a great winter project (or present!) for anyone who its itching to do a bit of gardening. Plants are easy and...

By admin
03/11/2020

Planting Perennial Flowers in Autumn

Planting Perennial Flowers in Autumn

11/09/2020

This week I thought we would take a break from vegetables and look instead at the flowering garden. Some of you may remember my ambitious plans earlier in the ye...

By admin
11/09/2020

New Perennial Style Planting Plans

New Perennial Style Planting Plans

02/07/2020

Right then. For the last while I have been both adding to our list of flowering perennial plants and working on planting plants and corresponding plant packs. As...

By admin
02/07/2020

Creating a Perennial Garden - Part 1

Creating a Perennial Garden - Part 1

12/02/2020

The vegetable garden is still pretty quiet this week, so I thought we would return to ornamental gardening and look at some of the plans for my garden and some i...

By admin
12/02/2020

Top Pollinator Plants - Phacelia tanactetifolia

Top Pollinator Plants - Phacelia tanactetifolia

18/08/2019

Green Manures Green manures are 'crops' which are sown to cover bare soil and do a number of jobs depending on the species like protecting soil, storing nitroge...

By admin
18/08/2019

Sea Campion - A Beautiful Coastal Wildflower

Sea Campion - A Beautiful Coastal Wildflower

04/07/2019

We are taking a break from the vegetable garden this week and looking at some wild flowers as they are often far prettier than anything in the garden. This week'...

By admin
04/07/2019

Preserving wild areas in your garden

Preserving wild areas in your garden

04/07/2018

This year I have slowly begun to move my garden into the field in front of my house by extending the lawn and creating a new orchard. The area is small as fields...

By admin
04/07/2018

How to Grow Herbs at Home

How to Grow Herbs at Home

05/04/2018

I guess it is important to say from the outset that herbs are very easy to grow. Considering what they add in flavour - and how often you will use them - they a...

By admin
05/04/2018

How to grow tulips

How to grow tulips

30/08/2017

This week sees a whole new departure for the Quickcrop team as we stick our pretty little toes into the wonderful world of flowering plants. It is not that we h...

By admin
30/08/2017

Planting Garden Bulbs

Planting Garden Bulbs

02/08/2017

Flowering bulbs are ideal for container gardening or as part of a vibrant garden border. They are one of the easiest plants to grow and with a little careful pla...

By admin
02/08/2017

How to Create a Raised Bed Herb Garden

How to Create a Raised Bed Herb Garden

23/05/2017

A raised bed can provide the perfect environment for creating a herb garden. It can be positioned anywhere that suits you and can be maintained easily. A sele...

By admin
23/05/2017

Edible Flowers in the Vegetable Garden

Edible Flowers in the Vegetable Garden

18/03/2016

Unusually for me I found myself in not one, but two fancy restaurants at the weekend (it was my Mother's birthday) both of which presented me with pea shoots...

By admin
18/03/2016

Wild Irish Medicinal Herbs - Coltsfoot

Wild Irish Medicinal Herbs - Coltsfoot

06/03/2013

Marina Kessopersadh of Iona Herbal contacted us about one of her courses she's running on Saturday April the 6th and the 20th in North Sligo. I thought it l...

By admin
06/03/2013

Storing and keeping herbs

Storing and keeping herbs

05/10/2010

Now is the time to turn your attention to your herb garden to ensure that your herbs stand the best chance of making it through whatever weather winter has in st...

By admin
05/10/2010