How to dyg

I am often faced, over the course of designing and improving gardens, with discoloured patios and terraces which have a bloom of green algae over them. Customers are seduced by the colours and names of the new stones, and also by the relatively low prices; but these colours deteriorate rapidly, and more often than not I am being called in to come up with an alternative. But this is only one part of the problem. Think about it: these heavy stones have travelled thousands of miles, making them highly dependent on oil. And even after travelling so far, why are they still so cheap? Because they are coming from a part of the world that doesn't have the same regulations in place that we do here. Because the health and safety, environmental and labour laws that we have here don't apply there. There are exceptions, of course, and some of the larger companies in the UK have gone to great lengths to monitor the conditions under which their stone is produced. However, in Ireland there is nothing comparable, and when a stone is cheap, it's for a very good reason.

In a country like Ireland, that is so good at supporting others and has such a history of helping around the world, it is time that we became more aware of the social and environmental damage caused by the importation of these materials. The good news is, there are great alternatives right here on our doorstep: every region has great stones: Kilkenny and Carlow limestone; Mayo and Donegal sandstone; slate from Kerry, granite from Wicklow........ these cost more, but with intelligent design you can reduce the amount you need. A good designer will work out where you will need paving, and not lay it indiscriminately around your house and garden. Like any good ingredient, it should be used sparingly and with respect.

The following landscaping and garden materials are available from dyg - all delivered in the Dublin area in bulk / one ton bags or in loose loads above six tons - prices and details in 'Landscape Products' on your right.

• Rootzone (sand and soil) mix for lawns
• Garden manure / Mushroom compost
• Screened topsoil
• Screened topsoil and compost mix for raised beds
• Bark mulch, fine grade
• Bark mulch, coarse grade
• Light gold gravel 10-14 mm
• Light gold gravel blinding / dust
• Wicklow riverbed granite gravel
• Beach pebble (Irish) 10-14mm
• Beach pebble (Irish) 20-30mm
• Beach pebble /drainage pebble
• Purple / plum broken slate
• Untreated larch sleepers for raised beds

The above are some the products in our Landscapers' Yard. An order which includes any item or more from this list will incur a €30.00 delivery charge. Delivery is for counties Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare. If there is anything that you are looking for that we do not stock, please feel free to contact us. We can deliver further afield too, but you must contact us first for a delivery price. Visit the Landscape Products section of the site on your right for pdetails.

Ireland is rich in materials such as stone and wood, and these materials not only perform better in our climate - they haven't travelled across the world at vast environmental cost - always use local materials wherever possible.

Don't take our word for it! Over the last couple of months we have had plenty of coverage in the press. We have been featured in Image Interiors, House and Home, The Irish Garden Magazine, as well as in The Irish Times, The Sunday Business Post and The Sunday Tribune. If you want to read what others have to say about us (rather than ourselves, because you know what we'll say), just click on any of these links to read articles in The Sunday Tribune, The Irish Times and The Sunday Business Post. We have also just joined Facebook, so become one our fans and keep up to date with developments at DYG, including special offers, newly added items and other gardening news.

http://www.tribune.ie/property/article/2010/jan/10/snow-time-for-gardeni...

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/magazine/2009/1212/1224260320098.htm...

http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2009/12/06/story46050.asp

As people who care about the environment, but who also want to be warm, we built a house which is classed as a 'low-energy' house. This is similar to what is known as a 'passive' house in terms of construction and insulation, but with a lesser energy rating. We wanted the pleasure of having a real fire in our house, so our only source of heat is a large, wood-burning stove. The stove generates enough warmth to heat the entire house, and the heat is distributed by a heat-exchange system. It's really important, therefore, that the stove does what it's meant to do. For a while, when we moved in, we burned our own logs which we collected from the surrounding woods. However, these were difficult to light, provided poor heat and lead to our glass becoming blackened. In order to work properly they would need to be seasoned, under cover,for at least two years. We had been told by our stove manufacturer (Lotus of Denmark) that we should be burning wood with a low moisture content, so we turned to using logs which have been dried in a kiln.

Everything about these logs is superior: they light incredibly easily, with just a sheet or two of newspaper and a piece of cardboard; they give out a tremendous heat; they produce very little ash; they can smoulder for more than twelve hours when damped down; they are clean, bone dry and free from insects; they are the produce of sustainably-managed Irish forests; they are hardwood (ie ash, oak, beech etc); and they are efficiently delivered nationwide.

For specialist laying of native irish paving stones, we recommend Irish Stone Gardens: http://www.irishstonegardens.ie/

Winter isn't exactly the time you associate with the garden, but there are a few very special plants which come into their own at this time of year. Some of these plants produce wonderfully scented flowers; others have bark or twigs which can only be seen at this time of year; and others produce berries which are pretty to look at and provide much needed food for wildlife. These subtle winter plants draw you into the garden on a cold day and show that all is not asleep in the natural world. Planted near the house, scented plants can be appreciated every time you pass them, or they can be cut and brought into the house for a natural flower arrangement. Generally speaking, these plants like a shady, sheltered spot, and should be planted somewhere that you get the most out of them - ideally near a door or beside a path. The fragrance can be quite overpowering and give a great lift right when it is needed. In some cases, such as Sarcococca (Sweet box or Christmas box) the flowers themselves are pretty well hidden, so the source of the fragrance is hard to find. In others, such as the Viburnums, the flowers are larger, and because they are borne on bare twigs, are quite visible. And the most prized of all is probably the Daphne, whose wonderful fragrance can permeate a whole garden.......... all perfect for the smaller garden.  Click here to see them listed and described individually.....

Scented flowers: Sarcococca confusa (Sweet box), Viburnum farreri, Viburnum carlesii, Viburnum bodnatense 'Dawn', Daphne bhoula 'Jacqueline Postil', Hamamelis (Witch-hazel), Mahonia x media 'Charity' 

Cornus is a genus of trees and shrubs that is most well-known in Ireland for the red, green or yellow-twigged shubs planted along many Irish road verges. These tough plants can be cut back each spring, after a winter of showing off their great colourful twigs, to grow another crop for the following winter. However, there are more tree-like species which are grown primarily for their flowers or leaves, many of which are exquisitely elegant plants. We are very proud to have an excellent selection of Cornus species available on dyg, including the shrubby Cornus 'Midwinter Fire' (orange winter stems); Cornus 'Kesselringii' (black winter stems) and Cornus alba 'Sibirica' (red winter stems). We also supply the tree-like and much showier Cornus which make graceful trees for the smaller, more sheltered woodland garden, with large flowers (or bracts, to be precise) in early spring or summer: Cornus kousa 'Milky Way',  Cornus 'Eddie's White Wonder', Cornus kousa Norman Hadden', Cornus nutallii, Cornus controversa 'Variegata' and Cornus florida 'Rubra'. Generally speaking, these small trees are suitable for woodland gardens or gardens with dappled shade. They have an elegant habit and graceful twigs and buds, making them a tree for the discerning gardener.

At dyg, we do sometimes take a break! Here are some beautiful, natural and informal flower arrangements made by Anthea for weddings and other events. All the flowers were grown in Co Wickow. Arrangements of 'real' flowers like these are like the best home cooking - fresh and local and with a depth that you simply don't get from mass-produced flowers. These are flowers that don't normally make it into the flower shops because they don't travel well enough...... and many commercially available flowers have come from the other side of the world and are often produced in very undesirable conditions. They are all easily-grown garden flowers that can be trimmed and brought inside - perfect for anyone who likes flower-arranging and gardening and appreciates the old-fashioned look.

Read the article in the Irish Times by Jane Powers about Anthea and making a home-made wreath from the garden ....

Even late in the year, beautiful bouquets from the garden and hedgerow are still possible. This bouquet is made from garden flowers (with the addition of flower shop chrysanthemums), using foliage from Japanese maples and pines, as well as Rose, Verbena bonariensis, Schizostylus, Aster 'Monch', Dill and Cow parsley.

The arrangements below were for a friend's wedding in late September - brought from Wicklow to Donegal in car boots (plant list below).

 Follow these general rules when planting bulbs:

• Choose a site that has well-drained soil, but which is moist during the growing and flowering season.
• Plant bulbs generally one to two seasons before they flower (ie Autum-Winter for spring flowering).
• Under deciduous trees is an ideal spot for many species, including Daffodils, Bluebells and Crocus, as this can be nicely moist and light during the spring, but dry and shady when the bulbs are dormant over the summer.

  

• Planting depth: Plant two to three times the bulb height i.e. the tip of a 5 cm (2in) high bulb should be 10-15 cm (4-6in) below soil level.  (In other words, the bigger the bulb the deeper it should be).
• Loosen the soil slightly in the planting hole so that the roots can penetrate the soil as they grow.
• Firm them in gently but firmly to avoid them being discovered by birds, squirrels, rats etc
• Make sure that it is the right way up (roots down, generally the wider end; and shoot on top, generally the narrower end).
• Allow foliage to die back fully before cutting back or removing, as this allows the plant to gather food and nutrients for blooming the following year.
• For 'naturalised' bulbs (ie plants growing in seemingly natural drifts) throw them up in the air and plant them in clumps where they land!
• When planting daffodils to naturalise in grass, plant them in small groups of 4-5 bulbs a few inches apart. It may be easier to remove a sod if doing this into grass.

For anyone who wonders where dyg originates, here are some images of our home and office.

The house is a low energy house, which means it requires little or no heating. Although made of entirely ecological materials such as hemp, cellulose and wood pulp, the house is very well sealed (when you want it to be, in the winter), and fresh air is circulated by a heat exchange. The walls are entirely breathable, which is unusual for this type of house, which makes it a wonderfully dry and healthy environment. Solar water heating and the heat exchange system are completely integrated into the house. The only source of heat in the house is a log-burning stove, complete with baking oven, which burns the same kiln-dried logs (Hotlogs) which we sell on our website. When you have a modern and efficient stove like this, you need firewood which has a very low moisture content. In time we will be able to supply our own logs, but until we have a two to three year drying process underway, we are delighted with our kiln-dried logs. Extremely well sealed and insulated windows, thick walls and correct orientation make this a very comfortable house in which to live and work.

Our builder was German Eco Homes (Breunig and Richter) - highly recommended if anyone wants to have a superbly made, comfortable low energy or passive home. Builders like these, who have many years of passive house construction, are setting the standard to which other builders can aspire. The architects were Fitzpatrick and Mays (Mays referring to Sam Mays, my brother) who have wonderfully interpretted the vernacular 'long house' of the Irish countryside in a modern way. (http://www.fitzpatrickmays.ie/)