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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 ....

See our Swiss-made Felco secateurs sprecially designed for flower arrangers....

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.

 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/)

Looking for a gift for a friend who loves gardening, but don't know what to give them? dyg offers the best gardening gift in Ireland - a dyg gift voucher. With this they can purchase anything from our huge range of plants, tools, containers and gardening accessories - all delivered to their door. Available in different amounts, you can purchase a voucher which is then credited to the account of the person to whom it is gifted. We automatically send them an email, and this will have your message on it and instructions of how to access their account. They can simply log into the account that you have created and the amount you have given will be there in their account, ready for them to use. There is no time limit on their account, and they can top it up with their own funds if necessary.

Alternatively, if you know what you want to give, you can place an order with us and select whatever delivery address you want to. Simply fill in the form on our order page teling us what message you want to send, and we'll include a card with your message. Along with plants, popular gifts include tools such as the classic watering cans from Haws, our Chikamasa secateurs, which are unique to dyg in Ireland, and our selection of high quality spades and hoes from Sneeboer and Chillington. Buy a dyg garden centre gift voucher...

There is a dizzying array of bamboo species in the world, and you may be hard pressed to know which variety to buy. They are primarily a useful plant in many parts of the world - in parts of Asia they are used as food, for building or scaffolding, for furniture or as a biomass where they are reconstituted as flooring or pulp. In Ireland, they are primarily planted for ornament, although they can be useful too: they provide canes for use in the garden, they can provide instant screening, and the edible varieties can also be grown.

At dyg, we sell more bamboo varieties than you will find in any normal garden centre.  We sell primarily Irish-grown bamboo, which means they have less 'plant miles' behind them, and are more accustomed to the Irish climate when they arrive in your garden. The  majority of bamboos sold in garden centres are imported from Italy, where the much warmer summers makes them grow faster and taller than here. These are not necessarily the best plants for our climate and environment, but they are convenient for garden centres as they grow fast and can be bought from the same bulk suppliers as many of their other plants. Our bamboos, like everything we sell, are 'fresh from the nursery' and in excellent condition. To keep them this way, and to help them on their way to a life of good health, you can follow the advice below. Browse our selection of bamboo.....

As a general rule, follow these guidelines if you want to establish healthy plants:

For anyone fortunate to live near an area with wild blueberries (Frocken / Billberry), now and for the next few weeks is the time to pick them. Blueberries like acidic soil - in other words, soil that is rich in organic matter, preferablay in the form of decayed vegetation. This is why peat bogs are ideal, and also the ground beneath established woodlands, where many years of decaying leaves have created a layer rich in leaf mould.The native blueberry or bilberry / fraughan / frocken / fraochán is a low-growing shrub which produces small very dark blue or black berries, with dark purple flesh and juice which stains the hand and mouth. This is in contrast to the North American blueberry which is larger, bluer and has a pale green flesh. These are the blueberries which are commercially grown. There is a large commercial blueberry plantation near Portarlington in Co Kildare, where these North Americam 'highbush' varieties are grown.

dyg supplies and delivers the full range of Chillington Hoes. If you compare our prices with other sellers in Ireland you'll see that we are the best value - FREE delivery in Counties Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare.

To call these tools 'Hoes' is perhaps misleading, as these are tools for digging, cultivating and harvesting. We tend to think of a hoe as a flimsy item for running between rows, whereas these are a combination of a spade / fork / mattock / pickaxe. They are particularly good for vegetable or agricultural use, as they turn the ground over easily, and use the weight of the tool and the leverage of the handle rather than straining your back and arms. Because the tools are so well made, they last for many years, and the term 'Chillington' is often used in much the same way as we use other well-known brands, such as 'Kneenex' or 'Hoover'. Chillington manufactures hoes which are vital for agriculture all around the world, including Africa, Asia and South America, where every country has its own type of tool.

Chillington tools have become a cult-item for allotment gardeners, and having spent a couple of hours digging over one of our beds in our new garden, I can see why. I churned my way through a whole bed in the time it would have taken me to just make a dent on it with a spade or fork. Although my muscles were fine, I did have blisters on my hand from gripping the handle. 

See our selection of tools...