Following on from the short video on Willow and using willow in the garden as living willow fedges and structures, here’s a short video on trees… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBu_fP82VDY&list=UUHkXJ9wsrdPEpzb-KMgmt-A&index=1&feature=plcp
Tag: Fairy Dell
Friday Pics from Bealtaine Cottage
Mossy Angel in the Bog Garden today.
Dogwoods in the Bog Garden near the lower pond.
Amazing heaps of frog spawn in the upper pond…it’s that big black area!
Japanese Quince in the Bog Garden is flowering today…
Dogwoods come back to life…
The Spring Well in the Fairy Dell.
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A Life in the Country ~ Red Dogwoods, Spider’s Webs, Ancient Stones…
A frosty, sunny morning exploring the front garden near the entrance to the Fairy Dell.
Red dogwoods, spider’s webs, ancient stones and more…
A Life in the Country ~ The Fairy Dell Woodland Video…from the Permaculture Smallholding
Slowly moving down through the gardens and filming as I go…
Footage from the Fairy Dell, this morning…
Permaculture Cottage ~ Spring Wells, Wisdom and the Hopi Indians…
First of all a BIG TA VERY MUCH for all who have visited my blog over the past year. I began in the middle of August 2010 and in little over a year, 70,000 of you have made the journey to Bealtaine Cottage at Ballyfermoyle, here in the beautiful West of Ireland…well, actually, a very great many of you have visited many times over and subscribed to the blog. Hopefully in the next year the blog will expand even more in some exciting ways…ssshhh, it’s still a secret!
Fuschia and Fedges grow side by side. Both are grown from slips or cuttings. It will soon be time to harvest the willow and plant more cuttings, which is really the story of these gardens. Planting has been ongoing now for seven years, since day one of Bealtaine…
So much rain and so much water gushing along the stream beds in the Bog Garden…the rain brings music!
Walking up towards the woodland that is the Fairy Dell, through new plantings of Willow and Ash…
Spring water gushes up from the well in the woodland.
Deep within the Fairy Dell…has midsummer really passed that quickly?
Perfect apples…never ever sprayed, no chemicals and a bountiful harvest every year!
The Wisdom of the Hopi Indians…something to share with you, just click on the link…http://youtu.be/zNlNUJcEcoY
Have a great weekend! Plant a tree for the Mother…Gaia… x
Permaculture Cottage ~ Food and Fairies
Mulching is really important once the dry weather sets in! It keeps the moisture in the ground as well as suppressing weeds. The fruit trees and fruit bushes were all mulched heavily during May. This helps to produce a good harvest as the fruit plumps out according to the amount of moisture they receive.
In gardening, mulch is a protective cover placed over the soil to retain moisture, reduce erosion, provide nutrients, and suppress weed growth and seed germination. Mulching in gardens and landscaping mimics the leaf cover that is found on forest floors.
This is the tunnel today. Courgettes, Pumpkins, Fennel and Corn are all producing well. As crops come to fruition, the ground is cleared, fresh compost is spread and new plants set out. Compost is rich in nutrients and used for all planting at Bealtaine Cottage. The compost itself is beneficial for the land in many ways, including as a soil conditioner, a fertilizer, addition of vital humus and as a natural pesticide for soil.
Courgette flower today and small fruit underneath. Courgettes are one of my favourite veg, especially cooked as fritters and served with a homemade, tomato salsa sauce…mmm! Courgette is also known as Zucchini!
When used for food, zucchini are usually picked when under 20 cm in length, when the seeds are still soft and immature. Mature zucchini can be as much as three feet long and known as Marrows. These are delicious stuffed and baked! Jam can also be made using Marrows…Marrow and Ginger jam is delicious!
Courgettes can be prepared using a variety of cooking techniques, including steamed, boiled, grilled, stuffed and baked, barbecued, fried, or incorporated in other recipes such as soufflés. It also can be baked into a bread, zucchini bread or incorporated into a cake mix. Its flowers can be eaten stuffed and are a delicacy when deep fried, as tempura.
Zucchini can also be eaten raw, sliced or shredded in a cold salad, baked into a bread similar to banana bread.
A place of calm and quiet contemplation…
The path that leads out from the Fairy Dell…
And deep within the Fairy Dell, Cow Parsley reaches up towards the sky…
And After the Weekend…Bealtaine Cottage in the West of Ireland
Monday morning, balmy, warm and bright. Midsummer has passed and the work outdoors continues unabated. Sheds to be cleared and painted, as well as fences to be fixed and preserved. Lots of blackcurrants still to be harvested…
The beautiful eerie light that falls across the land after the solstice, almost autumnal, bright and silvery and very romantic.
The heavenly scent of honeysuckle, or woodbine, is captured on the gentlest of breezes. The Fairy dell woodland is permeated with the sweet aroma.
The trees and ivy have merged into an elegant repose. Ferns have grown high and luxurious.
Light and shadows begin to play tricks on the eyes.
A Sunday Ramble around Bealtaine Cottage Smallholding, Ireland
My visitors have left. Home made wine and pocheen, lots of home made vegan food and cakes and talk into the wee small hours…what better way to share a weekend!
Sunday afternoon. The first in July. Bealtaine basks in the sunshine.
Willow has been trimmed. Grass cut. Pumpkins are in flower.
The pears are making good progress on the youngest of the Pear Trees planted here at Bealtaine Cottage. I continue to feed the earth around them with a liquid tea made from nettles and comfrey.
The heady scent of Meadowsweet fills the air on this calm and balmy Sunday afternoon. It grows all over the Bog garden…here is some in the woodland, Fairy dell.
On an afternoon such as this I feel almost intoxicated as I walk around the gardens, with sweets scents filling the air and bees flying to and fro along their pathways of pollen.
Turning to look back at the tunnel as I approach the Fairy Dell, I am taken with the sounds coming from the blackcurrant bushes, only to see a Blackbird swooping out from a gorgefest of fruit…
Geraniums and Oregano spill across mown grass paths. All is peace.
The Fairy Wood at Bealtaine Cottage, Ireland.
There is a sacred space here at Bealtaine Cottage, an ancient place that evolved at such a speed, that I quickly realised there was magic in this little corner of the land.
Above is one of the six entrances to what became known as the Fairy Wood…not my name for it, but bestowed upon it by visiting children.
Children are more in tune with the land than we, for they see and hear on a more profound level.
As I planted and observed the land, I could see the influence this little place had on the bare land around it.
Slowly, over one thousand trees filled the space, with plants like the Sedge, above, planted alongside paths I created to wind in and out of trees.
As I planted, so the Fairy wood evolved and her life energy seemed to emanate from deep within the earth itself.
This was co-creation at it’s most magical and inspiring.
Primroses and Celandines have emerged.
The land is packed with magic indeed.
The Sidhe are watchful as I work here.
One of the entrances overlooks the polytunnel.
Some pruning and cutting back has taken place here recently to allow more light onto the woodland floor, where rewards are plentiful.
There is an atmosphere and intrigue experienced as one walks through this lovely sacred space.
An entire bank of Herb Robert in flower.
Another entrance to the Fairy Wood…the essence of permaculture is being able to let go.
The secret is to allow Mother Nature free reign over all of her subjects…she really does know best.
I simply tidy up around her, paying attention to her promptings to do this and that…
Young Beech, planted a couple of years ago, droops low over Ferns and more Herb Robert.
And the exit from this womb-like place takes one straight out into sunshine…a beautiful birthing!
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Blessings
European Monoculture Monsters…The Struggle for Biodiversity. Permaculture and Gaia.
Ferns…some of the oldest living plants in our world.
When I began the Bealtaine Permaculture Project back in 2004 there were few of these beautiful plants anywhere on this land. I remember digging one up in a woodland not far from here and planting it in the small, wannabe woodland that was to become the Fairy Dell…and yes, it is certainly magical! From then till now the population of Ferns on this smallholding has steadily increased each year…
Since the Banking Crisis broke worldwide it has become evident to me just how embedded the corporations are with western governments and the amount of deceit and corruption that abounds within these structures. All kinds of directives come from Europe in relation to farming that, in my understanding, do nothing more than create Monoculture Monsters. To view the land as an economic farming industry is to do so at our peril…Nature WILL not tolerate what we attempt to ignore for the sake of industrialized food production and ultimately, greed. “The world has enough for every man’s need, but not enough for every man’s greed!”
Dog Daisy Afternoon @ Bealtaine Smallholding and Cottage, Ireland
Lots of lovely rain has coloured the water in the Lower Pond a shade of peaty brown. The rain has been so heavy recently that even the spring water which flows into the cottage has been churned up!
Gunnera by the side of the pond is sprouting and growing by the hour. It is surprising that this of all plants survived the bitter cold of last winter. Many of the plants like Escallonia and Eucalyptus died.
The Gunnera is a huge and stunning plant, especially grown beside water.
Copper Beech is planted throughout the gardens on the smallholding and they add a tremendous amount of colour for most of the year. Many are planted along the laneway up to the cottage and each year add another dimension to the look and shelter as they increase in size.
The flowers of the Pine trees are out and each one has this lovely white cobweb under each one. These unusual looking flowers turn into cones…pine cones, and have a delicate yellow pollen that when the tree is shaken the yellowy dust blows off in a cloud…it’s beautiful to watch!
Ivy in the Fairy Dell woodland is growing and hanging in great swirls as the light seeps through before the full shadiness of summer begins.Ivy grows in abundance here in the west of Ireland…it is almost unstoppable!
Wild Violets continue to make a show of themselves all along the shady banks and woodland here at Bealtaine. These tiny flowers are scented…delicately!
Fruity Sourdough Bread and Real Bluebells at Bealtaine Permaculture Smallholding.
Made a fruit sourdough bread yesterday. Sourdough skills are developing slowly and the real savings are tangible. Making the traditional soda bread was easy, but more costly. Buttermilk was needed, whereas sourdough requires nothing other than the flour and what one chooses over and above that! Added to that is the bonus of the bread not using commercial yeast, which is detrimental to health for more and more people.
Sultanas and spice were added to the basic dough, along with 2 teaspoons of brown sugar and it’s yummy!
Lots of wild Bluebells have appeared this year at Bealtaine. This single flower is indicative of the natural spread taking place after 7 chemical-free years on this smallholding. Open the door a little, (figuratively speaking), and Nature sweeps in…a much welcomed guest!
Beautiful, elegant Ferns have also spread, especially throughout the Fairy Dell Woodland…
The heavenly, sweet-scented flowers on the Hawthorn trees is in full bloom now. This is the edge of the Fairy Dell, where many of the apple trees thrive. Cherry and Plum are also planted on this south facing edge of the woodland.
The Importance of Compost in a Permaculture Smallholding. Notes from a Cottage.
It’s amazing to think that this compost heap in the making can lead to…
This incredible, rich, nourishing soil and plant food.
And some of the compost is used to help grow trees here at Bealtaine, many of which, like these in the pic., are grown from seed and seedlings.
This is the first of four huge compost heaps that were started, topped and thatched last year…as you can see from the heap it is a good quality compost!
The woodland known as the Fairy Dell is high with fragrant wild herbs and flowers. Seven years Chemical-Free! No certificates of Organic testing here…see for yourself is my advice to all visitors. 
Have a good day everyone!
Ivy, Euphorbia, Angelica and more Orchids at Bealtaine Permaculture Smallholding, Ireland.
The Ivy hangs in 3-4 metre tendrils on a tree in the Fairy Dell…Quite Magical!
Euphorbia…this wonderful perennial comes up more lush every year and transplants easily…I started with a stolen cutting and now it dominates the April/May/June garden and beyond!
Angelica, now at least 7 feet tall and with a massive spread. Medieval herbalists called it ‘Herba Angelica,’ meaning ‘Angelic Plant.’ Traditionally it is supposed to flower on the 8th of May, which is the feast of Michael the Archangel. needless to add, Angelica possesses protective qualities. The seeds add flavour to Chartreuse Liqueur!
The way up out from the Fairy Dell…
Orchids continue to emerge all over Bealtaine Smallholding. I was asked by the Census Enumerator the other day if I used any chemicals here…where that came from is interesting! However, I simply told him to look around…there is far too much growing evidence of NO CHEMICALS HERE!
Sunlight dapples the grass under the Blackthorn trees near the tunnel. The light dances on the ground as the Fairy trees gently sway in the breeze.
Earth Day Photographs from Bealtaine Permaculture Smallholding, West of Ireland
Apple blossom on the Apple trees
The Bog garden springs to life…
Bluebells in the Fairy Wood
Earth Day…
Photos from Bealtaine Cottage Permaculture Gardens on Earth Day.
Weekend Permaculture Tree Planting at Bealtaine Cottage, Ireland.
Blossom on the Plum and Cherry trees continue to develop at Bealtaine Smallholding.
As I type this blog on a calm and warm Friday evening I am amazed at the continual good weather experienced here in the west of Ireland since the middle of March. The climate is changing…that I know.
Peach blossom covers the tree in the tunnel and all the seedlings are growing well. The bottom line is that food is very easy to grow. A small warm space is all that’s needed to get seedlings up and ready for planting out.
The Fairy Dell is now covered in green growth. Primroses, Mosses, Violets and Ferns are all competing with hundreds of other species to grow. The scents emanating from the warm earth below my feet as I walk the woodland are nothing less than intoxicating!
This is the willow wreath made here in December. I will strip back the winter foliage of Larch and Ivy and re-dress the willow base for the Easter celebrations. This Willow wreath will keep for several years and can be dressed for seasonal celebrations.
The leaves on the Amelanchier tree are out and making colour in the garden.
The weekend is here and I have another five trees to plant. These are all pot grown from seeds, so can be planted at any time of the year as long as they are kept well watered!
Permaculture Health, Wealth and Abundance…May the Force be With You!
Apple blossom this morning at Bealtaine.
As I write this I am listening to Irish Radio…talking endlessly about money, economics, making people spend money, kick-starting the economy! They just don’t get it! The wealth of a country must be measured in the health and wellbeing of its people…
Rhubarb waiting for me to turn it into jam…bumper harvests have begun again!
Apple blossom open today. the bees have feasted on the Ribes and are ready to continue the party on the fruit blossoms.
Irusan in the Fairy Dell this morning. He loves to walk the land with me each morning when he is staying at Bealtaine. Irusan is a Bombay Black Cat, whose mother was feral, living almost wild in London. he is extremely perceptive and interactive with people he chooses to like.
Growth over recent days has begun to impact on the paths that connect the permaculture zones at Bealtaine Cottage. Where monoculture fields around this smallholding are waiting for chemical fertilizer to green them, the grass and herbal pathways do the greening for themselves, for underneath lies a healthy soil that now pushes forth abundance!
Violets have emerged in the Fairy Dell…woodland abundance!
Misty Morning, Hot Coffee…just Permaculture in Ireland
Just a walk around Bealtaine on a still, warm and misty morning…
And the soundtrack of Bealtaine…birds and bees and insects…
Scents of Spring and early summer pervade the air…
The promise of Sloes with Blackthorn Blossom…
Growing in the Fairy Dell…
And deep within the Fairy Dell the Rowan Tree comes to life…