Poinsettias were seen in American Christmas advertisements, or travel films extolling the beauties of Hawaii or the South Seas- which none of us had the vaguest chance of visiting! Now they are a “normal” part of Christmas and no doubt, plenty of people who have no idea of how recently they have arrived on the scene.

Now poinsettias do have particular needs, which are different from those of our familiar European plants. They don’t handle cold well and mark badly if water gets on their leaves both things which are common in this country! To be fair the Growers have done a brilliant job in breeding varieties that will tolerate lower temperatures and are generally tougher all round. Breeders have also developed more colours, pink,white and cream and even bi-colour pink/white and yellow.

So, choosing a good plant to take home- first check that it has been watered regularly and has a good bushy shape. Avoid plants that are “leggy” with the leaves mainly at the top of the stems. And they are leaves, as those brilliant scarlet flowers are actually bracts (leaves)- the flowers are like tiny yellow stamens in the middle. If there are any drooping or withered leaves reject it. Look for plants that have no pollen visible round the stamens if the pollen has been shed the leaves will probably drop off soon. It is very important not to pick plants that are displayed outside as they will almost certainly be dead! Ask the shop to give you some newspaper to cover the plant completely and ridiculous as it sounds,if it’s raining, let it share your umbrella. Because water drops will leave white spots all over the red bracts and spoil the look of the plant permanently.

Once home, keep the plants in as even a temperature as possible. In fact a slightly lower than ideal temperature that is consistent is ok. One that is warm during the day but that drops a lot at night, when the heating is off is too stressful for poinsettias. Always move your poinsettias, and other houseplants, away from windows at night as frost can come through glass and kill them. Drawing a curtain between them and the windowpane will work too. If you really can’t move them, resort to your trusty newspaper blanket and cover them up every night.

For watering follow the usual rule lift up the plant and if it seems light, check the soil it will probably be dry. Then put the plant in the sink with enough lukewarm water to come halfway up the pot. Leave it for fifteen minutes or so then put it on the draining board until no water drips out of the bottom and replace it. A propriety plant food every ten days will do no harm. Keep them going as long as you can but once they’ve lost their red leaves you might as well put them in the compost. Getting them to flower again is so complicated that it probably qualifies as an actual Hobby! I think of them as a long lasting bunch of flowers rather than a pot plant. The above advice applies to most Winter flowering house plants. Summer flowering houseplants need altogether different treatment.

There are a load of fantastic deals on all kinds of things from power drills for the DIY fanatic to Christmas trees to brighten your home. We also have winter essentials such as de-icing salt and snow shovels should we have that white Christmas the bookies have shortened the odds on.

We also have deals on household items like steam irons and kitchen knives as well as radiators and heaters to stave off the winter chill.

You can see select deals on the deals section of Topline’s main site. Or download the entire winter catalogue here.

If you want to locate your nearest Topline Member Store for all your Christmas DIY, Home, Garden or Building needs just head over to our local DIY and hardware store locator.

” ……no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds,
November!”

A good poet Thomas Hood, but… he obviously wasn’t a gardener! Because butterflies and bees, may be absent in the Winter garden but of fruits, flowers and leaves there are plenty. It does take a bit of thought to get colourful plants at this time of year, as they are more subtle and rare. The Queens of the winter-flowering set, are the camellias, with their exquisite flowers ranging from the delicate white single blossoms of Cornish Snow to the glorious rose-like blooms of Debbie or Donation. Cornish Snow is well named as it flowers so early, January, that it looks as if snow has settled on the branches. It is very tough, and produces flowers for a month or so and will go very well with your early daffodils.

I love the double camellias Debbie, Donation, Anticipation which are all a vibrant pink and will often flower in March in Ireland or an oldie but goodie Adolphe Audusson which is red. C. Nobillissima is a wonderfully full, double flowered white specimen and flowers Jan-March. If like me, you enjoy striped flowers, Lavinia Maggi is one for you- it resembles vanilla Icecream splashed with raspberry sauce! The nearest to a yellow camellia that is reasonably easy to find is Jury’s Yellow though to be honest it ends up with white outer petals. Of course you can choose a camellia ( or any plant) the “Professional” way- wander up and down the Garden Centre benches going “oh that one’s nice” until you get to the, “Oh THAT one is gorgeous!” It works well because you see the flower colour, the flower type and the leaves. Remember to read the label to find out the eventual height. Camellias are evergreen too, which is a bonus in Winter, apropos of which, there are variegated leaf cultivars. I am not keen on them myself, because I think they look a bit sickly but- that is only my opinion.

Camellias do have certain requirements acid (or lime free soil), if your soil is limey, you can still enjoy these lovely plants because they do fine in big tubs. Use lime free compost, it is often sold as Ericaceous Compost.  Position all your camellias, so they never face east and the morning sun. Because frost lingering on the plants, acts like a magnifying glass and burns the buds, which drop off without ever flowering. It’s important to give them lots of water in the summer as that determines how many flowers they produce later on. Feeding is easy, in March give them a teaspoon of Epsom salts (available cheaply in Chemists) in five litres of water and water it round the roots. Do this twice or three times a week apart. Then give them all a good dose of Sequestrene at the end of March.

As for other colourful winter plants, have a look at Choisya Sundance- lemon yellow leaves, Pittosporum Tom Thumb, shiny purple black leaves and Photinia Red Robin  which needs pruning regularly as it’s the new leaves that are brilliant scarlet. Winter flowers are particularly sweet scented, so consider finding a spot for a Mahonia which has sprays of flowers like yellow Lily of the Valley. With more space you could have a Viburnum Bodnantse, the flowers are like bunches of pink ribbons and have a heavy spicy scent. I have seen people stopped in their tracks when they catch that perfume as they pass a Viburnum!

Still, our Celtic Ancestors considered Autumn as a hopeful time, not as the ending of summer but as the beginning of a New Year. And in the garden that is still true, most of the gardening we do now is about what we want to see next Spring and Summer.

After all, this is also the traditional time for planting- before containers were used, November to March was the only planting season. It’s still a good time, because the soil is warm, which starts growth quickly and allows plants to become well established before Spring. While the cold air and frost kills a lot of pests and diseases. And it’s a good time for the Autumn cleanup which will get the garden ready for Spring.

First thing is to cut the grass and and trim the edges. That will make a good clean base if you want to use an Autumn lawn feed, as now is the time to apply it.You will find it in our stores. First rake up any leaves that have already fallen. Wait for a couple of dry days before spreading the feed, as it works best then. After two weeks you can start leaf raking again, little and often is a good habit there!

Get a pair of shears and give your roses a mild haircut – just across the top of the bushes, this is Not pruning, it is to prevent them being blown about in the Autumn/Winter gales. Firm them in by pressing your foot hard on the earth around their stems. If Blackspot has been a problem, don’t leave any of their leaves lying on the beds and give the stems one last fungicide spray. Spray the soil round the roses as Blackspot spores often survive in the earth over winter. Any climbing or rambling roses that only flower once, can be cut back safely, repeat-flowering roses should be left alone until March. Give your hedges a trim as well.

The Autumn flowering Herbaceous plants will be getting into their stride now, and any spent bedding around them should be pulled out and put in the compost bin. By the way, don’t ever put diseased leaves or flowers in the compost where it can multiply. You’ll spread disease round the garden when you put the compost on the beds!

Don’t forget all the lovely winter flowering plants available to brighten your garden, even in the dullest months. Cyclamen in white, red and pink, winter pansies that come in an absolute rainbow of colour, blues and pinks, through the tawny shades of yellow amber and red. Just make sure you deadhead them so you’ll get flowers right through winter. Then there are the heathers which will put up with some lime in the soil and callunas, their cousins, which hate lime. They come in sizes from 8cms (6ins) right up to 30cms (18 ins). And like the cyclamens, will bloom in your garden for many years.

I am sure one or two of you have at some point spotted a badly put up pole, whereby the curtains appear to hang crookedly. This is not always due to a shaky hand, or lack of spirit level.

In older houses for example, if the window, patio door frame or wall is not straight, then using a spirit level will fix the problem, however, the curtains will appear higher/lower on one side, as the frame is off balance to begin with. In this case the naked eye may be more useful than your level. Something to consider before you begin.

This is what I hope to help you avoid in this article, so there won’t be an exclamation resembling the words. “Oh Holy poley”

What you’ll need

Curtain rod, Wall anchors (optional), Measuring tape, screws, brackets, screwdriver, drill, pencil and eraser, step ladder, wall plugs, masonry drill bit, hacksaw (if wooden and not made to measure) , pipe and cable detector, safety goggles and mask.

Step one: Mark the height of pole.

This is best achieved through measuring your curtains first, as curtains come in numerous sizes and can be made to measure. The standard is around 6 inches above the window frame. However, it is very much about personal choice and the height can change the look of the room completely. How high or low off the ground they hang can also appear to modify the appearance of the window or door. The type of curtain you use and the interior décor of the room must be considered.

Example: The higher the pole placement, the more dramatic the look for your window.

Tip: Play around with the height before you decide, using another pair of hands to hold the pole.

Step two: Adjusting the pole as required.

Extend pole to its full length (if applicable), holding it above the window frame take a measurement of the width of the pole and the width of the window. Subtract the width of the window from the width of the curtain rod. This gives you an evenly distributed pole measurement.

Example: If the pole is 4 inches wider than the window, two inches should be left either side when the pole is centred correctly.

The curtain poles should ideally extend 15-20cm on either side of the frame, this allows curtains space and is neater when drawing them back during the day.

Tip: If the pole is heavy, in the case of a cast iron or a patio door rod, get someone else to hold it for you.

Step three: Measurement of overhang and markings for brackets:

Indicate with your pencil using a vertical line where the brackets will go evenly on either side. If you have a wooden pole that is too long, you may use your hacksaw here to cut it to measure.

Place the curtain pole again over the frame to check markings are correct. Use spirit level to straighten out the rail.

Mark the wall above the ends of the rod using a horizontal line this time. This will intersect the previous vertical markings.

Place a bracket over your intersection and pencil in at the top of the bracket, then mark the screw holes for drilling.

Step four: Using your screw holes begin drilling:

It is very important to remember to check before drilling for electrical cables or pipes running behind the wall. The frazzled look is never appealing…

Safety goggles and mask are advisable here. If using wall anchors, you can drill them here where the holes line up. Otherwise using a masonry drill bit start drilling slowly. Insert wall plugs and screw brackets into position, attaching the top first on either side to secure it, then continue to the bottom.

Step five: Hang your pole:

Erase visible markings, and place your curtain pole over the brackets.

Now you get to stand back and admire your efforts and hard work. Priceless ☺

Note. There should be one curtain ring between the bracket and the finial at each end. Place finials at end.

Tip: It is worth spending a little extra on your pole, as they last longer and can carry heavier curtains. Cast iron works very well with bay windows and a larger room.

Think carefully about the look you want to achieve for your room and window, as there are many types of pole to choose from and good luck with it.

It’s also the time to start planning your spring flowers and perhaps to plant a few of those spring flowering bulbs for next year. Make the most of any remaining warm weather while you still can.

10 Jobs to think about this September

1. Divide herbaceous perennials
2. Collect and sow seed from perennials and hardy annuals
3. If you have any potatoes left in the ground in your vegetable patch, dig them up before slug damage spoils them
4. Cover ponds with netting before the leaf fall really sets in
5. If it’s a bit dry, keep up with watering of new plants, using rain water if possible
6. For houseplants it may be time to start reducing the amount of watering as temperatures fall a bit
7. Clean out cold frames and greenhouses so that they are ready for use in the autumn
8. If you have a leafy vegetable crop make sure to cover it with bird-proof netting
9. Pick autumn raspberries and any other seasonal fruit in your garden
10. Plant those spring flowering bulbs for a bright and cheery spring garden

Here’s a quick tip to save you and those that come after you a whole pile of pain. If you have a cupboard hinge a bathroom door bolt or even a cover plate for a doorknob that has this problem going on then follow these steps.

1. Remove the piece of hardware that’s in the way
2. Dig one of your old wooden golf tees out of your bag
3. Apply some wood glue to the pointy end and the sides of the tee
4. Shove in the hole and tap it with a mallet or hammer until it’s in as far as it will go
5. After the glue is dry use a light saw like a coping saw to cut off the bit that’s still sticking out
6. Bonus Tip: If the Golf tee is too big then try toothpicks. PAck as many as will fit, into the hole.
7. There you go new wood to fix your hardware to.

Remember here that it really doesn’t have to be pretty because the hinge or fixing or faceplate will cover up the job when you’re done. And when you’re done you can excuse yourself for a game of golf as a reward.

1. Use a Poll for your roller

Ditch the ladder when you’re painting large areas of ceiling or the upper parts of walls. Much better to get a telescopic arm for your roller. They come in all different sizes check out your local Topline store for varieties in your area.

Most rollers have a threaded hole or the extension pole will have a wedge shape end to attach it to the roller. A solid metal core and a metal end are important here. Many of the plastic poles are too flexible. Make sure the telescopic shaft locks itself securely as well, you don’t want it collapsing while in use.

2. Primer with a tint

Primer, primer, primer! Most people painting their own walls dont’ bother with it and it’s often hte reason their walls end up looking blotvchy, washed out or with stains or wood features bleeding through. Primer serves three main functions: First, it blocks stains and resinous knots from bleeding through; second, it provides one-coat coverage for the paint topcoat; most importantly, it improves adhesion, which greatly reduces blisters and extends the life of the topcoat.

Pro Tip: Mix a small amount of topcoat paint into the primer to tint it towards the colour of your topcoat. (Be sure the primer and topcoat are both latex-based or both oil-based.)

3. Invest in Canvas

We’ve all used cheap plastic drop cloths opened out bin liners or even newspapers as dropcloths while doing a bit of DIY painting to protect the floors from paint spatter.  If you’ve ever employed a professional painter you might notice they nearly always use canvas.

Canvas drop cloths are durable, they don’t rip and are less likely to be punctured. They lie flat as you walk on them, so they are less of a trip hazard; you hardly ever have to tape canvas down. Canvas is also absorbent making paint drips less of an issue, unlike plastic that becomes slippery when spattered with wet paint. You’re much less likely to pick up paint on your shoe soles from canvas as well. Canvas can easily be folded around corners and doorways–something that’s virtually impossible to do with plastic sheets or the disaster that is newspapers.

4. Write the Colour down

If you do a lot of DIY or foresee that you might make changes in a room then recording the brand and colour of the original paint is a good idea. Whether it’s to freshen the current decor or repaint around a new doorway. Writing it on tins or in diaries that get thrown away seems a bit futile. So here’s a tip that will help you better next time.

Before you replace all the fixtures and fittings in a newly painted room, write the vital information (brand name, paint color, paint number) onto a piece of masking tape and stick it to the back of a switch plate. Then it’s there for next time unless the next person to paint doesn’t bother taking the switch plates off, but then that’ll be the price of laziness won’t it.

5. Use a Grid for your paint not a tray

Roller trays are possibly the most frustrating things you will ever use and cause as many paint spills as anything else and they are a nightmare to keep clean as well. Try rolling directly from a 10ltr paint bucket and using a Paint Grid. A paint grid is a rectangular rigid metal or plastic screen that hooks onto the rim of the paint tin. Just dip half of the roller into the paint, and remove the excess by rolling against the grid, which drips back into the bucket. When you’re done you can just drop the grid into the bucket and snap the lid closed.

I hope you enjoyed these few tips on painting and decorating they are certainly ones I would have liked to have way back when I first painted a room in my early twenties. Remember you can get your paint supplies at Topline store around the country. Happy painting.

Not just potatoes

It’s important to remember that this isn’t just for those growing potatoes it also applies for those growing related plant species in the Solanaceae family such as tomatoes. (Maybe you didn’t realise they were related.)

Potato blight is one of the worst disease problems when growing these types of plants, wiping out entire crops almost instantly, and if it infects the potatoes themselves it can travel from spud to spud in storage destroying the entire batch.

What’s the cause?

Phytophthora infestans a type of fungus is the root cause of blight. When weather conditions are warma and humid it spreads readily through the air.

Blight warnings and “Smith Periods”

Any period of warm humid weather increases the rick of blight in your plants. A “Smith period” is at least two consecutive days where min temperature is 10ºC or above and on each day at least 11 hours when the relative humidity is greater than 90%.

Symptoms of Blight

Brown spots or freckles on the leaves or sections of leaves with brown patches and a yellow border spreading from the brown patch are the first symptoms of blight on your plants. If it’s a severe attack you may find to find all the plants, tomato or potato, with their foliage a rotting mass.

You can spot blight on your actual potatoes by dark patches on the skin. Quickly slicing the potato in half will reveal a brown rot spreading down into the plant from the skin. In the later stages it’s just a rotting smelly mess.

Preventing Potato Blight

The fungus is generally killed by cold weather and the usual disease reservoir is infected tubers in the ground or your storage. Unfortunately it can travel for miles on the prevailing wind an there is little to nothing you can do to stop it.

Use of fungicides

Fungicides for the control of potato blight are normally only used in a preventative manner, perhaps in conjunction with disease forecasting. In susceptible varieties, sometimes fungicide applications may be needed weekly. An early spray is most effective. Metalaxyl is a fungicide that was marketed for use against P. infestans, but suffered serious resistance issues when used on its own. It is strongly advised to use metalaxyl along with carbamate compounds, or the especially effective synergistic Cymoxanil and Mancozeb combination as it is effective at managing metalaxyl resistant strains.

In the past, copper sulfate solution (called ‘bluestone’) was used to combat potato blight. Copper pesticides remain in use in rare instances on organic crops.

Control of tuber blight

Ridging is often used to reduce tuber contamination by blight. This normally involves piling soil or mulch around the stems of the potato blight meaning the pathogen has farther to travel to get to the tuber.

The canopy can also be destroyed around 5 weeks before harvest. This can be done via a contact herbicide or using sulfuric acid to burn off the foliage.

Your best preventative is to grow a resistant variety of potato that is less affected by the blight Horky recommends Sarpo Mira as the best blight resistant variety for west of Ireland conditions.

Other actions to help prevent potato blight

Try to get all the potatoes out from the ground when you harvest and so you won’t leave a reservoir on your plot. Ensure potatoes are well earthed up to protect tubers even if you get it in the foliage.

Good luck with it and I hope you manage to have a great harvest of tomatoes and potatoes this year. Get in touch with a local expert at one of the many Topline stores around the country for help and advice in your area.

Here are six tips to help prepare your garden for high winds and serious rain:

1. If you have hanging fruit or berries pick them if you can!  Bring tomatoes in and let them ripen inside or find some green tomato recipes. The same with your fruit trees if they are potted.
2. IF you have a container garden or hanging baskets make sure you bring them inside. Very heavy objects may not need it but the smaller things won’t be appreciated arriving in a neighbours yard or even afront window.
3. If you have newly planted trees and saplings make sure you stake and tie them to secure them. Young roots may be too shallow to secure the new tree in a high wind.
4. Take in any garden decor like gnomes and small benches or even barbecues, and bird houses/bird feeders and childrens toys and trampoines and bring them inside or put them in the garden shed.
5. If you have any trellises or stakes make sure they are all firmly secured.
6. If you have any garden furniture (tables and chairs or canopies) make sure they are taken inside.
7. Bonus tip: For those with Wheelie bins, make sure they are taken inside or stored securely as well. Cleaning up rubbish from your garden from a tipped over bin is never fun.

That’s it for now I hope nobody has any garden disasters (or any disasters) in the coming nights. Good luck!

If you’re decorating your house interior and you need to get those walls covered then we have a deal for you.

10ltr White ‘Super Cover’ Matt Paint – 20% off, was €19.99 now €15.99.

Go along to your local Topline store to pick up this great deal.

Use our store locator to find your nearest topline. Click here to find your local Topline DIY store

Whether you have a small flower bed, a rack of potted herbs or huge walled garden spread over acres, it’s almost certain that a decent supply of compost is going to be necessary for healthy plants.

So we’ve got a great deal for you. 2 X Growmoor 75ltr Compost at €10, a third off the usual price of €7.50 each.

Go along to your local Topline store to pick up this great deal.

Use our store locator to find your nearest topline. Click here to find your local Topline DIY store

To me the most useful practical tool ever invented is the lowly hammer. Wait, let me be more specific, the claw hammer in particular, is the one tool that no matter what situation or job I’ve been working on, if I don’t have it I always regret it.

It is the ultimate all purpose tool and while it may not be the exact tool for a job, my claw hammer has been involved in every kind of situation from working on car engines to fixing chair legs to taking a roof apart on a house. It’s even been used to break up digestive biscuits (inside a cloth if course) for use in the base of a cheesecake.

So let’s have a chat about hammers. The idea of the hammer has been around since some man realised stones were better for hitting things than his hands or his head. How many of us have used a stone in exactly this way to drive in a tent peg or to knock down the pegs that  hold the net at the back of a goal. Well one day, way back in the day, a Tuesday I think it was, one fella realised that if he tied his rock securely to a stick he could swing it a hell of a lot harder. He may have been using it to bash heads as much as drive pegs but still this is how the hammer was born, probably.

The hammer has been with us for a very long time, obviously, and after a while, with our mastery of metal, we developed nails to hold things together more securely. And with this method of driving nails in, came the obvious problem of taking them out again when you made a mistake. And so the ultimate putting things together, ripping things apart and hitting things just a wee tap, multipurpose DIY tool that is, the claw hammer, was born. Even the claw hammer though is pretty old. To throw a bit of the art world in here, the old German Master Albrecht Durer‘s well known print “Melancholia I” has a claw hammer that is much the same as the one we use today about half way up the picture on the left hand side, and it was produced in 1514. So the claw hammer, as we understand it, has been around at least 500 years and probably a good bit longer.

My own  love of the lowly claw hammer started with my father. Back in the 1980s my father, like many others, was a young man struggling to find work, but rather than sit around on his hands, he spent his time on DIY fixing up our house. Building beds, cupboards, shelves and tables from nails and screws obtained from the local co-op, whatever wood he could lay his hands on for half nothing and a bit of knowledge of how wood had to be put together to stick. I was born into this environment and when my father had to make some trips abroad to work to put bread on the table, the story goes that the only thing that consoled me as a child of two or three in his absence was having my Dad’s hammer under my pillow where I could slip my hand up and touch it as I went to sleep. I have no recollection of this myself, but as you can see, of all the tools used in DIY, I recognised, even then, that the hammer was very important. It could be a story exaggerated by my mother and older siblings but it’s a nice story all the same.

So into DIY I was born, with a hammer in hand from a young age and soon enough it was put to use banging together bits of lath to make guns to shoot at errant siblings or invading Nazi’s or some other marauder. For a lot of people their first experience of DIY and the use of tools is in the deconstruction of something with spanners or screwdrivers, for me, it was the simple act of construction. Two pieces of wood held together with three nails. My joy in DIY was born of putting things together, of making things and it was this blunt instrument that allowed me to do that. Of course since then I’ve used every tool imaginable from tenon saws, to torque wrenches, to wood turning machines, but there is something simple and wonderful about this humble tool that means it’s something I’ll never be without. Take it anywhere and it’ll always be useful. It’s certainly this man’s opinion that you’re not a real DIYer unless you have a little bit of love for your hammer.

What do you think is the best DIY tool? Is he right about the hammer being the King  of DIY tools? Tell us below in the comments.

Well then, what are we aiming at? Answer, that miniature landscape in our own garden- an Alpine one to be exact. After all, the other name for rock plants is Alpines. Because a rockery should be imitating a natural feature, a south-facing mountain side. Picture the Cliffs of Moher curving away from the viewer in vertical folds and then the natural shelves and outcrops running horizontally across each face. If you could look closely you would see small flowering plants clinging on and thriving in the little pockets of earth on those rocky shelves. That’s where our garden “rock plants” originated.

Now the first stage, the location, which should be an open sunny spot with no overhanging trees so south-facing is obviously the best. In the wild the plants naturally favour the sunny side of the mountains. Next, shape and design, here “imitation is the best form of rockery” (sorry!) But joking aside it really is, so find a picture of an actual cliff, print it out and use it as a template. It will help if you also get a well-illustrated book on rockeries and study the pictures carefully.

It is very important to use the biggest rocks you can, which is why building a rockery takes at least two strong people. A good way to get really big rocks is from your nearest quarry where they are usually very reasonably priced. Some garden centres that have the room, will stock good-sized rocks too. See if they will deliver them for you. .If you enjoy DIY, be sensible, wear heavy gauntlets and steel-capped boots, a rock on the toe is not easily forgotten! Personally I would recommend “shelling out” for a professional builder or Lanscaper you can do the interesting bit, the planting, yourself. Remember though, make sure the planting places are well drained and not too deep, little pockets of earth in between the rocks. You are making an imitation cliff face as near as possible to the native place of Alpine plants. Have the front of your “cliff” facing the sun and slope the back down to ground level from the top.

Rockery plants are usually alongside the herbaceous, or Cottage Plants in Garden Centres. Some of them are very familiar Arabis, Aubretia, Dianthus and Campanula Muralis for example, but there are literally hundreds and the colours available are marvellous.

If you have the room you could curve a little gravel garden round one side and treat yourself to even more plants. And, of course rookeries are natural partners to ponds. A very good way of using the spoil from digging out the pond.

Donogh is here to take us through adding a bit of colour in our smaller spaces.

Whatever the weather does there are things that roses need. As I said before roses are total Divas beautiful, charming and, tough, demanding and whisper it, inclined to be greedy. But again, give them what they want and you will be rewarded with a wonderful performance.

What then do they want? A Place in the Sun- many roses, if you’ll excuse the pun, have their roots in Persia, where the summers are glorious. So they don’t like shady places. Regular watering and good food. And in the manner of Divas attention to their appearance. Dead-heading, every day is best, I was amused to read recently that the “old-fashioned” way is becoming popular again. Because I never stopped using the old method anyway. Which is to take the blown flower in your hand and snap it off just where it is joined to the stem. My Mother-in-Law always did that and she had superb roses! Otherwise use a secateurs to cut them back to just above the next good bud.

I feed them every fortnight with a multipurpose liquid feed, high in potash and water them in the evening during dry (if only!) spells. If you prefer a powder feed or one specially for roses there are some very good ones available. Consistency is more important than the type of feed you use. Old Gardeners used to give their roses a dose of chelated iron at the same time as their Camellias, Sequestrene is one of the widely available commercial preparations containing it. It is a spring feed though, so apply in March. I think it’s a good habit- strengthens them and improves colour.

Spray them once a fortnight with a pesticide and anti-blackspot preparation but, be careful when you do, although many of the most toxic chemicals are now banned, sprays still need to be treated with caution. Wear rubber gloves, wearing an old plastic mac as well, is a good precaution. Never spray on a windy day either. Wash out the sprayer, outside if you can, and lock it and your gloves away out of the sight or reach of children.
Keep the earth around them clear of weeds and don’t plant other shrubs too close. Divas don’t take kindly to sharing the spotlight!

People are often a bit puzzled by the types of roses. There are two main types of bush roses Hybrid Teas and Floribundas. The easiest way to distinguish them is to think of HTs as a bush of Individual roses, and Floribundas as Bunches of roses on a bush. Then there are Shrub Roses ( my favourites ) lush, highly scented and such rich colours. There is a famous French painter called Henri Fantin-Lantour who painted the most glorious pictures of these great Beauties. Nothing I write could describe them as he did- have a look at his pictures online or even in your local Public Library.

Then there are Ramblers, which have long flexible stems and are good ALONG walls and fences, and their cousins the Climbers, suitable for growing UP walls etc. Both these types flower better if the stems are bent sideways you will get lots more blooms. Most garden centres will have a selection of all of them.

P.S. There ARE some roses that will do in shade, climbers mostly- Zepherine Drouhin richest pink (and thornless) and Felicete and Perpetue, white, are two.

It’s worth making a visit to your local park to see how It’s done or, Google carpet bedding.

What, you are probably wondering, has it got to do with the average garden? Well acres, or a few yards the principles still apply. And summer bedding is so gorgeous that I think we should all treat ourselves to some.

So what are the principles?

The usual I’m afraid – discipline and planning, by which I mean (A), decide on how much space you are going to give to it. I have a particular bed reserved for summer bedding. Because it is south facing, not too big (about three metres long), and there are no large permanent shrubs in the way. (B), pick a colour mix you like, it is completely up to you. “Hot” or “Cool” or Multicoloured, it is your garden and you can have it just the way you like. (C) Think shape and colour contrast. Prepare the bed by adding a layer of soil-based compost along it, then gently digging it in, that will give the plants a good start. This should be done every year as quick growing plants take a lot out of the soil.

Not so costly

The great thing is that it needn’t cost much. Summer bedding is cheap, a six pack of little plants is only €2.99 or four packs (24 plants!) is only €10.00. Check the labels for eventual height, and width. A tall, medium and low mixture looks best. But stagger them a bit, as three straight rows like steps on stairs, looks too much like a Green Grocers stall. It’s a bit hard to describe, I could do with one of those dreaded diagrams. But plant the tallest ones in groups of three and the medium and low in fives, curving them around each other. I always lay them out first on the flower bed to get the right intervals. To soften the edges I have some dianthus (carnations) planted in four clumps along the edge. Their delicate grey-green foliage looks good with everything.

Water well and feed them every two weeks. If you deadhead them they will flower all the way into Autumn.

Build a checklist of all of the essentials you’ll need come Friday evening, and make sure everything is in good working order after the winter!

Outdoor and seating areas

• Yard Brush
• Patio Cleaner
• Weed Killer
• Exterior paint
• Decking oil
• Wood furniture oil
• Paintbrushes
• Check and clean your outdoor furniture
• or take a look at our 6 piece 4-seater Courtyard set with table and Umbrella for just €129
• And if, like mine, the BBQ didn’t survive – our Landman 2-burner gas BBQ is just €79.99
• This lovely Redwood picnic bench is just €119.00!

Things for the Garden

• Multi-Purpose Compost
• Lawnmower
• Roundup Weedkiller
• Exterior Paint
• Decking Oil
• Timber fence paint
• Furniture Oil

Other must haves to stock up on

• Charcoal
• Outdoor lights and candles
• New seat cushions
• Outdoor lighting

Now once you’ve got your checklist done, plan your time well. Make sure that you get any of those outside repair jobs out of the way early in the week if you can. This will leave you lots of free time at the weekend for barbecuing, trips to the beach or just relaxing on your patio as the sun sets. Under a patio-heater of course, we don’t want you to catch a chill.

Have a great week and don’t forget to tell us what you did!

With the other patch I’ve been toying for a while with the idea of making a brick “step down”. The old bricks available come in the most beautiful soft tones of rose and dark red or a sort of burnt orange. I think a little semi-circular paved piece would look beautiful with the deep green box hedge. Then I’d like to add an arch and grow a rose over it to make a feature of the way into the lawn. I don’t like too much “architecture” or hard landscaping in a garden. I have been known to shout at some garden Makeover programmes, the type I mean, where the outdoor room becomes so “furnished” that all they need is some curtains and a standard lamp to make it an indoor room. I like plants and lawns and beautiful and gracious trees!

As for the moss, it usually denotes compacted soil which leads to poor drainage, or shade. I will spike the ground and brush some silver sand, most garden centres stock bags of it, into the holes, then add a layer of topsoil and again bring out the reseed mix. I am already lowering a beech hedge beside it by chopping off a little ever so often, so that will bring in more light.

I will even get round to regularly mowing the lawn, which from now on ideally needs doing every five days. Though once a week is ok too.

Perhaps we have learned how easy they are to do!

As usual it pays to get everything you need together before you begin. So check that you have the basket, a liner if it’s a wire one, compost and your chosen plants. I would recommend water retaining gel and plant food tablets or granules as well- it saves work later! For tools, all you need is your hands! Get a large pot, or a bucket as I prefer, to stand the basket on.

First of all, soak the compost using the method I talked about last week, and then your plants. Layer compost in the bottom of the basket, poke in the plants that are to cover the sides, laying them sideways, add a couple of inches of compost on top of them. Press it down gently to hold the plants in firmly. Do this again staggering the plants so they aren’t all in a straight line above each other. You want to eventually hide the container with foliage and flowers. When you are 2/3ins 5/7cms, below the top, put in your upright plants. Tallest in the centre and three or four medium ones evenly round it. Water again, I like to leave it on its bucket for about two days to settle.

You can have a lot of fun choosing your colour scheme, echoing the tones in your beds or containers looks very pretty. Once again the scheme can be “warm” or “cool”

and your garden centre will stock suitable plants -trailing plants like lobelia or bacopa geraniums or begonias. Don’t forget that there are quite a lot of annuals that do in shade so you can have lovely baskets on the darker sides of your house too. AND with a little effort one can have flowering baskets right through Autumn and Winter! A lot of people plant small bulbs and ivies in them to cheer up early Spring.

Now watering, – the very best way is to “dunk” the baskets in a bucket of water and leave them there for half an hour or so. Make sure the water is not colder than the temperature in the garden. If you can’t dunk them buy one of those Water Wands and saturate the basket. In warm weather they must be watered (if you haven’t put food in the baskets use liquid food in the water) every day preferably every evening. I noticed the Bath authorities had installed automatic systems to do just that. So did the local pigeons they gathered each evening for a refreshing shower! They are available in most hardware stores too. If you are going away, take down the baskets and leave them in a shady place, preferably also sheltered from the wind. Try to get someone to water them for you if at all possible.

Yes there are rules alright -but they are simple, consistent rules.

So equip yourself with a bucket full of water, a spade, bag of compost and the plant. First chuck some compost into the bucket (compost into water is MUCH easier than water into compost) Take it out and squeeze it in your hand, if a little water drips between your fingers it’s just right. Refill the bucket and drop the plant into the water to get a good soak. Dig the hole, about twice the width and depth of the container, layer 5cms, two/three inches, of the wet compost at the bottom.

Remove the container, if it’s rigid turn the pot sideways and ease it out. If it’s thin plastic cut it down the sides and peel it off. Large plants may need a stake, put it in BEFORE the plant and firm it in.

Then with your fingers, gently tease out the roots at the bottom of the root ball- very important for swift growth! Put the plant in the hole, a bamboo laid across it should touch both sides of the hole meaning it is nice and level. Shovel back the earth to very nearly fill in the hole giving each layer a gentle firming with your boot. I say very nearly filled, because I have learned to leave a small saucer -shaped dip around the plant, so water will puddle in it and the plant will get all the benefit. Once again tread around the plant firmly with your boot then give a it good watering.

Apropos of stakes, don’t have them the same length as the stem, about one third as long is enough. A long stake provides too much support and actually weakens the stem. It’s like using a crutch with a sound limb- it will get weak from lack of use and end up really needing the crutch! The plant top being whipped about in the wind is like a “work-out” for the stem. Remember also the old tip that a new (this year’s) plant needs a bucket of water a week in dry spells. The easiest way is to go round the garden with the hose and a bucket, fill up the bucket pour slowly into the “saucer” and go on to the next New Addition.

Just nip into the Garden Centre and get yourself some packs of Hardy Bedding plants. Make sure that they are labeled HARDY bedding because if they are not hardy and are for example, Marigolds or Impatiens, the frost will kill them. And there are frosts right through this month. Just one frosty night and you will find a row of little black corpses in your flowerbed next morning! I know some naughty people offer “soft” bedding” at this time but unless you can bring the plants under cover every night (if they’re in pots say) hold off till April.

So what can you plant safely? There are four main types all very pretty and free flowering. Pansies and Violas, Bellis  Perennis (batchelors’ buttons) and wall flowers. They are nice and cheap too, Pansies and Violas are €2.99 for a pack of six and, you can get 4 of those six packs, 24 plants, for only €10! Bellis perennis are those lovely double daisies in pink and white. Wallflowers we all know but there are some pretty new colours and they come in standard and dwarf types. The great thing about pansies and violas is that they will keep flowering right into late summer.

They are pretty amiable about where they are planted, the violas especially, do well in fairly shady positions. Try to deadhead the pansies and they’ll flower away like mad. Bellis perennis are great for edging flowerbeds as their pink or white colouring makes them go with everything. As for those Old Faithfuls, the wallflowers, I love their sweet spicy fragrance it always makes me think of Spring in old cottage gardens. They are sun lovers and you should get a couple of years out of them. Just watch the weather and if it is dry soak them well and treat them to a liquid feed.

I nearly forgot, there is a perennial wallflower Erysium. I think it’s usually mauve or purple and can be a very useful addition blooming away every spring. It comes as a single plant though, and is normally on the Herbaceous bench.

Look at the remaining branches and you should see an outward facing bud on each one. Make a slanted cut just above each bud with the high end on the outside of the stem-to make sure any rain or moisture doesn’t lodge in the cut surface and cause rot.  Next give the first Spring feed either liquid or powder but do make sure you don’t ever allow fertilizer to touch any part of a plant. If it gets on the leaves or stem (or the roots when you are planting up) it may burn them.

Follow this up with a good soaking and then firm the bushes in well. Use your weight putting your boot first one side then the other of the plant and press down hard. This is because winter winds can rock the shrub and loosen roots which can lead to them weakening from lack of food.

I always let them have a week to recover before I start spraying every fortnight. Roses may look delicate but they are very greedy so keep up the feeds-I do like liquid feed but again it is very much a personal preference thing. Oh and water them and by that I mean a good soaking, evening is the best time, especially during hot weather. That lovely sunshine can mean the water evaporates before the plants can get enough of it.

Talking about soaking, I have “soaker “ hoses winding their way around both of my flower beds. One is a soft black rubber, which is permeable and lets water ooze out steadily and slowly until the earth is well wetted. The other is a green one with tiny holes along its length that drips away to get to the same soaked effect. They use much less water and I love them because I can connect them up and wander off to do something else. Or more often to sneak a doze in a deck-chair!

The right tools are always a great help, you will need secateurs and a pair of thick gardening gloves, especially if you are going to be cutting back anything thorny. There are two main kinds of secateurs Bypass and Anvil I prefer Anvil but it is a personal thing. Buy ones with bright handles so you can find them more easily- fluorescent would be great and maybe bells and whistles, I still manage to lose them anyway. I put them down and they disappear- I bet ones with GPS would be a sell-out!

What you are doing is helping your plants to grow strong and be healthy. When you cut the tips of branches, you are redirecting sideways the energy that would otherwise go to lengthening them, so they will put out leaves all along the branches. Which will make them grow nice and bushy, what the Trade call “well furnished.” And there will be more energy for flowering so the flowers will be better and more abundant.

So… first thing to do with all your plants is to examine them carefully for broken pieces or dead twigs and, it’s very simple, with a SHARP pair of secateurs snip them off – always BELOW the break or dead part. That is because die-back, as it’s called, can be a sort of plant gangrene and keep spreading – unless you make your cut in a live (green) part. Cut out any criss-crossing branches as well, shrubs thrive if the inside is kept open and the air and sun can get to all parts helping to keep mildew at bay.

It is a good idea to prune when there are no leaves as it helps you to see how best to shape your plant but, and it is a BIG but, do not go mad and chop away ‘til any resemblance to any plant living or dead is coincidental! You can’t glue it back together you know.

An old tip is to do it in stages if the plant has got out of hand. And it means you have enough time to see how much you have actually cut off. I like to keep the natural shape with the pretty arching branches that Mother Nature designed.

Next week Rosy Prospects- how to prune the Divas of the plant world.

First thing is to scarify the lawn, which means giving it a good scraping with a special rake called, surprise, a Scarifying rake. It actually is different from an ordinary rake having tines (teeth) that curve backwards and the head has a bit of play in it. Try scarifying your grass with an ordinary rake and you’ll find out why.

Having done that, you can give the lawn it’s first feed of the year. There is a timetable in that which starts with Lawnsand in March. Find out, however roughly, the square measurement of your lawn so you know how much lawnsand you need. The usual amount is 130/40 grams (4/5 ounces) to the square meter.

If you are a meticulous person or have a tiny lawn you could stretch string like a grid of square meters across. I admit I pace out one square meter till I have an idea of what that is in size, then imaginary square by imaginary square scatter the feed. “Ah” you say, “but how can I be sure of putting on the right amount each time?”

There is always a trick isn’t there and this is mine. Get yourself an old cup or a tooth mug and a set of kitchen scales weigh out 140grams of lawnsand and pour it into the mug, and mark where it comes up to on the side. I use a piece of sticking-plaster to mark it as it lasts better than pencil or marker. Than I fill it up to the plaster and hey presto 140 grams every time.

Ps Lawnsand does contain chemicals so buy yourself a cheap set of scales and keep it for garden “stuff” only. Away from and out of the reach of kids and animals too.

I’ll be talking about all sorts of pruning next time.

Talking of flowers, have a look at any containers or pots you have. They’re probably looking a bit tired and the only thing growing well is the weeds that have mysteriously popped up in them over winter! Weed them first, then add an inch or so of compost to the surface – it’s the first (and cheapest) feed. I planted some of the primulas I bought last week in them, one at each corner,to cheer them up.

Personally, I like to stick to a theme, yellow and white looks particularly Spring-like in my eyes. I put little groups of three of the brighter blues and pinks alternatively along the edge of the big flowerbed. Afterwards, I gave it a nice sharp edge because the winter weather makes it very ragged andmessy. Then I did the crawling around on my knees thing and grubbed out the Autumn leaves twigs and withered weeds still on the bed.

Bearing this in mind, we are delighted to announce the launch of this blog and our new website over at topline.ie. The new site will list the full Topline product catalogue as well as having websites for each of our member stores. This means that you can find out exactly what’s available in a Topline store near you.

We’ll also be bringing you seasonal information and ideas to help improve your home and garden. Using detailed articles, quick tips video and presentations, we’ll help you get that project planned, started and finished. We’ll also be here if you need the tools and the materials of course.

Not only that, but you’ll be able to see if your local store does deliveries, carries to your car, has expertise in particular areas and all the local and national special offers.

All in all we look forward to a really bright future serving your local community through over 160 local stores nationwide.

I am going to be taking you through the gardening year, sharing all I’ve learnt over the years and all the new things I find out. Because the beauty of gardening is that every year is different – it never gets boring!

This year, my own little plot is going to get a revamp and I’ll share tips with you to give your garden a shake up. The great thing about gardening is that even with bad weather, awful soil or serious neglect, you can make yourself somewhere really lovely. I’ll be telling you about what works for me.

The first thing I am going to talk about is Spring Cleaning because, you know, the garden needs that as much as the house!

Spring Cleaning

The Spring wash and brush up needs to start with our garden tools, ok we should have put them away clean but who does! A sluice at the tap and a quick scrub with a hard brush is a good start anyway. I give myself a little treat first and take a quiet wander around my garden enjoying those first signs of Spring. Every year there are the “Old Faithfuls”- a Cornish Snow Camellia which flowers long before it should and a group of crocus blooming under an old tree. Of course, I can’t help seeing the things that need tidying or replacing. Or a bit of extra TLC.

So where to begin? Clear the paths of leaves and moss because we need safe easy access to the rest of our garden. Check the lawn edges, I am always surprised at how a bit of winter weather makes them get so ragged and messy and then those sneaky little weeds, just starting to appear above ground, are a lot easier to spot. “Begin”, as my Mum always said, “as you mean to go on” and pull ‘em out now! Talking of weeding or rather not talking but doing, ‘cos we have to “do” weeding. Start now, I tell myself “I must do ten minutes and see where I get” and A) I will do Ten Minutes then B) I am so pleased with how much that has improved things I’ll do an hour of Spring cleaning!

We’ll also be doing the odd customer survey and we’ll be only delighted to deal with any of your questions regarding products and services.

Don’t forget to check out the pages of our member stores near you as well. There’s list of those on our own facebook page as well. they’re there amongst the pages we like.

Find us on facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/Topline.ie

Our members’ stores around the country vary in size, often with a limited amount of window space and located on the outskirts of towns. The shop exteriors needed a fresh, innovative look which could effectively and creatively promote the full range of products and expertise available within our stores. The window signage solution also needed to sit comfortably in both out-of-town and in-town stores.

In December, 2012, we unveiled a new suite of window imagery. We created fun, illustrated characters to add personality to our shop windows and to promote many of the key product categories available across Topline stores. Our hope is that consumers will be attracted by these unique and colourful characters and bring some fun and enjoyment to consumers in these tough times.

Topline Burtons in Kanturk, Co Cork is the first Topline store to display our new window graphics, with many more to follow in the coming months.

Locals were treated to a full day of sumptuous cooking by celebrity chef Andrew Rudd.  The day kicked off with an Italian cookery display titled ‘easy entertaining’ followed by a lesson in cooking healthy, low fat meals for all of the family to enjoy, without breaking the bank or waistlines!

For those spectators who love a taste of the exotic, Andrew finished with a demonstration around cooking restaurant quality thai food in your own home.

Topline Quinns, founded in Edgeworthstown in 1875, is now managed by Hugh and Patrick; 5th generation Quinns. Hugh Quinn commented: “We wanted to thank all of our existing customers and welcome new customers to the store and a cookery experience seemed a great way to do just that”.

It seems that the people of Edgeworthstown may be cooking up a storm for many months to come!

Topline stores have been leading the way in energy efficient products for many years but in 2011, we decided to develop a concept which would make it easier for consumers to visualise and understand a wide range of affordable products aimed at saving them money – the Topline ‘Energy Hub’ was born, a centre of excellence for all things energy efficient.

The concept was developed in response to growing pressure on families and shoppers to cut their household spending costs, as a result of which Topline stores began to witness increasing demand for products like multi-fuel burning stoves, energy efficient light bulbs and heating solutions.

The Topline team worked closely with suppliers like Xtratherm, Firebird, Saint Gobain and Potterson Myson to bring consumers products at the forefront of efficiency and innovation. The very first “Energy Hub” was unveiled in Topline Burtons in Kanturk in December where products like the Marley Heat recovery unit, Rafterloc Insulation and energy saving lighting were unveiled to local consumers.

We hope that consumers who visit the Energy Hub will not only be delighted to see the products in a real-life setting but also that they can get advice and tips from knowledgeable store staff who have been trained in the areas of insulation and energy saving products.

So whether you are looking to upgrade, replace or build from scratch, Topline Burtons staff will guide you through the products that will work best in your home and offer advice around the different government subsidies and grants available to you.

With 18 Nominations in 12 Categories and 7 Winners it really was a great night and a fabulous achievement for Topline stores.

Below is a full list of all the categories and the nominees and award winners from the Topline group. Special Congratulations are due to Topline Boyles who won the overall Hardware Store Award.

Department Awards

1. Paint Retailer of the Year

Nominated – Topline Boyles and Connollys Topline Hardware Winner – Topline Boyles

2. Tool Retailer of the Year

Nominated – Topline Kellehers and Connollys Topline Hardware Winner – Connollys

3. Electrical Retailer of the Year

Nominated – Topline Quinns and Connollys Topline Hardware Winner – No Topline Winner

4. Bathroom Retailer of the Year

Nominated – No Topline Nominees

5. Garden Retailer of the Year

Nominated – Connacht Gold, Swinford and Connacht Gold, Sligo Winner – Connacht Gold Swinford

6. Homestore Retailer of the Year

Nominated – No Topline Nominees

7. Energy Retailer of the Year

Nominated – No Topline Nominees

8. Trade Counter of the Year

Nominated – Topline Boyles and Topline Greens Winner – Topline Boyles

Overall Store Awards

Store of the Year < 5,000 sq ft

Nominated – Topline Kellehers Winner – No Topline Winner

Store of the Year 5-15,000 sq ft

Nominated – Topline Quinns, Topline Rogers, Topline Kerrs and Connacht Gold, Swinford Winner – Topline Quinns

Store of the Year > 15,000 sq ft

Nominated – Topline Boyles  Winner – Topline Boyles

2011 Retailer of the Year

Topline Boyles

We’re especially delighted for Topline Boyles who won the Overall award as well as 2 other awards on the night. Here they are receiving their award.

And Below with the rest of their awards.

The Topline Revamp team worked steadily through the winter to bring you our most innovative store yet.

The store on the Banteer Road in kanturk boasts a state of the art energy hub along with a whole new range of products perfect for your home.

The state of the art stove centre boasts over 12 varieties of stoves, its neighbouring doors and floors centre has been designed to promote floor standing displays giving the customer a real idea of how these items will look in their home.

Their home wares displays boast all new kitchen accessories, cooking utensils, delph ranges, candles and accessories.

Burtons have been trading in Kanturk since the 1900’s and this most recent revamp is testament to their commitment and support of the local community.

From the merchandising and design to signage and staff uniforms, no detail has been overlooked in bringing you this fabulous store.