As the sunny colours of the summer vegetable garden fade, the time has come to plan for darker months ahead and consider ways of introducing more colour to the garden in its hour of greatest need.

This year’s Blarney in Bloom Summer Garden Fair promises to be bigger and better than ever. 

An open garden will be held at Ballyshane, Ballybrannigan, near Inch, Whitegate, Co Cork, on Sunday, June 14, from 2 pm-6pm in aid of Marymount Hospice.

Peter Dowdall on a piece of sylvan magic on the eastern Cork fringes.

Helen Dillon, the renowned plantswomen, writer, lecturer and broadcaster will give a lecture on gardening to the Cork Literary and Scientific Society on Thursday, January 29, at 8pm in the Crawford Art Gallery, Emmet Place. 

THERE’S one thing that we gardeners love at this time of the year, apart from gardening, and that’s sitting in the armchair and leafing through seed catalogues, gardening magazines and gardening books.

* The award-winning garden of Gertie and Maurice O’Donoghue at Dromboy, Carrignavar, will open this Saturday and Sunday from 2pm to 6pm in aid of the Friends of Marymount.

For the lazy veg growers there is still time to catch up and make your garden into a harvest heaven, writes Kitty Scully.

¦ Kenmare and District Gardening Club welcomes Helen Dillon to talk on “Garden Making” on Thursday, March 6, at the Carnegie Arts Centre at 7.30pm.

Even if you don’t know your radishes from your rhubarb, there is something for all the family at the first Ballymaloe Garden Festival which takes place this weekend at the East Cork gardens located around Ballymaloe House and Ballymaloe Cookery School.

HERE’S one for the dreamers. A low entry level price, lush Helen Dillon-esque gardens and a location five minutes from Ballyrisode Beach in Schull.

THEY’RE cash rich but time poor - they can’t buy five minutes for themselves.