Freezing weather good for farmers and flowers

Freezing weather good for farmers and flowers


Áine Ryan
aineryan@mayonews.ie

THE SICKENING and stomach-churning smell of slurry may be nauseating for a lot of us but for farmers it is an aroma that makes them happy. And with freezing temperatures drying the rain-sodden land, slurry-pits all over Mayo are this week being emptied to the happy hum of busy tractors.
Mayo’s IFA chairman, Padraic Joyce, can vouch for the fact that the cold snap has been broadly welcomed by farmers.
“We have been waiting for nearly a year-and-a-half for this dry spell and weather forecasters say it will be even better later in the week. This is the earliest time I have got my cows out for years. It is great,” Padraic Joyce said.
Down in Kylemore Abbey Walled Garden, in north Connemara, the thousands of flowers, hoping for some early Spring sunshine, are continuing to bloom, despite the Arctic spell.
“We saw the first signs of spring very early this year with some daffodils blooming in mid-January and, despite the frost, the sunshine has brought our ‘King of Striped’ crocuses into full bloom. This is quite a spectacular sight on the main lawn. We always deliberately choose hardy varieties of spring flowers that can tolerate a changeable season like the one we are currently experiencing,” said Dolores Hogan, Assistant Head Gardener.
She also told The Mayo News that the Bellis Perennis, a daisy-like flower, bloomed weeks early in January, forcing the gardening staff to deadhead all 4300 of them each day to ensure continuous flowering throughout spring.
Moreover, the tulips are expected to be in full bloom for Easter.
Met Éireann says the frosty conditions will continue for the rest of the week and into the weekend.

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