Two weeks in the outback...
I go to Australia to spend two weeks in the outback. Then back in New Zealand, I try to catch up on the "Chopping and Pruning"
The cause of much Bleeding and Scratching
Saturday 1st July
I AM ON HOLIDAY!!!!! And in three days I will be in Australia! I will take lots of photos of Australian gardens and geological features.
Saturday 15th July
I am back. I love my garden. But my Australian holiday was absolutely amazing - touring in the Kimberlys at the 'top' of W.A. Gorges and red dust and dirt, heat and crocodiles, rocks and huge expanses of land.
But I digress. This is supposed to be a gardening diary! We went to pick up the cats and the dog, then I tried to chop and prune to keep awake. I was COLD... (acclimatised as I am to 30 degrees Celsius heat).
Sunday 16th July
It's nice to be back with the dog and cats. It's rather cold again today, but I am continuing my pea-strawing, chopping and pruning. I am a little overwhelmed by the amount of chopping and pruning to do. In fact I am a slightly unhappy gardener - but I am happy that WE WON THE RUGBY.
Saturday 22nd July
Chopping and Pruning - to the tune of a well known Burt Bacharrat song
- 'Chopping - and pruning
- And pruning - and chopping
- Chopping - and pruning
- Each weekend I caaaan... oooo... '
Sunday 23rd July
You'd think I'd learn, but NO! I always am too lazy to get the heavy gloves when I rose prune. Verse two of my song is as follows...
- 'Scratching - and bleeding
- And bleeding - and scratching'
I also bought three more roses at a sale - two Colourbreaks and a climber called Casino. My garden worries me. How come I often think that it's too small? There is still so much chopping and pruning to do - help!!!!
Saturday 29th July
I am up REALLY EARLY. I have been thinking about the garden all week and am inspired. PLEASE let this feeling remain with me, at least until 5 pm today, when I intend to crawl into a hot bath and then present myself in apres-gardening loose flowing white shirt in front of fire. I shall be looking elegant, happy and exhausted.
Colourbreak :- Colourbreak is an interesting rose - a sort of muddy red colour.
It's later, and I lasted until 4pm. I cleared in the JAM Garden and mercilessly pruned the hebes there. I planted the two 'Colourbreak' roses near the edge and I dug out the Cistus (with just a small twinge of guilt).
My apres-gardening look is also modified. I am in dark blue needle-cord. And forget the hopeful adjectives from above - I am just looking plain, pink in the face, and tired!!!
Sunday 30th July
Again I am up early and inspired. There is a 6-degree frost outside, and I've been stalling for an hour now. It's a good time to zoom down to the rose sale to check if I missed anything nice...
Later...
I have done some serious gardening today!!! I have weeded and chopped and planted roses ready in place for the new pergola to be built around them. Roses in the Rugosa bed have been shifted around to get more room. I have dug borders bigger. I am happily relaxing, apres-gardening, in loose flowing white shirt.