Ridiculous...
Confused Azalea
Ridiculous temperature variations - six degrees Celsius one day, twenty six the next. Can put a gardener into a bit of a tizz. What warmth-level of clothing is required? How many covers should go on the bed at night? It's not just the shrubs in the garden that can get a bit confused...
Friday 6th March
Today, after a great chamber music session, I went out slowly into the garden with high hopes. It was mid-afternoon, and hot, hot, hot. HOT! Found a shady spot in the Pond Paddock to do some sit-down weeding.
Half an hour later...
Nope. That didn't work at all well. I started cleaning up around the edge of the Pond Paddock Garden, but had to stop because of the mosquitoes. Came inside, did some piano practice instead, not very successfully. Couldn't make much sense of the harmonic language in the new (to me) Faure piano trio. I usually can, with Faure. Humph.
Japanese Anemones
Mind you, my arthritic fingers were a bit stiff and achy (have drastically cut down my anti-inflam medication). Gardening and piano playing combine to make my digital life a little difficult. But that's OK. Maybe my ears weren't working properly?
Saturday 7th March
Returned to work in the shade of the Pond Paddock, wearing long pants. Will not be chased out of my garden by mosquitoes. Cleared rogue pieces of Lamium and assorted other undesirables from the wee woodland garden.
Pond Paddock Garden
Trundled loads off to the bonfire, worked for over two hours before a few straggler mosquitoes found me. This was a sign to stop for a cup of tea.
Poodle Skirt Dahlia
Two hours later...
I cleaned up all my mess, and lit the bonfire, dragging more dry Phormium leaves onto it. Poked and prodded at it, added dead Cordyline leaves from the tall cabbage tree by the washing line.
Poodle skirt
My new magenta and pink dahlias (called Poodle Skirt), planted near the bonfire, are flowering. Yeay! They are nicely in time for autumn. Though I can't see how they can possibly be bee-friendly (the blurb from the bulbs and tubers place reckons they are). I can see the 'skirt' but I don't get the word 'poodle' at all. No imagination today (I blame Faure).