No frosts yet...
Still we haven't had a frost, and still all my half hardy plants are scattered around the garden in their pots. Let's hope that the mild late autumn weather lasts another week!
Carex and Chiosya under the Apple Tree
I am up early ready to do further good work clearing the Pond Paddock border. It has rained overnight and thus all gardening surfaces are wet! The plan is to wait around - just for an hour - perhaps the sun will emerge from somewhere.
Rooster and the two hens are nuisances, though, if I stay in the house like this. They sit all fluffed out on the decking and stare at me through the glass doors - waiting... waiting...
On reflecting about my clearing and clean-up efforts, I've decided that the new path through the Apple Tree Garden makes a lot of design sense - suddenly there is more shape to the plantings by the fence. For once the path has a clear passage, too - no need to duck and dive around and under obstacles. But will this be the case in summer when tangles of roses fill this space? I will have to be super vigilant.
Two Hours Later, Wet...
I am a relative legend... I have a relative who is a legend?... Anyway, I am inside, dry and clean - I have even ironed my apres mud-gardening shirt.
Gardening Report
The Pond Paddock side border is clear! All the euphorbias I like have had old seed heads trimmed, and all the yellow euphorbias I don't like have been ripped out.
Molyneux Rose :- This rose is one of the David Austin English roses.
The next part of the plan is to transplant (pretty soon, before the sulking season of winter) some variegated Honesty plants into this garden. Then in spring I can enjoy the delicate whites and greens, with the yellows of the daffodils.
And thinking about yellows, the rose Molyneux needs to be shifted away from the Yellow Wave flax (which has grown a lot since I last bothered to notice it).
Sunday 23rd May
I need to work really hard today to try and maintain momentum. Hmm... as soon as I've drunk my second cup of tea I shall go out there - in the light drizzle - and continue finishing the Pond Paddock gardens. Rooster and the hens will stop staring at me through the glass (their early morning ritual) and provide chook-company. Hmm... I may even have a burn-up.
Hardy Plants in Pots
Wonder if Stephen would help me - do a little chain-sawing, cart a little rubbish, do a little of the heavy stuff???
The Great Autumn Clean Up Continues...
Well, it's over three hours later and I have just retired for the day. Stephen the Cunning decided to sit on the lawn mower and mow some lawns, thus getting himself out of range for other more energetic jobs. I did have a burn-up, and I cleared a lot more of the Pond Paddock Gardens, plus some rubbish from driveway. But do I feel like a legend - not today! Blame the rugby (oops - the Canterbury team lost the final)....
Monday 24th May
I've just spent a quick couple of hours clearing and cutting out a big overgrown grass behind the woodshed. Now the Chatham Island Forget-me-nots will have more space to grow big and be beautiful next spring.
Then the predicted southerly sort of shuffled in - it got greyer and greyer, then drizzle, then rain. For once I was sensible though - gardening with the weather change in mind.
Wednesday 26th May
Yippee! I am home ALL DAY. The sun is shining. The sky is blue - well, palish blue. I am just waiting for a bit more natural warmth outside, then I intend to transform into Moosey the Legend of New Zealand Gardening (we mightn't have won the cricket, but hey! we won a GOLD MEDAL for the New Zealand Garden of Well Being at the famous Chelsea Flower Show).
There are two ridiculous extremely puffy whitish hens pressed up against the glass door staring at ne. It's nearly ten o'clock. The whole day is available. Hmm....
Three and a Half Sunny Hours Later...
I have been weeding and clearing the Stables Garden (which is one of the real sun-traps at this time of year). Euphorbia Polychroma seedling plants have been removed, along with a lot of silly little weeds. A lovely and gentle day - with dog-company - amazing!
One of the Bird Brains
Dusk... My goodness I am well organised. I've been back outside, quietly shifting pots of tender plants into the glass house - all the Helichrysums, the peppermint Pelargoniums, variegated Pelargoniums, and several succulents I don't trust (like the beautiful purply-black Aeonium whose rosettes have gone a deep olive green in the middle). And I've been thinking - if I worked gently for three and a half hours every non-raining day until November - I wonder how much better the garden would look?
Thursday 27th May
May is zooming past quickly. And in the best traditions of random gardeners, today I started clearing and weeding a totally new area - the back of the Jelly Bean Garden. I have finally seen the light - and instead of trying to have a small grass path (which I had to cut by hand) I have decided to enlarge the border right up to the fence netting. Excellent!
I had serious chook company - then regular as clockwork at four pm they toddled off to the house decking to sit and stare in the glass. Do these bird-brains think there are two of me? Hmm...
Friday 28th May
Again I have been a sensible gardener - doing my three hours worth before the predicted rain arrived. I have finished digging the back of the Jelly Bean Garden. Finally this trouble spot is sorted - no more pathetic attempts to keep the narrow strip of grass trimmed. The grass is gone. And I had a burn-up. Retiring inside, I felt great - I have actually sensibly finished something for once!