A rose appreciating mission...
A sunny summer weekend stretches out in front of me - what should I do first? I'm definitely on a rose appreciating mission - and I need to trim all the edges of the freshly mown house lawns.
Philadelphus Shrub
Saturday 15th November
Right. I have much serious garden work to do. I'm going outside to trim those edges. Honestly, Non-Gardening Partner (whom I love very much) is hopeless with garden labels. Did he mow the Driveway Lawn? Which lawn is the Driveway Lawn? Grr...
The Driveway Lawn
- 'Cosmetic gardening is definitely not to be sneezed at.'
- -Moosey Advice.
Nothing makes a garden look better than some blooming roses and newly mown lawns with good edges. Cosmetic gardening is definitely not to be sneezed at. If the fronts of the borders that are visible are all beautifully weeded, and beautiful plants like peonies are firmly but unobtrusively staked, then the garden looks amazingly better for it!
Abandoned Ducklings!
Yesterday I found the garden alive with abandoned ducklings, none of which I could catch. This morning I woke up to a chorus of cheeping sounds. I can provide a great pond, full of bugs and assorted duckling-food. But my garden is not duckling-friendly, with eight cats and a duck-chasing dog.
Mugsy the Cat :- Mugsy is a disabled cat - she has the cutest orange and black face.
There's no sight or sound of those lost ducklings, though. Foul play is suspected, though it wouldn't be Mugsy the cat, who has no concept of hunting.
When I had problems with an in-house rat (all the cats were supposed to be 'helping) Mugsy and the rat sniffed noses, and then sat down and stared at each other. Aargh!
Buff Beauty Rose
Lunchtime...
Hee hee. It's the very first summer's day when it's too hot to garden at lunchtime. This is a real turning point in the year! I've done edges and weeded and trimmed lilac suckers. Just two wheel-barrowfuls - I'm making slow but steady progress, though I've fallen a little out of love with free horse manure.
Pecking Chooks!
I've collected up the chooks - rooster and one black hen were in my garden pecking at Hebes, while another hen was out on her own near the hay barn. It looks as if the two who've been sitting on nothing for the last weeks have seen the chook-light.
Much Later...
I've been really good. Even though it's been hot, I returned to the garden to quietly potter about weeding along the edge of the Hump. I've sawed down quite a few tree branches which were flopping over Buff Beauty's flimsy archway. I've pulled out heaps of purple Honesty, too.
Rose Naming Mission
Tomorrow my rose mission must start in earnest - I have to identify (by reading through old journals) the names of the roses a) on the house side archway, opposite Bloomfield Courage, and b) on the sheep fence in the Shrubbery. This is only the beginning - I must then draw up a plan WITH NAMES for all the climbing roses in the orchard.
Bloomfield Courage
It's high time I labelled the unknown David Austins, too. A friend thinks I'm growing Dove in the Hen House Garden, and I think I know which one is Claire Rose. There must be no more rose vagueness and hopelessness.
Golden Tribute
Sunday 16th November
Wow. Another really hot summer's day, with the nor-west wind blowing. What should I do first in the garden? Confession time - I haven't planted the vegetable garden yet. However, since there was one severe frost just two weeks ago (when I was in the mountains) any tomatoes etc. would have been killed. But really - it's time to take the plunge and plant out my lettuces, beans and the like. And my seed potatoes! All my purple heirloom potatoes (self sown) had their tops frost-burnt. I planted all my silver beet seedlings in Henworld, the little circular garden by the hen house.
Right. I'm about to set sail into the nor-west breeze. I'm going to water the Hump, and finish doing the lawn edges. I regret that it's far too hot to plant any vegetable seedlings - though naturally I could spend quality time weeding the ground in preparation... Blast! At the moment, and please no-body tell me off, I find the thought of doing my vegetable garden really boring. Oops.
Much Later...
Ha! Not only has Non-Gardening Partner mown the back lawns, but he is now vacuuming the downstairs - shirt off, ear-muffs on. A useful but strange chap...
Earlier this afternoon I went back out into the garden, feeling quite shifty of mind (possibly the wind), but immediately I settled down to work. Now the Driveway Lawn has all its encircling borders weeded, and all gently curving edges trimmed. The trees have been spruced up (suckers nipped, hanging branches sawn off). Another perfect place for a new table and chairs. Hmm... How many can I buy? They are usually officially classed as Christmas presents for the house (or birthday presents for Non-gardening Partner).
Yellow and White Iris :- When my irises blow over in the wind I pick them for the house.
Then I zoomed around with my camera (great light!) and rudely thrust the lens up against all the bearded irises I could find, and some of the roses that need identifying. Now I'm thinking about organising a Great Moosey Iris Competition - must be the wind!
Monday 17th November
Oops. I am having the day off. The hoses are going, though, and I've got some new gardening library books to make up for the lack of practical application.