Goals, scaffolding, and signposts...
Because of weather (rain) and in-house distractions (making Christmas presents) I've done little gardening this last week. So I'm having a Grand Gardening Weekend - with goals, scaffolding, and signposts...
Saturday 13th December
Good morning to ginger cat Percy, sitting on my lap - I love the way he leans into me. This cat-art is a definite winner. Meanwhile Mugsy the cat continues to 'improve' (in the mind of the sentimental, doting Head Gardener that is).
House Gardens
Non-Gardening Partner wants to know what I want for Christmas - I've humbly asked for one hour of his man-time (I'd really like a shed, but that's over-reaching a little).
Here are the things I must do today.
- Finish weeding the Dog-Path Garden by the water.
- Trim all lupins, pull out all spent foxgloves.
- Weed along the water race bank.
And here are the on-going things which, though small, will simply not go away!
- Weed and clear the new Driveway Garden.
- Get next year's winter firewood out of Hump.
- Check Willow Tree Garden for weeds.
And now some observations. I shifted the three Blushing Pink Iceberg standard roses last winter. Their new location near Willow Bridge is inspired. But... the standard Rhapsody in Blue roses by the Koru sculpture are not so lucky. My Copper Beech tree is now a proper tree, spreading its shade around. There's not enough summer sun for these roses. Blast! Another woodland is creating itself. The solution may be to limb up the tree a little...
Willow Tree Garden
Why am I not playing the piano at the moment? Is it an arthritis sulk? Today I promise to play for one hour.
Much, Much Later...
Make that more than five gardening hours later. Five hours of happy weeding, with excellent visible results. The Dog-Path and Willow Tree Gardens are foxglove and clover-free, I've pruned overhanging willow tree branches, and dead-headed all the roses. Fluff-Fluff has spent the day with me - snoozing, hidden from view, in the Willow Tree stump.
Naked Collie Dog
Rusty the naked dog and I have just zoomed up and down the road for a pre-dinner cycle and run. I tried to sneak out for a gentler dog-walk, but three cats got wind of my intentions and turned up in the driveway. If Fluff-Fluff gets left behind he cries and cries, and I don't trust Histeria and Percy not to go on the road.
Right. Time for a late afternoon coffee and a read of my scary adventures book - the patio table, I think, with a soft cushion for the tired gardener. Today's weeding was much quicker and easier than I thought it would be. Hee hee...
Sunday 14th December
- 'Work at it and don't sulk.'
- -Moosey Recipe for Life.
I've been summer gardening listening to the cricket. Hurray! For once we are not going too badly. I've finished off my morning's weeding session having a mini-battle with the Golden Hop - tendrils are climbing up all the old foxgloves and tougher roots have spread over Middle Garden's path. Ha! I'm back inside, triumphant. Weeding is easy - one just has to work at it and not sulk.
Delphinium Bee
Actually a lot of life is like that - piano playing, for example, certainly is. Musical news - I've found some nice Schubert for Non-Gardening Partner (a hobby violinist) and the Head Gardener (me) to play for Christmas. But NGP has to do some practice.
Much Later...
I returned to the garden to do more weeding - the water race banks around Middle Bridge are now much clearer. I've trimmed a few shrubs, too, ones which have already flowered (the Weigela Appleblossoms) and pittosporums which were leaning over other more special plants.
I spent the last hour in the water sloshing up and down with a sharp kitchen knife and a pair of scissors (oops). Perfect garden tools, though, for what I had to do.
The gardens over the water race all look really beautiful this summer. All the roses seem happier for being shifted and pruned properly (funny that). There's a nice variety of textural 'greenery', too - I particularly love the red leafed Maple, Cotinus, Berberis and Cercis trees and shrubs.
Yellow Aquilegia
There are wonderfully blue Delphiniums, and the weirdest late flowering yellow aquilegia which looks like an undersea creature.