Unnatural behaviour...
Unnatural behaviour after the Garden Club Visit - two and a half days without once poking or scratching at the garden. Things have to change - it's time to get back to 'normal'...
Friday 17th April
Though yesterday I did weed a friend's garden for about half an hour - like me she has lots of Lychnis plants self-seeded everywhere. Unlike me (cross all my green fingers) she has Oxalis (lots) and twitchy grass. Today I have some more visiting of my own to do (my friend with the sea-side garden). When I return I'll start that new section of Wattle Woods path. I could take a series of photographs - somebody somewhere may be interested...
Autumn is Really Here!
Another good thing I've done while in autumn recess - by observation and research I've tracked down nearly all the names of the thirteen archway roses in the Hazelnut Orchard. Many are blooming madly again and some are throwing up large canes in all directions (except that of the arch). I'll get properly organised and write their names down from left to right, including little thumbnails.
Madame Caroline Testout
Because of the original failures (like Gloire de Dijon), some archways have more than one rose replacement. I was given some, and others were shifted in from pots. Where I've tried to cover for loss by double planting all the new roses have grown madly. Typical! So Archways 5 and 7 are overcrowded. One of the Bantry Bays isn't a Bantry Bay, and Handel isn't Handel. But Crown Princess Margareta is who she says she is - a fragrant David Austin beauty.
Gardening Cat and Kitten
Later...
Aargh! I've spent an hour weeding underneath a couple of distant rose arches. I hope none of the Garden Club visitors roamed this far into the knee-high thickets (which the Orchardist, who gets the blame, had obviously missed). Minimus the kitten, plus the two ginger cats, helped.
Saturday 18th April
Today I am back after my three laze-around days. I have big plans - and stern words for myself. One cannot get stuck basking in the glory of a successful Garden Club visit, so that one totally stops working and striving. Honestly!
More exciting plant news - yesterday I visited my plant-collector friend's garden. I admired the enormous tree dahlia and his collection of amazing tree peonies - well, at least I've got one, and it's not the boring Lutea! He has now presented me with some beautiful variegated Arundo and a little Chinese fan palm (apparently the only hardy ones for our climate). His surplus rejects are like little pieces of horticultural gold - I am happy to accept all cast-offs! No shame!
Later...
I've had a proper gardening day! The cats have been superb company, while Non-Gardening Partner has been coerced into 'helping' with the mulch. I am pleased to report that absolutely all the thirteen rose archways are weeded and mulched. There is much beautiful flower blooming. And I am also pleased to announce the beginning of a new path through the Wattle Woods.
Sunday 19th April
Yippee! I'm doing my new path first - we're off to get some river stones for the edges. It fits nicely between the Pittosporums and the flaxes, turns around behind an uprooted wattle stump, and appears at the small wriggling stream. Then I still have Easter sale plants to plant. And lots of autumn leaf photographs to take! I need to dust off those autumn adjectives: golden, flame-red, and so on...
Autumn Trees
Much, Much Later...
Apart from getting super-tired and falling asleep with my cup-of-tea, I've had a greatly energetic day. The new path is finished, and tomorrow I'll do some edge plantings. It's really opened up the middle of the Wattle Woods nicely, and of course the little stream sparkles and ripples in the afternoon sunshine.
The old wattle stump is staying - it forms a little hill, and I'll add some grasses up its slope. Wow - a tiny humpy hill in my flat, flat garden - a contour feature!
Monday 20th April
Cats on beds! Aargh! How much sleep did I actually get? The two greys (old Jerome and young Lilli-Puss) both trying to sleep on my head, then big unwelcome Fluff-Fluff squeezing himself in through the tiniest window gap - and so I'd wake up with stereo grey-cat growling. I'd remove FF (who I don't trust) and make the window even tinier...
Percy the Cat :- Percy is carrying on the tradition of being a good ginger gardening cat.
After three such visits I threw Fluff-Fluff out into the hall with the hugest bowl of dried cat food. No wonder he's obese - I blame the parents! Then Percy and Minimus arrived through the window, and became nicely relaxed end-of-the-bed extras. Why can't all my adult cats behave as Percy does? He is always gentle and cat-smiling, never a bully. And little Minimus fits in well. I am so sleepy!