Garden Journal 2010

Ha! In 2010 I am transforming into a budget minded gardener, one who will exercise restraint and act sensibly at all times. Let's see how I make it through the year!

I can't guarantee that any excesses won't pop up in the garden journal, though. I will still write far too much about too little.

Happy New Year!Happy New Year!...
Happy New Year! All the very best for this brand new year, and may all your gardening dreams come true. Well, at least fifty percent of your sensible dreams, that is... May your weed population diminish and your treasured plant population soar.
Tricky...Tricky......
Today's gardening plans are slightly tricky, as they involve Non-Gardening Partner, who thinks he is on holiday. The Welcome Garden needs a manly clean-up - there's much mess, dead Tree Lucernes need chain-sawing down...
Tiny question...Tiny question......
Tiny question - do I want to buy myself a cute shabby chic white wire two-seater garden seat? How do I reconcile this with 2010's Zero Dollars Gardening Budget? Could it be a late Christmas present from me to me, so I spent the money last year? Oops...
No time to chat!No time to chat!...
No time to chat - I'm off swimming, and then I'm working in the garden. What a surprise! My weeding and path clearing programmes are going well, and today (windless) is the last day before the fire ban...
A trial run...A trial run......
This afternoon I'm expecting two lovely visitors, who will be a trial run for the Garden Club's twilight visit in four weeks time. If the paths work, the lawn edges are trimmed, and the water features are presented well, then I should get away with 'it'.
Messiness and weediness...Messiness and weediness......
Today I'm reclaiming the last messy, weedy path through to my Cordyline glade. Then the messiness and weediness by the Hen House will be dealt to. Moosey's Messy Country Garden will become a thing of the past...
Dates...Dates......
Dates are strange. Would time go any slower if the date was hidden away? It's halfway through January, and this measurement immediately sets up a minor Moosey panic. Aargh! Summer is going too quickly!
Mid-summer? Humph...Mid-summer? Humph......
Mid-summer? Humph. Mid-summer and wood fires in the log burner, extra blankets on the bed? Another humph. One weather forecast says it will be 'dull and drizzly'. A third humph...
Hopelessly unadventurous...Hopelessly unadventurous......
How hopelessly unadventurous I've become this year. All I want to do is gardening. I want to finish clearing behind the pond, saw some silly trees down, and beautiful the immediate environs of the new seat, that sort of thing...
What am I going to do in the garden today?What am I going to do in the garden today?...
What am I going to do in the garden today? I'll tell you what I'm going to be wearing - top-to-toe thermal underwear! What a sight! Battling winter-like wetness in a mid-summer gardening month...
That finishing feeling...That finishing feeling......
It's such a good feeling finishing something in the garden. It's not a feeling that I'm over-familiar with though... I must treat myself and finish my cosmetic house garden tidy-up.
Big clean-up...Big clean-up......
I'm starting my big, major, thoughtful, rational and logical clean-up for the Garden Club visit. Specifically, I will start doing the paths. And I will not move off to some other task until all, absolutely all, the paths are passable and tidy.
That was quick!That was quick!...
Hey - where did January go? That was quick! And February is that annoying gardening month which is short on days, but full of summer sunshine, lots of watering, and a Garden Club visit. Aargh!
The final countdown...The final countdown......
It's the final countdown to the Garden Club visit - six full days of gardening are possible, weather permitting. I have a slight problem with some of my Lychnis plants - they've finished flowering, and just don't make the grade. Eek!
Running out of time...Running out of time......
Aargh! Suddenly it's the weekend, and the Garden Club visit on Tuesday at twilight. I am running out of time. There is so much I would like to do. I will get a reputation as a weed-harbourer (?) if I don't get onto it. I need help - where has Non-Gardening Partner escaped to?
Loose ends...Loose ends......
'Tis the day before the Garden Club visit. I intend to tidy up all the loose ends in my garden. This includes loose weeds, loose paths, and loose edges. Perhaps a few loose shrubs will need a trim, too, by a gardener in loose trousers...
After the Garden Club visit...After the Garden Club visit......
Ah, the anti-climax, the day after a most enjoyable visit by the Garden Club! Thirty plus happy visitors, and they all fitted on the paths, on the seats, on the lawns... Guess what? I might allow myself a day off from all things gardening.
The lawn is a mess!The lawn is a mess!...
The lawn is a mess! And so continues my extreme relationship with Eucalyptus trees. Oh, the grandeur, the sculptural form, the majesty! And the mess - the noise as self-amputated limbs, crackling bark, and leaves pour down.
Eek! My garden needs me...Eek! My garden needs me......
Eek! My garden needs me in so many little ways. But I have a rather large plan concerning the new path behind the Shrubbery and its environs. Part of me (the silly part) wants to completely clear this rough piece of land down to the paddock fence.
Never, ever take good things for granted...Never, ever take good things for granted......
I spend so much 'gentle time' in the garden - talking to the cats, doing things with the dog, sneaking up on my pond frog... I should never, ever take these good things for granted. I don't think there is any 'gentle time' at all in being a teacher of teenagers...
Silly?Silly?...
OK. I've got the hoses on. My short work commitment is finished. I'm totally back, and I've been thinking. Am I silly to be clearing the new garden area at the very back of the Shrubbery?
Create a paper plan?Create a paper plan?...
Create a paper plan for the new garden design? Perish the thought! But I will lay all the path edges and look at the positive and negative spaces and shapes thus created. Ha! Impressed?
Autumn is allowed to start early...Autumn is allowed to start early......
Autumn in my garden is allowed to start early. Some locals look to the first of March, others go with the equinox. I'll go with my gardening feelings - it's started! The dahlias suddenly look disgraceful, early leaves are fluttering down...
Impeccable timing...Impeccable timing......
Good morning March. Your autumnal timing is impeccable, though the last four days of February have been warm enough to be called summer. Oh well - welcome anyway. Please be a thoughtful month, and make my messy garden look beautiful again.
Unusual excitement...Unusual excitement......
Unusual excitement for this morning - a two-year-old is visiting, and the Moosey house is oh so not baby-proof. Nor is the garden, with its water hazards and horse manure and bumble bees and such. Rusty the dog isn't used to small people - hope he doesn't push past on the paths...
Rubbish!Rubbish!...
I am burning rubbish all weekend. Not only the stuff piled up underneath the fence, but the Wattle tree seed pods and gum leaves which are carpeting many of my paths. I'd like to thank the Cordylines and Eucalyptus trees (and the Wattles)...
March marches on?March marches on?...
Ha! Can I say that March marches on? The mornings are starting to feel autumnal - the sun is lower, the air seems fresher and edgy. And my lawns are returning to that lush green colour again. Yippee! Well - that's a tick for the lawns, at least.
Today should be..Today should be.....
Today should be my Garden-All-Day day, but rain is forecast. I have gardens to tidy. I want to clear absolutely all that scruffy garden land and plant it in an easy care evergreen forest. Yes! I'm not so small that I can't think big. And get wet if I have to...
Bridal plan?Bridal plan?...
Right. This weekend I am making up for four whole days of distraction from my garden. This is so not like me! So here's the plan - it's a bit bridal. I'll do something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue...
A plants and bulbs week...A plants and bulbs week......
I am having a plants and bulbs week - the planting in the soil thereof. For example, the path behind the house is blocked with this and that bucket, each full of arum lilies, campanula, polygonatum, pieces of red flax, some purple Ajuga, and so on...
Keep on planting...Keep on planting......
My continuing plan for March is simple - to keep on planting, to do some more mulching in the new garden, and to sit on a different garden seat each day to read and contemplate life.
No wind, no rain...No wind, no rain......
A weekend in the middle of March - no wind, no rain, and still plenty of plants to plant. And the new garden - my goodness how quickly it's growing! Can I finish it by the end of March? Hope so...
Grateful garden...Grateful garden......
Yesterday I had a brilliant day in the garden. Why? Because I did lots of little, detailed things, and saw small messes transformed into beautiful orderliness. My garden was grateful, looking as if I really cared about it. Warm thoughts, warm thoughts...
Online plant auctions...Online plant auctions......
Hee hee... I've been buying a few plants in the online auctions. When I say 'a few', one needs to put this phrase in a large country garden context. Tonight I'm off to pick up twenty hosta clumps - the seller politely suggested they might not all fit into the boot of my little car...
The last March weekend...The last March weekend......
Ha! It's the last March weekend, and what have am I up to in the garden? Oops... It's been the weekend of the new garden shed (possibly) and eight Rhapsody in Blue standard roses...
Lying in bed worrying...Lying in bed worrying......
Oh boy. Lying in bed worrying about getting, or not getting, a groovy garden shed. People thinking about buying a house, or a farm, must get absolutely no sleep for weeks! And what colour should I paint the exterior? Aargh! Trivia!
Embarrassing...Embarrassing......
April, it is with some embarrassment that I'm starting you off with a completely non-gardening day. What's more embarrassing is that it's delightfully sunny outside, and I am going to watch some non-gardening daytime TV. Oops...
A disgrace!A disgrace!...
It's not the garden that's a disgrace, it's the Head Gardener! We (sounds like there are lots of us - pity there's only one) have a new rule for our journal. Don't web-complain about something, just fix it. Fair enough?
One thousand mixed daffodils...One thousand mixed daffodils......
Another day off, with no gardening done. My goodness, my April has started rather poorly. Well, that is all about to change. I have so many plants to plant - and one thousand mixed daffodils to pick up this weekend.
Autumn is alive...Autumn is alive......
Eek! Autumn has suddenly come alive, with its cooler nights and leaf colours. But the land is still too dry. I'm busy planting my new things, and then watering, and watering, and watering...
Poor Rusty the dog!Poor Rusty the dog!...
Poor Rusty the dog! Which would be more boring - a day in the dog kennel or a day gardening? If dogs could choose one human word to say I reckon it would be 'humph'...
Autumn leaves...Autumn leaves......
Autumn leaves, autumn leaves - I remember now. The yellow leaf fall comes first - the elm leaves turn the colour of ripe corn and the driveway gets its soft golden leaf carpet.
I wish...I wish......
I wish that the fire ban would be lifted and I can start burning all my mess. Then I wish that a kind garden fairy would magically (and lovingly) spread mulch on all my weed-prone garden borders. Yet another gardening fairy could pay for a trailer-load of path mulch...
Stunning day!Stunning day!...
It's yet another stunning autumn day. All is calm, all is bright - and warm and sunny. Perhaps autumn is the best season of the gardening year after all. Or is this the perennial (ahem) garden debate for temperate gardeners?
Rogue Gunnera plants...Rogue Gunnera plants......
Clever me. Because my garden was still really wet from yesterday's rain, I decided to get wet myself in the water race, and slice out my rogue Gunnera plants. Never, ever, have their leaves been as big as they are this year.
The garden is filled with golds and reds...The garden is filled with golds and reds......
The garden is filled with golds and reds, as autumn leaves colour on the trees, and carpet the ground below. And still I can't burn any of my rubbish - so naturally, it's the very thing I really, really feel like doing! Typical...
The merry month of May...The merry month of May......
Ha! 'Tis the merry month of May, when the Moosey Garden slows down and thinks about stopping, just in case winter arrives early. The merry Head Gardener would like lots of great gardening days with good day temperatures and no wind, please.
Cat company...Cat company......
Good Morning to the lovely smoochy Moosey cats, who all love me to bits when the food bowls are empty. Cats - I feed you on the condition that you provide mobile, interesting cat company in the garden. Feel free to pop out from underneath a tussock, scoot up a Cordyline trunk...
Preoccupied...Preoccupied......
Oops. A giant, supersized oops. All I've done for the last three days gardenwise is rake leaves. I've been preoccupied with dancing (don't ask) and serious musical matters. My flute friend and I have enlarged our chamber repetoire - we are now attempting Poulenc's masterful (mistressful?) Sonata...
Sorry...Sorry......
Sorry about the silence. The Moosey house and garden has been internet-free for a few days. But I've still been diligently writing up my journal, and now I'm back in action! Pity there's been minimal gardening action...
A HUGE nursery gift voucher to spend!A HUGE nursery gift voucher to spend!...
I have a HUGE nursery gift voucher to spend, and have absolutely no idea what to get. Last night in a dangerous moment of extreme clarity I saw that my garden was full, as far as new plants were concerned. Full? Eek! I am letting down all my compulsive nursery shopping friends...
Muddy Dreams?Muddy Dreams?...
I've been on an investigative mission in the kitchen drawers. Some years ago I bought three rose standards for the Island Bed, and recorded their names as Blackberry Nip, Dancing Pink, and Muddy Dreams. 'Muddy Dreams' the name of a rose? In my extremely muddy dreams! Now I wish to check my facts.
The issue of my confidence...The issue of my confidence......
Today I am working on the issue of my confidence. I CAN do big things in my garden. Mind you, I'm good at thinking big ideas, particularly when bed-gardening, snug under the blankets. Now I just need to get on with the 'doing'.
Rain all week?Rain all week?...
It is supposed to rain all week - that means I can get lots of piano practice done, and keep some energy in reserve for the arrival of the new garden shed. There will be no mountain hiking, either...
Humph...Humph......
Humph. I do not make a very good cold-weather non-gardener. It's now four days since I've been able to go outside - only four days, and my dog and I are both getting gardening-withdrawal symptoms.
Unwanted garden gnomes?Unwanted garden gnomes?...
Ha! It appears that the wet pre-winter weather has brought all the unwanted garden gnomes out of their closets. Or do I possibly mean their owners' closets? Oops. 'Gardens' might be a better word... For I now have two new garden gnomes.
ItIt's winter!...
Eek! It's June! It's winter! The shortest gardening day is in a few weeks' time, and I haven't finished raking up all the autumn leaf fall from the lawns. Winter leaves? I don't think so. They need to turn themselves into winter mulch.
Brr! Cold fingers...Brr! Cold fingers......
Brr! Cold fingers. Another frost. Hurray for firewood, and double glazing, and thermal clothing. And a huge yippee for the Moosey woolly apres-gardening owl jersey!
Oh dear...Oh dear......
Oh dear. There's an unpleasantly wet southerly gale blowing outside, and I have gardening work to do! Rusty the dog is hunkered down in his chair - will my morning start the same way?
Rake those leaves!Rake those leaves!...
It's the last weekend before I go on holiday. Before departure (in the ideal winter gardening world) I will have raked absolutely all the autumn leaves off the lawns, finished my clean-up in the Hump, burnt everything, and built the new garden shed.
Rain, rain, rain...Rain, rain, rain......
Aha! Rain, rain, rain... and packing, packing, packing for the short holiday. The funniest thing is to fly out of a cold week in winter and not worry about taking any warm socks, or puffy down jackets.
Canada Holiday...Canada Holiday......
The Moosey Journal is proud to present its first 2010 summer holiday instalment, compacted from pages (and pages!) of personal scribble in a travel notebook.
London Holiday...London Holiday......
Greetings from London, where I have already read two books - I am definitely on holiday. But wait - tomorrow I have big plans for a day trip to Sissinghurst in Kent, a garden that I should visit. It's a great excuse for some train travel (I love trains).
Bangkok Holiday...Bangkok Holiday......
We are in Bangkok staying with Daughter of Moosey, in a 20th floor apartment with Bangkok noises all around - humming traffic, birdsong, and a rooster crowing (he's somewhere down there, at ground level).
Home!Home!...
I'm home to winter and a damp garden, gloomy light from a faded sun, and the patio covered with wet leaves. And I have the biggest list of garden (and general life) improvements to attend to...
A list of fifteen items...A list of fifteen items......
When I was on holiday I made a list, fifteen items long, of new resolutions. And, after five days back home, I'm staying on track. This is a very good thing.
Up the colour...Up the colour......
It's not quite as cold this morning - a mere zero degrees Celsius. But I've given up trying to present real-time winter photographs of the Moosey garden. I'm going to colour up these pages with pictures taken on my oh so recent visit to Sissinghurst.
Lucky!Lucky!...
I've nearly been home from my summery holiday for two weeks now, and I remind myself how very lucky I am. It may be winter, but I'm toasty warm inside a dry house, burning my own firewood. And my new garden shed is nearly finished - no problems!
Quietly, gently...Quietly, gently......
Quietly, gently, with minimum fuss and maximum efficiency I am going to have the best winter gardening day ever. And so far during the month of July I've set a pretty high standard...
Plenty of things to think about...Plenty of things to think about......
Good day to the third week of wintry July, where, after a flurry of jolly good garden business, the weather has packed in somewhat. Oh well - there are still plenty of things to think about, like new roses, and more Agapanthus...
No gardening time to lose...No gardening time to lose......
The end of July is nigh, so I'm furiously planting and clearing, keeping up with my winter gardening plans. August is reputed to be the coldest winter month, so there's no gardening time to lose...
A serious list!A serious list!...
I know what I'm doing today... I've made a serious list, and called it 'Water Race Work'. But what I'm planning is much more site specific - Rooster Bridge is going to get a make-over.
Officially renamed...Officially renamed......
I'm just off outside with my first cup of coffee, which I will drink sitting on the porch of Pond Cottage. Yes! My garden shed has been officially renamed and painted a rusty red, and it's gorgeous.
Raining cats and dogs?Raining cats and dogs?...
It's raining cats and dogs - silly phrase - pressing down the new mulch on my paths and soaking into the new plants in the Shrubbery. Time for rest and reflection, piano playing - and housework! Aargh!
Little things are lovely!Little things are lovely!...
Hee hee. There are some tiny signs of spring, not that I'm boasting. The palest prunus blossom, little primroses, even a few early daffodils and one pale pink camellia flower. Hee hee. Little things are lovely!
Oops...Oops......
Oops. Non-Gardening Partner has got wind of my thoughts about him chain-sawing down pine trees. Wonder how? It really is bad form for the NGP to read a garden blogger's journal pages. And I definitely give too much away. Hmm...
Much to do...Much to do......
Today the fog is lifting fast, and soon I will be out there gardening in cool winter sunshine. There is much to do, particularly in the area garden maintenance. If I just get one small garden area finished each day...
Spring?Spring?...
Spring? It really feels like spring - I found a pink Camellia and a patch of miniature daffodils flowering - and the first early red rhododendron. And so it is spring! Out came the camera to take the same old pictures as last year...
From molto adagio to allegro con brio...From molto adagio to allegro con brio......
It still feels like spring. I love spring, but now the tempo of the garden will be speeding up. Eek! From molto adagio to allegro con brio in a matter of weeks? I must be sensible and make time to notice absolutely everything.
BIG gardening trouble...BIG gardening trouble......
Hmmm... I could be in BIG gardening trouble. I have a leading bid on an online plants auction to dig out (and purchase really cheaply) forty assorted roses, all 'pinks, peaches, and pastels'. There are miniatures, shrubs, and climbers. Eek!
Blessed, lovely season...Blessed, lovely season......
Well, well, well. Well-come to spring! Blessed, lovely season where older gardeners feel younger again and ridiculous new ideas become totally possible. Not that I ever have any...
Earthquake...Earthquake......
Saturday 4th September. At about 4:30am we had a big earthquake (7.1 on the Richter scale) with epicentre about 5km away from Mooseys. What to say? We are all fine, the aftershocks are scary, and the cats have all disappeared. Our house has no structural damage. What a house! My goodness...
Settle down...Settle down......
For the first time ever in my whole life I have shifted my birthday. It is rescheduled for next week, by which time hopefully my earth will have settled down and I won't be feeling quite as small...
Normal spring transmission...Normal spring transmission......
Well, well, well. Normal transmission for the spring of September 2010 is - dare I say it - resumed? The aftershocks are lessening in frequency, the two pet lambs seem to be doing OK in their lamb creche, and more and more daffodils are flowering.
Grasshopper weeding...Grasshopper weeding......
I love my garden - but I am oh so slow planting my new roses. And I scratch around doing grasshopper weeding in an aimless, random fashion. I need to be tougher with myself.
What do you want your garden to be?What do you want your garden to be?...
A gardening book has asked me this terribly serious question: 'What Do You Want Your Garden to Be?' Ha! Today I can answer that, as follows: I want my garden to inspire me when I'm feeling a little down, and overwhelm me when I'm feeling lazy.
I mean business...I mean business......
I've given the pet lambs Stu and Milly their six o'clock feed and retired back to bed with tea, toast, pen and paper. I've written a list. Ha! That surely means that I mean business - gardening business - today.
Quietly pottering...Quietly pottering......
I've been quietly pottering around underneath the blossom trees. Yellow daffodils are scattered everywhere. I'm still catching up my energy levels. But the spring garden is such a beautiful place to relax in... And my pet lambs are doing OK.
One-hundred-percent...One-hundred-percent......
Right. After several false alarms I am back, a one-hundred-percent gardener, ready to knock my spring garden into shape. That seems a bit harsh - perhaps the words 'cajole' and 'con' would be better!
A recently humbled gardener...A recently humbled gardener......
Hello, October. Being a recently humbled gardener I'm not sure I'm in a position to demand anything of you. But do you take bribes? You see, I'd love to have a better month...
Too many weeds...Too many weeds......
A visiting friend looked around my garden in the weekend, and to my horror we passed far too many weeds, delightfully visible, along the garden edges. So that's my first job for today - I need to do some wandering weeding.
II'm pleased......
I'm pleased with my spring garden. I'm pleased with the blossom trees, and my pet lamb Stu (he's feeding properly), and my watering and weeding programmes. I'm pleased with my new October attitude, too.
The Clematis is flowering...The Clematis is flowering......
More spring flower news - the Clematis is flowering on the archway leading into the pond paddock, where two big flowering cherry trees are nearly in bloom. And there sits Pond Cottage, beautiful as ever, nearly finished inside.
Welcome to the Wisteria...Welcome to the Wisteria......
I'd like to welcome the Wisteria on the patio pergola - you beautiful fragrant thing, you! And the flowering rose Canary Bird with delightful ferny leaves and lovely shaped lemon flowers, the perfect size and colour for late spring...
Oh what a beautiful morning...Oh what a beautiful morning......
Sings: Oh what a beautiful morning... Then stops singing, just in case everything isn't going my way! It's very mild today, but the wind has stopped - phew! I don't want all my cherry tree blossom blown down just yet...
Must shuffle off...Must shuffle off......
Right. I'm off with my shovels and the gardening iPod. Remind me not to put it on 'shuffle' - it's disconcerting when a spooky Bach organ piece barges in between the frothy little Chopin waltzes...
Sheep shearing day...Sheep shearing day......
It's sheep shearing day, so there's been much coming and going and bleating and baa-ing. This morning I drove (in the sheepish sense of the word) Fred my ex-pet lamb and his friends down the driveway. What a large fleece (and a large bottom) he has.
Confessions of a weed-killer...Confessions of a weed-killer......
Confessions. Today I'm going to spend ten minutes weed-killing the rough scruffy area behind the Welcome Garden, rather than ten hours weeding it by hand. Sad that it has come to this, but the saved hours can then be spent playing the piano...
New spring photographs...New spring photographs......
A new spring day, a new journal page, and some new spring photographs - of something that always sneaks up and surprises me (the yellow Banksia rose) and something new (a white Lilac).
Punctual...Punctual......
Aargh, November! Or should I say welcome, November. How nice that you've started, and by golly you're punctual - in fact, haven't you popped in just a bit early? I'm thinking of all the things I haven't finished from last month...
Four hundred and thirty eight roses...Four hundred and thirty eight roses......
Early this morning I finished spraying the roses - and counting them. The count includes a recycled Flower Carpet rose which looks deceased, and a tiddly little white Banksia which will eventually smother the Island Bed's plum tree. Oops.
In a huge hurry...In a huge hurry......
I am typing this in a huge hurry, before I start my big gardening day - but no-one can really tell that, can they? Nobody's fingers 'scribble' when they type. A gardener's 'brainwriting' can be really scribbly, though - illegible, even...
Missing the time bus...Missing the time bus......
Today needs to be a serious gardening day - I notice with puzzlement that a lot of November hours have already passed. I always seem to be missing the time bus, so to speak. Someone has tinkered with the timetable? Hey, where did all those first November days go?
It feels like summer...It feels like summer......
Suddenly it feels like summer, with twice as many roses as yesterday climbing up over the pergola and the woodshed. I love it when that happens.
Pond Cottage...Pond Cottage......
Pond Cottage is getting its floor laid today - all the walls are done. And then the sleeping platform goes in - and then I can move myself in. I can be a recluse in my own paddock, hee hee...
A few rose moments...A few rose moments......
Oops. I've had a few rose moments these last few days. It's those orchard roses - their time for flowering has started, and some adjustments have been necessary...
ItIt's summer!...
It's summer! Well, the days are suddenly too hot for much mid-day gardening. The hoses are on all the time, and the big irrigation whooshes through the night.
Garden seats, gentle breezes, roses...Garden seats, gentle breezes, roses......
Ah, summer! Garden seats, gentle breezes, roses... Now I'm remembering this dour quote from Rudyard Kipling: 'Gardens are not made by singing 'Oh, how beautiful,' and sitting in the shade.' What an unfortunate sentence!
The Forget-Me-Nots must go...The Forget-Me-Nots must go......
All the things I have to do in the garden are very obvious. All the remaining Forget-Me-Nots must go. All the weeds must go, too. And I have to start dead-heading the roses already! My goodness, but that was quick.
The best month ever...The best month ever......
November, November - you've been very speedy, and your days have been full of colourful wonders. You're just the best month ever, providing so many things to see, and do, and enjoy in the garden. And you're almost finished. Eek! That means Christmas!
WhatWhat's in a name?...
I'm sorry about getting all steamed up about rose names. OK, OK, it's probably a good time for that Shakespeare quote: 'What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.'
I love December...I love December......
I love December. It's the month when all the summer promises I made myself should come true. My vegetable garden should be brilliant. My roses should bloom on and on. And nothing should fall over (especially not the Head Gardener, lurching around in the heat).
Disgraceful foxgloves...Disgraceful foxgloves......
Many of my foxgloves are disgracefully finishing their flowering, and they tower, ungainly, above beautiful roses and penstemons, taking focus away from the fresher flowers. Their time in the sun has nearly come, while mine has only just begun.
Any excuse...Any excuse......
Oh dear. I have been rather too leisurely this week in my gardening - so far, so not so good. But the garden is full of lovely flowers and shrubs, and it has been a bit drizzly. Any excuse...
Hello, garden...Hello, garden......
Oh dear. Hello garden. I have been rather too leisurely this week in my gardening - so far, so not so good. But the garden is full of lovely flowers and shrubs, and it has been a bit drizzly. Any excuse...
Hoses on...Hoses on......
The hot nor-west summer winds continue to blow, and every hour the garden dries out more. Aargh! Hoses on, buckets of water - the big whooshy irrigation can't go on overnight when the wind blows so fiercely. I need to get the garden ready for Christmas.
A garden full of weeds...A garden full of weeds......
Two cricket matches to watch and a garden full of weeds. Oh boy. Oh joy - my summer holidays have really started. I love this feeling. And the wind has stopped blowing - for now. Phew! How about some summer holiday gardening?
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