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.
A Tidy Garden Path
Wednesday 10th February
Hee hee. I think the Garden Club enjoyed themselves. There was much exploring, and people with flowery hats kept popping out of the bushes, all following my paths. Plants that caused the most comment were, in no particular order, my variegated Scrophularia, the Korean angelica with the large purple flower heads, and the tree Esk Sunset No. 2.
Korean Angelica :- Check out the sculptural plant Angelica Gigas in my perennials section. It's a stunner.
And the winner is - Angelica Gigas, which several extremely knowledgeable visitors couldn't name, and which another superb, long-experienced gardener, heaps better than me, would like a piece of. I'll get her some seeds, or maybe a self-sown plant.
Right. Life goes on. Today I was supposed to be walking in the mountains, but it's seriously raining - so I've returned home to contemplate the day. Self discipline will be required, and some form of exercise other than vacuuming the house.
Lovely Daylily
Decisions, Decisions...
I know - I'll wander out to the orchard and sort out my archway roses. As Head Gardener (well, the only gardener) I've made some executive decisions.
Lady Hillingdon, who has decided to be a cantankerous old biddy (oops) and grow no higher than my knees, is coming off her archway in the orchard. I have another Lady H, planted in dreary shade close to a towering gum tree, who is blooming gorgeous, propped up and climbing all over an old piece of fence. There seems to be no natural justice in the rose world - the Lady on the designer archway doesn't know when she's got it good.
Also the two Uetersens, which should be climbers, are not. They are pink and blousy at mid-thigh, and rather fat, with no vertical inclinations what-so-ever. Hmm... They're going to have to share their archway with someone else. Whereas I think that old Adam has finally decided to get growing - if I've got him identified correctly he's reached man-height. Good chap!
The Agapanthus is Flowering
Coconut Ice needs tying back, and the new roses that my gardening friend donated are going well - Bantry Bay, Westerland, and an unknown yellow.
Thursday 11th February
Hee hee. And do I deserve another day off? Oh yes... Anyway, I've been doing web-gardening. For those who are garden obsessed, a garden website is a brilliant rainy day thing - you can do web-weeding, web-raking, web-planting... But, like in the real garden, I forget to do things. Like links to other blogs. Ha! That means you, Jack, my South African friend at Sequoia Gardens.
Garden Bench with Cushions
Calm Before the Storm?
It's a calm, quiet Moosey morning. Rusty dog has 'humphed' himself into his chair, occasionally emitting a quiet, bored groan, and Fluff-Fluff the cat, squeezed into his beloved cardboard box, is wheezing quietly. I've had my morning coffee, accompanied by a casual flick through a Garden Design Book.
Now I'm off to a work meeting. Nothing to derail my happy retirement, though - just a tiny bit of casual Mathematics money to be made next week. I'm still not allowed to spend it on plants. Gosh I have been good!
A Garden Club lady wants to buy my heap of old railway sleepers (railway ties). I won't allow this - I've told her to take them, and make a donation to charity. I've told her it's 'The Circle of Life'. And the less I have the less I need? I actually feel a lot happier financially making do with what I've got. Gardeners can almost become non-consumers - by propagating, sowing seeds, swapping, digging out unwanted plants, making their own compost, and so on...
Late afternoon...
Aargh! Aargh! Aargh! Now I have a small ongoing job offer for 2010. I was obviously tempting fate making those sweeping statements about money and retirement. Blast. My financial equilibrium has been tweaked...