Disgraceful foxgloves...
Layla Tidy Tips
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.
Sunday 5th December
I thought I'd dedicate today to finishing off little details, following my nose, so to speak, around the garden. I'll start at the patio. I'm not making a list (or even thinking about the items that would go on it, she lied). This should work well...
Much, Much Later...
My scheme did work - really well. I've only been dead-heading and weeding etc. and doing a fairly cosmetic clean-up, but the patio, the house gardens, and the front of the Shrubbery are now all beautifully neat and tidy. great results for a random, free-spirited day.
Pond Cottage :- Pond Cottage is my home away from home - well, in the next paddock to the house, actually.
I've also painted the window sills in Pond Cottage, and I've remembered some replica brass bed ends which should be in the Stables and which should fit the cottage's bed rather nicely. I will then only need a mattress and a bookcase. And possibly a writing desk.
In the middle of the afternoon I spent rather a delightful hour sitting on Pond Cottage's wicker chair reading a travel book with a twist about England. Good words can be almost as good as being there - thanks, Joe Bennett, for the delightful 'Mustn't Grumble'. I'm enjoying travelling with you from the comfort of my lovely cottage verandah - sorry, but I wouldn't swap it for the real thing.
Dog by a Cat Memorial Tree
Monday 6th December
I have a December pre-Christmas social life! Well, I seem to have one today. But perhaps I can fit in a spot of gardening before my first engagement. What I ought to do is draw up a list of things to be done this week - it's commonly called 'thinking ahead'. But I rather enjoyed yesterday's random garden travels.
Hoses on, I think - another half-day day of watering for the orchard roses. The new cat memorial trees now have their own little drippers, so Musgy's Blackboy Peach and Jerome and Stumpy's weeping Silver Pears can breathe a sigh of summer relief. And perhaps a wheelbarrowful of old seedy foxgloves?
Later, Mid-Afternoon...
It's gone very blustery and overcast, and I'm about to go back outside. I just need to change out of my crisp white cotton socialising shirt, hee hee... It's high time I did some planting out. Bright red Geraniums can go by the Pond, to echo the red hats of the garden gnomes. Daisies go in the sun. Salmon geraniums go in the Island Bed. Pink Lavateras go in the bay window house garden and lilac Cosmos go in the Septic Tank Border. Done. Well, all organised but nothing as yet actually planted...
Pink Annual Lavatera
Finally, Late Afternoon...
Ha! The Great Foxglove Rip-Out has continued (white and apricot ones just get their tall tops trimmed off). I've done some gentle planting of daisies and some annuals into the Glass-House Garden. Also some gentle weeding and watering. That's enough for today. I'm off to a singing rehearsal. Tra-la-la for the abundance of joyful, tootling Christmas vocal music.
Tuesday 7th December
Eek! In the not-so-true spirit of Christmas the choir conductor flounced out of last night's rehearsal in a huff. Not so joyous... So today it's left up to the piano music of Albeniz to recharge my musical spirits. But I haven't practiced it for a couple of weeks...
And it's rather drizzly - not that I'm throwing any sort of hissy fit here. Gentle gardeners should be able to live easily with their weather. There's always the glass-house to tidy up. Aargh! Music and gardening, gardening and music - you can both share bits of my day.
Blushing Iceberg Roses
By the way, my first December week seems to have ended rather lamely. Ha! That means next week can be an improvement. I would like to note, however, the appearance of several cheery eggy-yellow daylily flowers. New clumps I planted last year are coming alive in the Stables Garden. And the Iceberg roses (I grow several different colour varieties) are now having their big flowery moments. I love them.