Hello, garden...
New Golden Rose
Hmm... Hello, garden. Oops. How are you? I guess you've been really busy, enjoying these long summer days. Yes - I'm still here, haven't been to see you much this week, sorry about that...
Thursday 16th December
Well, it is the wind-down towards Christmas, but this is no excuse for me turning into such a low impact gardener. I've lost my secateurs so I can't dead-head any roses, and until the grass gets mowed there's not much point in trimming the lawn edges. Lots of the roses are betwixt and between. So I could dead-head them every second day and still get nowhere, visually. Mid-summer isn't the time of year when one thinks to pick up bags of fresh horse manure and spreads them around, either. Merry Christmas to the blowflies...
There's always watering to do. And burning - a group of tree men came today and felled a couple of huge gum tree branches. The logs are to be split for next winter's firewood, and the scrappy pieces need to be burnt - but again, mid-summer is not the most satisfactory time to have a bonfire. There'll soon be a fire ban, so I shouldn't put it off. Blast.
Blue Campanula
Much Later...
Oh boy. I've been burning for four hours, and really cannot write anything which is remotely descriptive about this repetitive activity. I have smoky hair and the reddest of faces. But I least I have DONE SOMETHING!
Friday 17th December
And today it's gently raining, which of course if great for the garden and for my policy of 'Go Slightly Slow'. Hmm - that's better described as 'Hardly Do Anything, Just Mooch Around Reading Summer Holiday Books and Eating'. So I should have planted out all my annuals, and I have seedling Lobelia to prick out (they always seem to take their time). Yippee for my blue Campanulas, new flowers to me, flowering so nicely by the driveway. And such a strong, long-lasting blue. Thinking ahead, I must, must, must collect seeds.
Saturday 18th December
We are off swimming. And when we return I will do some gardening. Actually I'll do lots of gardening, and maybe continue my great gum tree rubbish burning. I am enjoying the new Sally Holmes roses which I planted in the small sunny border by the garage. They are later flowering, and the garage walls are a dark wood stain. These roses are wonderful performers, and I'm happy!
Rustic Courtyard Benches
Sunday 19th December
Well, well, well. Yesterday we had out first thirty degree Celsius summer's day. Apologies to gardeners shivering in wintry Britain, but it was beautifully hot, but too hot (and too unsafe) to have a bonfire. So I shifted hoses, watered pots, and did some weeding standing in the water race instead.
- 'Is it preferable to have too little to talk about, or too much?'
- -Regarding Garden Blogging.
I wonder when garden bloggers are at their most boring - during their garden-lazy times? Or when they are overflowing with new plans and good intentions, and are putting in six-plus gardening hours? Is it preferable to have too little to talk about, or too much? Ha! Today I have three serious plans to talk about. I'm clearing the paths into the back of the Shrubbery. I'm finishing the Christmas calendars, which go to the printers tomorrow. And I'm weeding the vegetable garden.
Percy Cat and Rusty Dog
Not Too Hot, Please
It won't be as hot today (please), and some rain is forecast over lunchtime. Snow seems a million miles away (it is) and I'm worrying about all those beautiful British gardens. I would hate to be covered and smothered for ages in winter. Ah, sweet reminiscence - on my zoomy Scotland garden tour I saw lots of Cordylines. Eek - I don't think they like snow.
Two Hours Later...
And two hours is better than none hours, I reckon (good grammar, that). I've weeded the vegetable garden and burnt the remaining gum tree branches. And now it's raining, so I'm inside to produce my final Christmas calendar. It's completely filled with photographs of Fluff-Fluff, for one of my friends who is his biggest fan - and anyone else who thinks that one cat is enough. Dear Fluff-Fluff - Mister January, Mister February... Right through to Mister December. What a responsibility.
Rule of bedroom vacuuming - immediately the floors are nicely done, Minimus my little grey cat will bring in another poor feathered trophy, and scatter pieces around, all over the carpet. Naturally, because this is her room... Logically, to save the Moosey bird population I cannot clean up her mess. Hmm...
Merry Christmas to the Moosey House
Monday 20th December
Right. What shall I do in the garden today? As a test I've asked Son of Moosey's best friend (as one does). Her advice is as follows:
Trim some of the edges, get rid of all the stuff that's fallen down, and pick a nice bunch of flowers for the Christmas in the Country table.
I have to finish the Christmas calendars - Rusty the dog needs a couple more colourful photographs, and Fluff-Fluff the cat needed a cover photograph. But all is nearly done, and hopefully I've got the right number of days in September, and the days of the week fit the date numbers. These are fairly basic necessities in a calendar. One year, because November wasn't right, I placed Christmas day on the wrong day of the week. It's a good job nobody takes much notice of such things...
Rusty Dog's New Calendar Photograph
Right. I'm going outside now to do some work. It's beautifully hot with norwest winds, so the ground dries out and I need to be watering-wise. And there's always so much water available - with buckets, or hoses. Phew. I couldn't have my rosy, leafy, shrubby garden here without water.