I don't want to miss anything!
It scares me how quickly September is passing, with scores of daffodils below and floating waves of cherry blossom above. Each day the new rose shoots seem to double in size. I don't want to miss anything!
Spring by the Koru Brick Courtyard
Thursday 22nd September
Eek! Wallowing in self-congratulations for actually finishing something (the weeding of the vegetable garden) I've just remembered my Agapanthus clumps, waiting patiently to be planted. So that's this morning's first big task. And it must be done thoughtfully.
Agapanthus Clump
Agapanthus Rules
Clumps are to be quartered (at least), and decent planting holes are to be dug. Agapanthus is not to be stuffed in garden gaps here, there, and everywhere, either. Think about design, design, design... Suitable locations are along edges of paths through difficult wooded areas, in the small border by Pond Cottage, on the edges of the Hump where the big pine and gum trees grow, and so on.
Eek again! Sympatico! The Agapanthus gardener has just mailed me - she has five more clumps, and would I like them? Oh yes, oh yes. What a wonderfully aligned moment in time...
Two Hours Later...
OK, so it's taken me two hours to divide and plant one clump of Agapanthus. I'm working by the water next to Pond Cottage, the little shed-with-a-bed that I sleep in. It's a gardener's dream come true - to sleep in her garden, hee hee. And now I have ideas of a little front garden around the side of the cottage verandah...
Erythroniums
But I digress - back to my Agapanthus. The second clump is in the wheelbarrow ready, and I only came inside to download photographs and have a coffee. There is no truth to the rumour that I am bored with dividing and planting Agapanthus. A sharper spade would help, though...
Spring Surprises
This morning's weeding session has thrown up some little spring surprises (as well as weeds) - yellow Forsythia, yellow Erythroniums flowering in the Stumpy (AKA Willow Tree) Garden (nice) and a few straggly tulips (disappointing). Am I disappointed in myself for not spending heaps of money buying new tulips each autumn? Hmm... Maybe, maybe not...
Three Hours Later...
Well done, me! I've dug out old Anemanthele grasses from behind the cottage and replaced them with Apapanthus. Two clumps to go, plus the other five I'm picking up. Such accommodating plants - I love their foliage, and the flowers are a bonus. Tomorrow I dig the cottage's little front garden. I'm thinking a couple of roses, plus flowering annuals like Cornflowers and some of my new Lupins.
Cottage Garden Plan
Friday 23rd September
+20I woke up early in Pond Cottage to antiphonal bellbirds in the trees and mallard ducks whooshing and honking on the pond. Lovely! And young Minimus my cottage cat in brave combat, fighting the dastardly rug monster, and definitely winning. I love waking up with creatures...
Bergenia Flowers
Goodbye, Famous Five...
A sad moment last night - I started reading (re-reading, 55 years later that is) Book 20 of Enid Blyton's Famous Five series. Just one to go, and then I have to say goodbye. Now I know this isn't quite as de rigueur as Harry Potter, but never-the-less I do feel quite sad. My foggy trip down the Moosey memory lane is about to end, and I haven't really remembered anything except the torches. Now 'The Hobbit' is quite different. Tolkein's delightful tale has been indelibly etched, as they say, from a precociously early age.
I Love My Garden...
I love my garden. I love thinking about it, working in it, wandering through it, and writing about it. A gardening life is so simple, full of love, with lots of hard work and huge satisfaction. So what's up for today?
First I'm digging the cottage garden, and I'll need some stones for the edge (this weekend I get more compost). My latest Agapanthus clumps are tidy and fresh-looking - they can go in as is, near the house decking, and by the outdoor lamp. Then I zoom out to a garden nursery cafe - I'm meeting a friend for lunch. Later this afternoon I burn my bonfire and get ready to watch more rugby. Another day in paradise? You bet!
The Island Bed - Spring
Much, Much Later...
I've had one of those 'best days' in the garden. Details - four more Agapanthus clumps divided and planted, and a Phormium released from its pot and planted behind the cottage. More Anemanthele grasses had to be dug out, as they were totally trashed by the snow. I saved the bonfire until the spring shadows lengthened and the day became old and cold. The dry Phormium leaves crackled, setting off the bellbirds, whose frenetic whisting set off Rusty the barking dog. Ah - creatures! It's been a day full of ticks (thankfully not the insect variety).