The proper me is back...
A Well-Mown Lawn
Great social excitement - a friend has organised me to go on a Country Garden Tour. We are also having a lunchtime picnic at the school fair. Eek - I wonder what the gardens will be like? Will I be green with envy?
Sunday 20th November, Much Later...
Well, well, well. What were the gardens like? Nothing like mine - they were interesting without being inspiring.
Many were grander, of course, with lots of garden rooms and clipped box hedges, and smooth sweeping lawns. They all had ponds, but I like my own pond the best. I wondered how many of them had gardening staff - clippers, mowers, weeders, and so on.
Country Garden Agapanthus
Agapanthus
Tell you one thing - they all had Agapanthus! Clumps and clumps of it, grown along driveways and mass planted underneath difficult trees. Ha! Good quality country gardens grow lots of Agapanthus. I am merely following the Agapanthus trend, late as usual - most of the gardens in the tour were established about fifteen years ago.
So when I got home I planted another wheelbarrowful of my Agapanthus, this lot going in the difficult corner of the Frisbee Lawn opposite the Stables. I have nearly finished this task, and it's just possible that I could use some more. Oh dear, dear me. But I don't mind being fifteen years behind the country garden times.
The river pump is going well, and I'm letting the water run down the edge of Rusty the dog's Lavender Garden all week, to see what happens. It's disappearing underground halfway down the slope at the moment, but after rain in the mountains the water will become silty, sealing the water course. Hopefully this will happen soon and I can then look at building a little pond at the bottom to hold the water.
Checking the New Stream
I'm extending the surrounding garden, and Rusty is getting a little mulched path to the door of his dog kennel. And maybe some new Lavender plants. Very nice!
Going Along Rather Nicely
All in all, my garden is going along rather nicely. I may not have symmetric rows of clipped box balls, or anything pleached, but I have heaps of fun. No stylish stone statues lurk by my water features, but I do have rather an eclectic collection of garden gnomes by my pond, hee hee. It's good for me to visit other gardens and come home so self-affirmed. I love my garden because it's all shamelessly about me. Me working hard, me being silly, me trying my best, me remembering and forgetting things...
My Driveway Garden
Monday 21st November
'Oh joy', murmurs my garden, enjoying the gentlest rain. Meanwhile I'm having a quiet dry indoors day, molto adagio. But still there are many decisions - should I watch The Bachelor (groan) or play some Brahms on the piano? Is it too early for lunch? Ooo - what about some French toast with bacon on the side?
Compassion :- Compassion is a beautifully fragrant, large-bloomed rose. Two are growing on the house pergola posts.
The garden outside is simply glowing with warmth and dampness. Compassion roses on the patio, and pink daisies in pots on the decking are flowering.
The ram paddock grass is the longest it has ever been - in fact all the lawns desperately need mowing. After all, I spent much of yesterday wandering around proper sweeping country lawns (in the garden tour) and I reckon Non-Gardening Partner gets away with some pretty shoddy mowing. Some quality control is required? Alas, starting with paddock grass rather means one finishes up simply with a mown paddock.
Driveway Rhododendrons
Right. A quick walk to the mailbox with my dog (whose fur is covered with sticky biddi-bids) and then some serious choosing. It's only eight degrees (Celsius) and wet outside, so gardening is off the menu temporarily. Sorry about my dubious taste, but I think it's going to be The Bachelor...