I simply must have some new roses...
Crepuscule Rose
I have a rose crisis. I keep discovering roses in online catalogues that I simply must have. I haven't been this rose-giddy for years. First it was David Austin's English roses, then I turned my attention to striped floribundas. I want them all...
Yesterday...
What a brilliant trip we had up Mount Herbert! The wind (quite cold) scooted up the valleys and kept us both locked in personal thoughts (too noisy to speak). I used only one trekking pole, resulting in much stiffness, shuffling around my house upon my return like an aged relic. So now I know - for me, two trekking poles are a must, especially for sidling downhill (that's definitely 'sidling', not 'sliding'). The views were wonderful - high cloud made the distant ranges look all nasty, like Tolkein's mines of Moria.
Wednesday 10th May
Today I am painting more of my garden gnomes. The rumour gets around the garden quite quickly - a whole batch of them are already waiting by the decking sliding doors to be let in. Big rains are forecast, and the morning sky is scowling and dark. This is one of the things a rainy-day gardener can do.
Garden Gnomes Waiting
At least it keeps my mind off buying roses. Last night I suggested to Non-Gardening Partner he could buy me twelve roses for Mothers' Day. 'Just one for each month' I told him eagerly. There was no response. 'Are you enjoying your roast chicken and potatoes?' I popped that in for balance.
Naughty Tiger Cat
Senior Cat Disgrace
And regarding those potatoes - this morning I caught Tiger the cat in flagrante delicto, pee-ing in the potato sack in my pantry. What a disgrace! And she is senior cat, and supposed to set the standard...
Much Later...
All day the sky has been grumpy grey and threatening, but so far it's stayed dry. So I've managed to do some good if bitsy gardening - small things like planting a new Ispahan rose (donated by a friend) and shifting the striped Bengal Tiger Canna lilies (still not flowering) to a more sunny, sheltered, hot spot. I've made a start on the Glass-House Garden, digging out all the Ligularia (it's a nuisance, self-seeding) and thus making room for roses.
I've also cleaned up the little circle of plants underneath the big gum tree, and spread horse manure and mulch around the Jelly Bean Border. And the bonfire is going, fuelled by four barrowfuls of gum leaves raked up from the Frisbee Lawn. Snap, crackle, pop...
Sunny Phormium
Paint Me!
Now my kitchen is full of expectant garden gnomes (a rather odd in-house 'look'), so I'd better get on. There are a few special requests - pea-green pants and shirts seem rather popular. Some want to change their turquoise waistcoats, and no-one wants black boots. Gnomes can be so fussy...
Thursday 10th May
Aha! A really rainy/drizzly night, with the delightful pattering of rain on the cottage roof - and a scary thump accompanying the entry of young Minimus the cottage cat through the window. On goes the light. Oh, Minimus! Half a rabbit! No, no! Please don't stash it in the corner behind the armchair (I might forget to retrieve it).
+20And still the squeamish worry - is it, miraculously perhaps, still alive? And the rationalising - well, it wasn't a large rat (phew). And then the somewhat lame, sleep-riddled congratulations. Well done, Minimus, I suppose...
It's nicely wet outside this morning (the garden needs rain). I've got the log-burner going, Brahms's piano concerto playing, and I'm finishing my gnome painting. Fourteen hopefuls presented themselves yesterday for new clothes, and I have just a few blue shirts and trousers to repaint. One chap needs a decent complexion and others need their eyes opened. As we all do, I guess...
Later, Lunchtime...
Aha again! I think it's stopped raining, and I've finished my gnomes, so there can be some gardening today after all, albeit of the wet-with-muddy-knees variety. So what should I do? Having all my recycled roses securely planted before entertaining any thoughts of new rose orders is a very responsible idea. So I'm going outside with my dog, my mind, and my camera - to check out rose positions, etc.
My Glass-House Garden in Autumn
Right. I'm back. Here's the Glass-House Garden plan:
- 1. Pull out the Penstemons, divide, pot up.
- 2. Shift the red foliaged shrub nearer to the water (and find out its name).
- 3. Maybe plant Cream Delight Phormium.
Obviously weeding, trimming old perennials, and removing Ligularias seedlings are taken for granted. And right at the end of the session I'm going into the water to weed the sloping bank. It will be freezing cold.
Kitten and Pots
Friday 11th May
Oooo, goody! I'm doing really well today, reorganising the small waterside gardens by Rooster Bridge. I'm digging out some *Gunnera* clumps and replanting them further down the stream. My two river pumps now 'live' downstream of the bridge and huge Gunnera leaves flapping around them are not really appropriate. Well, so far, so good - I'm positively optimistic that I can make a big difference quickly. I've already widened the waterside path, moving some Renga Renga (rock lilies) out of the way, and I'm about to dig out a green striped Phormium. After I've enjoyed this short and decisive lunch break, of course.
Then there'll be a long session of raking up gum tree leaves from the nearby Hen House Gardens, followed by some final wading in the deepish water to clean up the banks - brr... The sun will just be setting - I'll crank up the bonfire and dance around it in my damp underwear to warm up. What a day I will have had! Just wonderful. Perhaps no visitors (and no photographs) in the later stages...
Later...
I'm not supposed to boast, but hey! Why not? I've worked in my garden for over seven hours. That's a huge lot of hours for me. So I'm drinking a glass of wine (Larry's naturally fermented, home-made, industrial strength) and then I'm going to go to bed early, smile, and listen to the rugby. Nice. Very nice. Non-Gardening Partner will be spared a slurred, sentimental account of my big day and how much I love my garden (and him, of course).
Gunnera :- Gunnera is a beautiful foliage perennial which colonises waterways with its floating seeds.
*Serious Environmental Footnote*
Gunnera is on New Zealand's 'undesirable' list of invasive plants. The wording of the law is odd. I am not required to eradicate Gunnera on my property, but I'm not allowed to distribute (or sell) it. Does 'distribute it to myself' count? Oops...