April showers...
Ivors Red Maple
It's too wet for the tree-men to come and climb the big Eucalyptus trees (they're doing some maintenance work in situ). So is it too wet for me to go gardening? Hmm...
Tuesday 22nd April
The April showers are back - alas, with neither violets nor daffodils (as promised in the song). 'It isn't raining rain, you know, it's raining autumn leaves'.
Best Autumn Leaf Colour
The Silver Birch leaves by the cottage have now completely gone, and the Oaks have joined the competition for the Best Autumn Leaf Colour. The Maples are colouring nicely too - some are orange, some pink and green, some brilliant cherry red, others brown.
Such wonderful autumn colours make me smile. And it's time to start raking Pond Paddock's lawn (the leaves go into bags to make leaf mould). This is not necessarily such a smiling prospect. Hmm.... Sounds like hard work.
Autumn Pond Paddock
But is it too wet to do any gardening? I think not, but an afternoon start might be clement. It all looks rather slimy out there, which is definitely a safety factor for tree-men, while a mere inconvenience for an intrepid four-seasons gardener. A list would be a good idea, and a change of clothes laid out ready at the back door.
- Plant the two Belle Poitevine roses by the Obelisk behind the pond.
- Finish clearing the back of the Shrubbery.
- Edge Shrubbery paths with fresh logs.
Later, Lunchtime...
+6Hmm... The log burner is going, and outside seems to be getting colder, not drier. I've taken Rusty the dog down the road for a walk, during which we (well, maybe just me - but my dog listened, he really did) talked about the terrible state of my Garden Tour web-pages, specifically those of the Island Bed.
Top of the Island Bed - Autumn 2014
A solution was formulated for this vital tour tidy-up. The Island Bed now has four 'sides', or directional views - the front, the top, the east, and the west. I've fixed up the text accordingly, and I've clumped all the oldest pictures together on a page entitled 'Early Days'. Seems sensible.
Belle Poitevine Rose
Wednesday 23rd April
Oh yes, yes, yes. First of all the tree-men are here. They've been climbing and cleaning up the huge gum trees by the garage. Then the huge chipper goes for a few minutes. This is pretty specialised stuff. The gums are stand-alone trees, and they will retain their basic shape while being 'safer', wind-wise.
Meanwhile I've been hard at work. It's only 3pm, so this is a short break only, before I go back outside. I've been clearing behind the pond, raking the paths, weeding, and so on. The Belle Poitevines are planted, but one of them is a bit squashed in. Actually, I've just had a brilliant idea. Remove the Senecio (only recently planted, and tough as old boots) and use that space. Perfect!
I've dug out old grasses and planted a green Phormium behind the gnomes. And - so scary - I've lowered the water lily into the water and attached its container underwater to the side of the pond. Cross fingers it doesn't float off and sink into the middle.
Rusty the Dog
The cats are funny when strangers are working on the property. They keep a wary eye, well-hidden in the garden, and whenever I wander past they show themselves briefly. Then they hear the chain-saw or the chipper, and back they retreat into the greenery. They seem to know that it's not their 'father' (Non-Gardening Partner) making the noises. Hmm... OK. It's not so warm outside, but the harder the work the warmer I get. I'm tough - well, today I'm tough.
Two Hours Later...
Ha! The bonfire is burnt. The tree-men have gone for the day, leaving the big gums more shapely and airy - just the biggest on the house lawn to do (that's for tomorrow). Belle Poitevine is properly organised, with a bit of topsoil for encouragement. The path that used to go way up behind the pond has been decommissioned. I never use it. Ages ago someone (me) planted a neat little cluster of Photinias alongside, and over the last months they've bushed out beautifully. The path no longer fits, and I refuse to trim the red tips of the Photinia foliage. It's a sign.
Another Bambi Teaset!
Bambi Teaset :- I think the teaset was made in Japan in the late 1950s.
I've had a wonderful day. And I've just done something really silly - I've bought yet another Bambi teaset in an online auction. This does not mean they are as common as. Oh no. I haven't seen one for four years, and then I find two in a week. It's just one of those statistical things, best modelled by the Poisson distribution. Hee hee...