Late-spring gardening moods
Two late-spring gardening moods. In one I am wide-eyed with wonder and excitement. Wow! A-Mazing! So much new green growth, the first roses, more rhododendrons in flower... The other is horribly down-to-earth. Aargh! The weeds! The seedlings that need planting out! The lawns that need mowing again! Compost to spread, vegetables to plant, pots to organise. And the weeds. Aargh! Did I mention the weeds?
Pink Rhododendron
Oh dear. This year October seems to be a rather fast month. It's going so much faster than I am. What's happening? First of all, I must insist. I am NOT slowing down. But plants everywhere are doubling in size in days. Canary Bird, the first rose in flower, is now joined daily by new bloomers. The ground temperature must be warming up well, for so much greenery to be bursting forth.
Saturday 25th October
For me October is well into the swing of spring. Garden-wise I could do with ten more days, squashed in between the third and fourth week, hee hee.
Puppy Snoozing in the Garden
I'm having a break after some serious border clearing (Alkanet and Lamium this time). Winnie the puppy has put herself to sleep in her indoors crate, so I'll take advantage of her absence by some speed-planting in the vegetable garden (broccoli and silver beet seedlings, carrots and peas). I've got the hoses on. I shift them around every fifteen minutes or so. Sometimes I fill a bucket and drench something needy. I could probably spend all day watering and doing nothing else. But that's OK. After all, I've got all day...
Fruhlingsmorgen Rose
A Bit Later...
I'm back, after planting Cornflowers and Orlaya in the Cottage Garden (they are a bit droopy, so hopefully Minimus the cottage cat won't stomp all over them). Also I've planted Broccoli and Silver Beet in the vegetable garden by the Herb Spiral.
Watering...
The Deodars down the front boundary have each had a bucket of water, and the little Pittosporums and Viburnums have been well watered. Such is my day. Lovely, though. And so many more roses to enjoy.
The early yellow roses delight me the most. Agnes, a fluffy rugosa, and Fruhlingsgold are both a soft lemon colour. The Banksia climbing up the plum tree is a fleshier shade of yellow. Then there's a rambling yellow (name unknown) whose flowers turn to cream as soon as they open. This lurches up the smaller plum tree in the Pond Paddock. By the Stables Maigold's honey-yellow pointy buds are ready to open. All this while Canary Bird's canary yellow flowers are just starting to fade and droop. Pretty yellow roses.
Meanwhile Winnie sleeps on and on. My goodness this pup sleeps a lot. Mind you, when she's up she plays and runs a lot. I need to mention that the wind is blowing the rose flowers round. So if my pictures are a bit fuzzy, it is not my shaky old-lady hands!
Monday 27th October
First of all, it's the grandbaby's first birthday - time, again, is flying. Secondly, the big irrigation went on last night, so hopefully the dry spots in my garden will sense some relief. NGP humours me - he doesn't think it's dry at all. I do. I know it's dry. I am the gardener. Today's hose-watering session will benefit the garden behind the pond. I've already started, even though it's drizzling. I am affirming nature.
Orange Poppy
Thirdly, Winnie the puppy is having people and dog visitors later this afternoon. Compulsory socialisation for puppies!
Later...
The socialising went well. The baby's cupcake party went well. My piano rehearsal of Night on Bald Mountain went well. I reckon it did.
Non-Gardening Partner was dragged along to listen. Unfortunately it was a bit like a Week on Bald Mountain, since we are not yet up to speed. NGP suggested politely that perhaps the Primo (me) could stop insanely cackling every time she had fortissimo staccato passages. Which, if you are at all familiar with a Night/Week/Month on Bald Mountain, happens rather a lot, hee hee...
Tuesday 28th October
Today I am back in my lovely garden, after a measured, soothing, cackle-free session playing Bach's chamber music. The bigger roses are now starting to flower. It's exciting early days for the Woodshed rambler, and the pergola climber Crepuscule is in bud. The yellow Banksia is fluffing up the old plum tree with warm yellow. Even the house rose Othello has one majestic purple-red flower.
The Aquilegias are Flowering
+10I'm not really interested in being super-productive today - I just want to enjoy being outside. The two dogs and Fluff-Fluff the faithful cat can be relied on to provide good company. The only issue is as follows. Should I write a list or just follow my nose? Aha! Inspired by the dogs I choose the second option.
Much Later...
Aargh! I spent the last half hour weakly apologising to parts of my garden that I couldn't be everywhere at once, and so sorry about the Alkanet growing so ferociously, and pity about the lack of moisture, but I will shift the hoses around lots more, I promise...