Dogs and blossom...

 Both the dogs love swimming.
Rusty in the Pond

Another reason why I love my dogs. Repetition does not bore us. We are off to the dog park. Yeay! It doesn't matter that it's yesterday's dog park, and we will probably go to the same dog park tomorrow. We love it - we do it, over and over again. Hmm... Rather like gardening should be, methinks!

Thursday 29th September

Which brings me to the topic of spring weeding. Yeay! Shepherd's purses, shepherd's needles - jolly messy shepherds, dropping all these little treasures everywhere. Thought I'd grabbed you all last year, lunging into the garden underneath the beautiful spring blossom, plucking you out one by one. Always more of the same. Woof! Just do it!

And spring blossom. Yippee for spring blossom! The big cherry tree is now completely covered in fluffy stuff, while the newer Prunus subhirtella (Little Mac's memorial tree) in the Island Bed is flower-modest, much more delicate (and rather late). Weeding around such beautiful shrubs and trees should be a pleasure. Correction. Will be a pleasure. Just as soon as we come back from the dog park.

 That wonderful tree!
Blossom from the House patio

Much, Much later...

The pond garden is now well weeded. I've scraped lots of weeds from the path, and cleaned out the spaces between the miniature Agapanthus clumps. I've planted the modest climber Bloomfield Courage by the obelisk. Hopefully this rose will be able to do some 'festooning'.

 Winnie waiting for her tennis ball.
Throw the Ball!

And some Queen Anne's Lace is planted just across the path. I've dug out coarse Carexes, and trimmed yet another Miscanthus. Nepeta Six Hills Giant, buried underneath the forget-me-nots, has been moved out into pots - it's destined for the open, sunnier space at the end of the driveway.

Tennis balls...

The dogs did quite a bit of pond-swimming, retrieving their tennis balls. Rusty insisted on lying down in the garden to dry off. Designer dog, cream with black legs and belly - quite a sight. I threw Winnie's ball maybe a hundred times. We never, ever get bored with retrieving tennis balls. One of us, however, gets very sick of throwing them!

Later (ball-less) we all went for a walk around the orchard. Several of the memorial trees are starting to blossom - Mugsy's (a dearly departed cat) Black Boy peach tree, and the Golden Queen peach which marks the final resting place of Stu the pet lamb. Neither tree has produced much fruit as yet. The fancier Mount Fuji cherry tree (Smoocher's memorial) is almost breaking into flower.

 From top left, clockwise - Black Boy peach, Golden Queen peach, Prunus subhirtella.
Memorial Blossom

I love the 'blossom wave' that the spring trees produce in my garden. Some are starting while others are half-way, and others still are finishing, their petals falling like snow on the garden below. I actually prefer this to a row of simultaneous fluffies. And I love the pink and white blossom contrasted with the lush sweeping (and well-mowed) spring lawns.

Apple Trees and Dogwoods...

The next trees to flower will be the apple trees, and the crab-apples. And then those delicious dogwoods (which I purchased years ago on the strength of their common name alone, hee hee) will take over and show off.

 So when is it Dinner for Dogs?
Dogs by the Spring Bonfire

Now as I garden madly into October, I must thank Rusty and Winnie my loyal gardening Border Collies for being brainy, uncomplicated and thoroughly good-doggy.