A gardener of gravitas...
Tinsie Camellia
More rain, followed by gentle spring-like daytime temperatures, and guess what? Weeds! Pretty green things, some starting to flower. I need to get real. Become a gardener of gravitas who solemnly weeds and mulches with dignity. Sounds rather serious...
Monday 21st August
So here's today's plan. Winnie and I have already walked in the forest (it takes me an hour to do the circuit, while Winnie loops around travelling twenty times my distance). I've done some perfunctory housework (eek). I've restocked the birds' feeding stations - apple, pineapple, seeds, and a new lard ball. It's raining on and off out there. But like those birdies I'm tough.
If the rain is too annoying I can come inside and read my new library books. I don't necessarily have to get my hands (or knees or bottom) dirty weeding, and I can throw Winnie's ball in between loads. Maybe a load of mulch, followed by a load of weeds, a responsible balance?
Three Hours later...
Time went wrong. I spread one mulch load on one path, then dropped to my knees and started weeding. And kept on weeding, ending up in the wee Laundry Garden. It took ages to fill the wheelbarrow once. I laid a few more flat stones for the route up to the washing line. There is a perfectly well-laid set of steps - stones in concrete - but they are hidden underneath a beautiful large Daphne. And I'd rather have the shrub, which is smelling wonderful right now, and is alive! Daphne is notorious for randomly dying.
Love Daphne
Blast! Right the end of the day I wandered over to the Welcome Garden to dump the wheelbarrow's load on the boundary. Oops. Oops. Oops. Weeds! Lots of them. The mulched areas were fine, but others, not so, needing my immediate attention (before the weeds set seeds).
Weeding is pretty easy...
But weeding is pretty easy, I told myself, as long as one is prepared to sit (or kneel) in the dirt. And as long as one hasn't lost one's hand tools - scrapers, diggers, forks... OK. OK. I'll do it tomorrow, and cover what I clear with thick mulch.
Cream and Brown Camellias!
So I am trying to be a gardener of gravitas all week. Doesn't sound all that appealing, does it? Regarding the word 'gravitas' : Mister Google tells me that 'an example of gravitas is how a president acts when while giving a speech'. Hmm. Not sure quite the definition fits the current USA president...
More Hellebores
Wednesday 23rd August
Yesterday I worked for four hours - and I had a garden helper. Weeding, weeding, mulching, mulching... The simplest of days, vary hard working, much accomplished. But today takes the cake. Today is one of those rare seven hour days. Just me, and my dog, plodding around with mulch, weeding, raking, chasing the tennis ball. And I have completely run out of words. But I am very, very happy.
The End of the Week...
Aha! It has been a seriously serious week with lots accomplished. And I've been gardening in spring-like temperatures, with warm light, and a green and sprouting garden. Yeay! And spasmodic yellow sprouting daffodils. A biggish frost ruined the pretty pink Azalea, which is now pretty a blush-brown colour. And flowers on the white Camellia by the Sleep-Out are already turning brown - that was quick! The bees have moved on to the flowering Viburnum tinus shrubs, hope that's OK for them. I'm sure the bees know best.