No slowing down...
Eek! It's already March, the third month of the year, and my garden is slowing down for autumn. But I am not slowing down - no way! It's the perfect time for planting - Aha! New shrubs! And shifting the existing ones around.
Early Autumn House Roses
I'm really pleased with the decisions I made during winter - the clean-up of excess ferns along the water race, the rationisation of my random roses (simple really - only grow them in sunny places), the cutting down of the huge Cotoneaster tree (I'm not a Cotoneaster fan, sorry). More and more I'm appreciating my head-high shrubs.
Bumble bees
Signs of Aging?
Two signs of an aging gardener? When perennials (like Shasta daisies) become such a nuisance to cut back, let alone divide and replant. And big trees become annoying, with their messy, endless leaf drop.
My goodness, that doesn't quite sound like me. Yet. I looooove my Shasta daisies (well, I do when they're in full, fresh flower). And the big gum trees are beautiful - silent sentinels, seriously tall, watching over the lawns and gardens beneath. Just dropping the odd leaf or branch, shedding the odd piece of bark, hee hee... Kerplunk! Crash! Flutter-scatter!
So, March, first mellow month of autumn, I truly appreciate your subtle mood-shift, your cooler nights and softer light. I promise to rake and weed and trim every day, without making a hot-and-bothered summery fuss.
Friday 4th March
So far, so good. I am cleaning up the house gardens around the patio. The catmint and most of the Lychnis is trimmed, and I've tipped out the remains of the lettuce pots onto the garden. Finally the tomatoes in their pots are colouring red (and yellow). Better late than never, dudes...
Path into Middle Border
Monday 7th March
Yeay! I had lovely visitors all weekend, so disappearing to do gardening was a little inappropriate. But I made up for it today. I finished clearing the path into Middle Garden, and put down path mulch.
Finished?
Did I really say 'finished'? In the interest of honesty, I need to mention that this is a winter and spring thoroughfare only. The giant clump of waterside Gunnera is impossible to slither past in summer. One does not slither successfully past Gunnera. Ever. The stems and the leaves are far too scratchy. Ouch!
I've been watering the Allotment Garden each day, and it looks happy. The bees buzz in and out of the Salvia uligosa, and I am once again reminded of my love for this semi-nuisance spreading mint-like perennial. Yes! I grow it for the bees! The stone boundary edge is now nearly complete - I found some huge stones in the water race.
There's just a subtle sniff of autumn in the air. The sun is lower, the shadows are longer, and finally the rude winds (which have shaken my darling trees and shrubs all summer) seem to have died away. Hmm. About time.
Many roses are in their second blooming 'season', and they look remarkably happy. Yeay! Pictures of pretty rose flowers and refreshing greenery are finally a true indicator of what's out there in my garden. Welcome to early autumn.
