Winter weeding love...
I need to spread some winter weeding love around my garden. It's time to scoop up armfuls of the cute little green things which are popping up everywhere. The nice thing about weeding a large garden - one can have an instant change of scenery, if one so desires.
Sunday 9th July
But at the same time my semi-'make-over' of the garden behind the Shrubbery needs to continue. And so does my burning of the little hedge trimmings. Ha! I am gardening-woman, I can multi-task.
Weed Me First!
My morning plan (after starting up the bonfire) is to start weeding the house gardens. Seedling annuals need removing and potting up. I have miniature Agapanthus to plant, perennial Scrophularia and dahlias to trim, the rose Mutabilis to semi-prune. Ha! There's that 'semi' word again.
Polyanthus in Pot
Semi-Gardening?
A semi-announcement : today I will be doing lots of semi-gardening. Hee hee... But I must get the back of the Shrubbery finished by the time that Non-Gardening Partner returns from his Canadian excursion. Winnie and I have already been to the dog park. She misses Non-Gardening Partner and their bicycle trips down the road after dark. I am not so brave, so she and I do more structured daylight walks, and the like.
Four Hours later...
Great news : I have been working really hard for four hours. But... The Agapanthus plan felt so right on the written page, but when I went to look it wasn't so obviously a good location. And so many other flowers were taking up the space. So I weeded a bit, then I found a nearby Camellia which was boxed in by Carexes. I dug them out and then discovered loads of Hypericum shrub prunings I hadn't cleaned up.
One thing led to another - actually, it led up the lawn to pick up pieces of gum bark, then off to the bonfire. Stop! Went past a little red flax, half of which had reverted to plain olive green. Plodded inside to get a kitchen steak knife, and sliced off the offending flax fans. Almost made it to the bonfire when half the wheelbarrow's load fell off. Grrr.
Aeonium
Gardening off track!
Then, naturally, another load of hedge trimmings had to be collected from the orchard and thrown on top. And another. Meanwhile the Agapanthus sit, abandoned and forlorn, and weeds still sprout and grow happily between the house path pavers. And that blasted bonfire gurgles and demands my attention. Three long-winded, rambling paragraphs to say that I've gardened off track!
Two More Hours Later...
Yeay! I found sensible spaces by the path for the Agapanthus after all. I am sooooo happy! And that's all it takes? Yep. Simple. And the bonfire? Yep. I am getting there. I now have four HUGE piles of branches ready for NGP to shred when he gets home. I have cleared one third of the backside of the hedge.
Monday 10th July
Winnie and I are going to the dog park early this morning, so we can trot around at speed before our friends join us. The dog park pack we belong to tends to float and glide, especially the ladies, when they are busy talking. Not me. I stride out purposefully.
Frost
Much Much Later, Dusk...
Aha! We have been to the river to get more stones. I've laid them on the path edges behind the Shrubbery, and it makes (to my eyes anyway) a huge difference. I've weeded more of the house gardens and scooped up two more barrowfuls of hedge trimmings for the bonfire. I'm very happy with my gardening work.
Tuesday 11th July
Eek! Slightly scary cold weather is forecast for later today, with rumours of snow to 200 metres. My garden is lower, at 100 metres, but still a little close for comfort. Not much point me arguing with the snow that it's got it's mathematics wrong, is there?
I might have to move into the house for the night. Poor Minimus! I will, of course, leave the cottage window open for her. I've got loads of firewood outside the back door, ready. Just need to check out my torch, the lantern, and the wee camp stove, just in case. Brr....
Pukeko in the Frost
Winnie and I picked up our veggie box and visited the red zone for a run, while it was sunny. Well, she did all the running. Bigger frost than usual this morning, though.
Keep well-fuelled, little birdies!
Hope the little birdies will be OK later today. Some of them must live right on the edge of bird balance : energy needed to stay alive versus energy needed to find food. I have donated them one of my bananas, as well as their lard ball, peaches in syrup, and apples. There is much fluttering and squeaking from the wax-eyes, with some bigger starlings also enjoying a feast. There's enough for all to share...
Tiger is Ready for the Snow!
Hmm... It's hardly mid-afternoon, but there's a dark grey glowering sky outside. Tiger the cat would like to show you how ready she is for this cold burst of weather.