Lashings of horse manure...
Apple Tree Blossom
The Appletree Border is in for a pleasant surprise. Some rationalising - dare I call it redesigning? Probably not quite that serious. But, most important, barrowed in and spread lovingly around by my own hand - lashings of rotten, wormy horse manure!
Yesterday...
Yesterday I trimmed and cleared while the wind roared through the trees. Every now and then a small (phew) branch would crash into the garden - somewhere else - but I did wonder if my location was safe. Of course the teasing wind would then die down for a moment, before roaring again into action. Fooled you!
I trimmed all the Aconite stems, dug out rogue ferns, and pruned more Pittosporums. I chopped down a large Moonlight rose - sorry about that. It was climbing up the apple tree, and most of its canes were dead. Another Moonlight rose further along the border came down when its host apricot tree crashed to the ground. It's regrowing quite nicely, and now needs something to climb.
The Appletree Border
Today I've bonfired for four hours, with much plodding, the wheelbarrow full of dry rubbish to add to the greens trimmed yesterday, covering at least two kilometers, back and forth... Well, the question is obvious. Should I shower and wash my hair before I write up my journal for the day? Yes, I should. Oops. Back soon.
Fifteen Minutes Later, Clean!
Choice choice. Maybe it was a wee bit early to stop (just over one hour to sundown) but I've worked hard. When one is 'merely' cleaning up after yesterday, the feeling can be rather functional and flat. OK. But I finished something. And that makes me feel good.
Thoughts...
Thoughts on the Appletree Border today as I burnt all its rubbish : Acanthus is taking over, but it's allowed to. The Phormium Cream Delight (flattened by snow a few winters ago) has bulked back to normal fatness and is smothering the rhododendron Burnaby Centennial. I need to shift the rhodo. I also need to rake everything madly, dig out some large dock weeds, and spread horse manure therein.
And thoughts on the apple tree itself, now it is rose-less. Please would Non-Gardening Partner like to take responsibility for its maintenance? Spraying and pruning come to mind. Then perhaps the tree would produce a decent crop of apples. All it's good for at the moment is pretty pink and white blossom in spring.
Where are your listening ears?
Hmm. Have just asked NGP. He grunted. Suspect that Non-Gardening Partner, like a two year old, has forgotten to use his 'listening ears'.