A new month!
Miscanthus Seed-Heads
A new month! Time for a new attitude - not that there's so much wrong with the old one. My idea is simple. Whatever I would have done in a day, well, I just do one more hour's work. August has thirty-one days, right? So my calculations give me five or six extra days of gardening...
I'll start today. It is, after all the first of August. I'll do my extra hour first. I'm clearing the gardens over the water race, doing little things (weeding) as well as big things (sawing down tree branches). Right. Out goes the new, decisive, august gardener. As in 'respected and impressive'...
And in she (me) comes, two hours later, for morning coffee. So far she is working well, and there's no sign of mental fatigue. And my first extra hour has been clocked up. Yes!
Much Later
And now, a debriefing session. My goodness, one (me) is taking this new month seriously. As one (me) should, if they wish to be 'respected and impressive"...
Daphne
Numbers : Eight bags of horse manure spread, eight loads of mess taken to bonfire. Symmetry! Whatsoever ye take off, so should ye put back...
Plants : Miniature Agapanthus divided and planted along edge of secret lawn. Huge waterside Miscanthus trimmed (love those winter seed-heads, but they have to be trimmed before the new shoots get too tall). Iceberg roses (Burgundy and Bright Pink) pruned.
Effort : Moderately acceptable. Phew! Had to stop a bit early because of a music rehearsal. Score : 7/10, because it's not finished. So guess what I'll be doing tomorrow?
General Garden Comments
The big white Camellias (AKA 'big brown', oops) are finishing, but the reds and pinks continue to look beautiful. Best not to look too closely at the big shrub Tinsie with its tiddley little flowers. Such a long bloomer, so the flowers are bound to get tired. The Daphne is flowering, and so the garden smells freshly laundered at nights (large piles of pine and gum tree mulch add to this).
Tinsie Camellias
Thursday 2nd August
Just one morning session so far, spreading horse manure, raking mess, and planting more miniature Agapanthus. Have dug up a couple of sulking roses, given them a serious prune and squashed them into pots. So far my bonfire has not reignited. This is obviously a sign that some barrowfuls of pine tree mess from The Hump are needed. Oh alright.
Phormiums in the Water race
While I'm there I can roll out some more firewood logs ready for the trailer to pick up. And then I will take all the remaining miniature Agapanthus and plant them in the Stumpy Garden. Picking up more horse manure on the way, naturally. And I will also gather up all the fallen yellow crab-apples (before I slip and topple over standing on one). There, now. That's the next three hours sorted! Easy as.
Later...
Another long, hard working day, lots of little things accomplished, nothing finished (but is it ever finished?). And I can see I've made a difference - that's all that matters. A decision : no self-sown ferns allowed in the little rose garden by Willow Bridge. The ferns insist on growing right up against the roots of the roses, and end up smothering everything.
Red Camellias in the Wattle Woods
Score : 7/10. Again! But I've worked for six hours and I've burnt my rubbish. Seven and a half?