New Paths...
Buster the Cat on the New Path
New paths are taken extremely seriously in my garden. And for now, the start of my new path in the Hump gets a big tick. It is a much peeped-at path - I keep going outside to check that I've got it right. Yes! I'm happy. I think I'm happy. Hmm... Is it really OK? Golly gosh, I hope so.
The route...
It starts on the edge of the house lawn, opposite the house patio, and leads up through The Hump (my new 'gardenable' area) and down the slope towards the Leyland shelter belt. There, it scoops around in a graceful slow curve. I have resisted the temptation so far to plant Lemonwoods and Agapanthus (which I have in droves) along its edges.
Now the garden area through which it goes needs filling up with organic matter. But today's rain-drizzle has sent me into the glass-house instead, to start off my seeds. Some done. Done some : Cosmos, Lavatera, Orlaya, Cerinthe, Didiscus (new for me), Lupins to add to my current collection, Salvia hominum, Dwarf Blue Cornflower (always room for these), and Four Seasons lettuce for the veggie pots.
Flowering Annuals for 2018
Have run out of seed raising mix. Could probably scrape a pottle-full out of my fingernails. Oops.
Thursday 30th August
Today is a real gem - a sparkling diamond of a day, stunning and sunshine-warm. I am blessed to be here, home, to enjoy it. And Pebbles the dog has been more-or-less behaving all morning, so I've been connecting lovingly with her. We've been practising coming when called (I have her breakfast biscuits in my pocket). So many things we are trying to modify, hmm...
Black and White Cat and Dog Friends
I've been working hard in the new garden area, trimming Viburnums whose leaves have gone all silver. They'll resprout. I've dug out a Yellow Wave Phormium and divided it into lots of pieces. The trailer is nearly full with burnable rubbish.
The Start of the New Garden
Now we are off to the nursery to get more potting mix (for the veggie seedlings) and seed-raising mix (for my annual flower seeds).
Much later...
I have spread the following on the new garden :
- 12 bags of leaf mould
- 16 bags of horse manure
- 8 barrowfuls of mulch
I feel very, very virtuous that I've worked hard all day, I've stuck to a disciplined plan, and I haven't planted anything new. Yet.
Plum Blossom
Flowering Cherries?
I did peep at an online sale catalogue from a local tree nursery, hee hee. But just the tiniest of peeps. The flowering Cherries and Dogwoods looked really nice...
Friday 31st August
Aha! Am supposed to be hiking in the hills today. But two things have happened - I've left my day pack in Non-Gardening Partner's car, and the sky is glowering (not 'flowering', I do mean 'glowering'), with drizzle and rain forecast. So my friend and I are going for an hour's bush walk, followed by a visit to the country library (yeay!) and a cafe (yeay!). A pretty easy decision, really. I'm thinking smoked salmon bagel, an Americano with hot milk on the side, lots of lovely inspiring gardening books...
Later...
I'm home. I still like my new path (have walked my friend over it). My garden library book are as follows : 'Cultivating Garden Style (Yeah right?) and 'Planting - A New Perspective' (by Piet Oudolf and Noel Kingsbury). So should I spread more horse manure, cultivate some style, or attempt a new perspective? Answer - none of the above, for the moment at least. I'm going to sort out my spring photographs.
Thanks, Buster, Black as Midnight Cat
Thanks to darling Buster, Black as Midnight Cat, for keeping me company as yet again I've checked on the new path. It's only a path? There's no such thing as 'only a path' in this garden!
Black Buster