No guilt...
Right. Lets get this clear. I am allowed to make mistakes in my garden. If I plant something in the wrong place, I am allowed to shift it. No regrets, no recriminations. And absolutely no guilt. That's life, as far as my garden is concerned.
One of The Shifted Rambling Roses
So I've had to dig out yet another wrongly placed rose (a rambler, fluffy white flowers, gets mildewed late in the summer flowering season). It's been living in the shadow of an extremely robust Rosa Woodsii fendleri.
Rosa Woodsii fendleri :- This rose is now covered in red hips for autumn.
Nothing could have prepared me for the bulk (and beauty) of this old-fashioned beauty. I've already had to shift the path alongside it twice.
So I now have four ramblers, names unknown (the pink ones could be American Pillar), each trimmed and ready to be replanted. Each needs a sturdy fence - or a tree? - where it can be watered in those early years. So in the paddock down the back isn't really an option. Maybe I could create a rope swag fence in the Hump? That's actually quite a nice idea...
Autumnal...
Coloured Cornus Leaves
The garden is starting to look and feel autumnal. The leaves of the Cornuses are turning, and the Wisteria's leaves are finally falling onto the patio. Many of the roses are blooming again, their colours richly saturated. Yeay for autumn.
But because of the low rainfall there's still a complete fire ban in place. Eucalyptus leaves are piling up on the driveway and the house lawns. Piles of trimmed Phormium and Cordyline leaves line the fence-lines - plus trimmings from my latest Viburnum slaughtering session.
Worse to come...
And there's worse to come - the big Leyland hedges are to be trimmed quite soon. Aargh! That will mean more mess to burn (we can only chip the larger branches).
Wednesday 14th April
OK. This morning's plan is to continue weeding lower in the Hump Garden. And think about a rope swag, as one does - the ultimate rustic country rose accessory, I reckon.
A Dog Stand-Off
But first of all I must walk the dogs and check the sheep. Hopefully the black-faced ram from next-door hasn't been able to barge his way through the fences. Rude ram!
Thursday 15th April
Autumn! Walked through the Pond Paddock, now half covered with fallen oak leaves, and found myself grinning with delight. Maybe won't be so smiley when it's time to rake them up? But that's surely weeks away.
I'd woken up in a huge gardening dither. Should the posts for the rose rope swags be in a straight line, or be curved? What a dilemma - a first world gardening problem, this one. So the dogs and I are going off there now to have a look. I will let the garden itself speak to me.
Later...
The garden said 'straight line', parallel to the shelter trees, joining up the lowest row of old tree stumps - fair enough. But I haven't started anything as yet.
All I've actually done today is go to my Silver Swans ballet class and feed a rather bewildered hedgehog. He had a mouse tail dangling from his mouth - I worried that mouse was possibly stuck in hedgehog's throat. Brought him some water and wet cat food, by which time the mouse has been swallowed. Then he gobbled down my offerings, while the dogs and me stared down. This hedgehog was not shy!
Autumn Wisteria Leaf
Friday 16th April
I have loved today. Firstly my Bach chamber music rehearsal went really, really well. Three Bach sonatas that we play seem to have suddenly found their shape and meaning, with gorgeous conversations between flute and piano - I got quite tearful. Chamber music is so much more than just playing the correct notes at the correct tempo.
Then I came home and shifted some large half round posts into the lower part of the Hump, making a low barrier (perhaps the start of a small retaining wall). I weeded some more. I mapped in my head perfect positions for three of those roses. Now I just need Non-Gardening Partner to hammer in some warratahs. Perfect.
Finished the day just as the skies went super dark and spots of rain started. Yeay! Please rain properly. Am apres-gardening, hands fragrant with hand-cream, feeling very satisfied. Autumn is here.
The Start of Autumn