Dogs, books, new roses...
Can't believe what I've just said to my dogs, who have appeared for their first morning cuddle. Told them that I quite like their stinky-dog smell. It's a warm, living, soft, friendly smell. Crikey!
My Dogs Are Waiting
Make the most of it, dogs! It makes up for those times where you're told off (having no clue as to why) and escorted over to the pond where the dog shampoo is permamently stashed.
Dahlia Reality
Nicola Upson books...
OK. I am back from the library with more Nicola Upson books. I'm reading (and enjoying) her series featuring the golden age crime writer Josephine Tey.
A reading reward...
So my reward for a big afternoon in the garden will be a jolly good read. I won't be working in the sunny Hump Garden - I'll start in the shade and weed the Allotment Garden.
Two hours later...
OK. First of all the sun moved in the sky (oh really?) and ended up right on top of me, so I got hotter and hotter. Valiantly I gardened on. Then the skies went very grey and it started spitting rain. Less valiantly I gardened on. Then it started raining properly. I retreated.
Those awful Viburnums...
Corylus Rugosa Hips
I've only cleared one of the Allotment Garden compartments - the one where those awful Viburnum shrubs (the ones with silver and brown leaves) were growing. Noticed that something has been putting holes - i.e. eating the rugosa rose hedge leaves, too. I thought that rugosa leaves were so tough that nothing would touch them. Oh well.
So my garden session was a bit short, but something exciting has happened as I was sitting inside with my pile of new library books. A courier van appeared and parked in front of my house. My mail order roses had arrived, two tall cardboard boxes. How exciting! I will plant them tomorrow.
Saturday 18th March
I am soooooo proud. Have organised (i.e. weeded and cleared) two separate sunny spaces for the new roses. The first was originally a small Hump Garden path, but someone had planted two lovely low growing Hebes far too close to it. Out came the path and in went The Pilgrim, Honorine de Brabant, and Shailers White Moss.
NZ Gardener Roses
The other area was by the lawn, crowded with medium-sized self-seeded Pittosporums, and took a bit of trickery -. Non-Gardening Partner, acting on an earlier request, had appeared to clean up some Viburnum stumps. I lead him and his chainsaw over to the Hump Garden and pointed. Hee hee.
Miscanthus Zebrinus
So Ferdinand Pichard and Marie de Blois are in, with hopefully enough room to grow well, and a beautiful Miscanthus zebrinus grass (planted further inland, so to speak) can now be seen from the lawn (which is covered in Pittosporum branches, but they will be going in the shredder).
Fresh-from-the-nursery roses!
Haven't had fresh-from-the-nursery roses for a wee while. Very exciting - even kept their labels on.