So silly!
I am so silly. When we first meet I love self-spreaders (ground covers). I even encourage them. Darling things, filling up my garden for me. I forget about them for a few years. Then - oh boy! Oh joy! They turn into nuisance super-spreaders.
Purple Geranium
Saturday 23rd March
I've been gardening in the Laundry Garden. The mint (which I didn't plant here) has been doing its horribly invasive thing, as has the purple perennial geranium. Can't get either of them out properly. Have been trying for a couple of hours. Both have tunnelled underneath the path and appeared in the garden on the other side. This was not meant to happen.
Can't finish the wee stone path because I can't find any smooth flat river stones. Can't remove the ferns because I have managed to lose two sharp breadknives and two hand diggers. Too many 'can't's. Sorry about that! Blame the mint. If you've ever tried to eradicate mint by hand you'll understand.
Sunday 24th March
So today I have worked for five hours (two sessions) and I am happily tired. I've weeded and trimmed the gardens from Middle Bridge round past the glass-house. I've carted two barrow loads of firewood from in the garden and stacked it at the back door of the house. I've spread two barrow loads of path mulch on the glass-house path, having rerouted it slightly to fit around the silver Astelia. Looks great!
Glechoma hederacea :- Here's the clean green variety of 'Creeping Charlie'. I wish I hadn't introduced it into my garden. Oops.
The super-spreader I introduced to the garden by the glass-house, oh so innocently, was Creeping Charlie. When he first came he was variegated. That didn't last. Now he's plain green, has infested the lawn, and crossed it into a couple more borders. Eek!
Pulled out lots of seedling green Carexes, popped them in a bucket with a bit of water. The plan is to replace all the overgrown Carexes in pots by the pond with these smaller, fresher ones, and new potting mix.
Little Green Carex
They look great for three or four years. My go-to pot fillers, self-seeders that I can happily redirect.
Monday 25th March
Today I've been digging out Ligularias from the wee garden by the car layby. They are a self-seeding nuisance, and I regret that I've let them spead themselves around a bit. I'm very happy to have them growing in one garden border. Only one, though. I'm trying to get all the little seedlings out as well. Two barrowfuls out and dumped so far. It's taken me ages. Yeay!
Made myself stop after three hours. Didn't sleep particularly well last night (noisy knees).
Monarch Butterfly and Magenta Single Dahlia
Would like to thank the dahlias, particularly the magenta singles, for flowering so abundantly. All day they've been visited by Monarch butterflies (I counted at least a dozen), as well as honey and bumble bees. So beautiful.