Moosey News : July 2005

Dear Subscriber,

Welcome to the Moosey's Country Gardetn Newsletter, a humble little publication designed to show you what's germinating and what's growing at www.mooseyscountrygarden.com

Each month, the Moosey newsletter will feature pages and favourite photographs, good gardening advice (hopefully!) and an Animal of the Month (from which Rusty the puppy is temporarily banned for chasing the Moosey poultry).

The newsletter has taken rather a long time in creation - a bit like my homemade compost. I hope you'll like it.

This month's features :

  1. David Austin roses
  2. Garden path maintenance
  3. Cats and dogs in the garden
  4. Chelsea Flower Show 2005
  5. Gardening News Desk

Regulars :

  1. Plant of the month : Leucadendron Safari Sunset
  2. Animal of the month : Stumpy the cat
  3. Garden quote : Organisation
  4. Garden gallery : Cercis Forest Pansy tree
  5. Forum focus : Roses around the world
  6. Gardening advice : Compost
  7. Searching for Moosey
  8. Coming up this month : Samoa

This month's features

1. David Austin Roses

It was an early gardening goal of mine to grow absolutely all the David Austin roses that were available in New Zealand. I've slipped up a bit over the last few years - but I do love my small collection of so-called English roses. So a few months ago I decided to get rose-organised - now all my David Austin roses have their own special section. It's the perfect excuse to buy some of the latest varieties!

2. Garden path maintenance

When's the best time to do garden path maintenance? In the full overgrown weeks of summer, or in autumn when the leaves have dropped and the plants have flopped? No gardening year goes by without at least one of the Moosey paths getting a major overhaul...

3. Cats and dogs in the garden

It's winter in the Moosey garden, so the best cat and dog company is to be found inside the house in front of the log-burner. The Moosey animals, both past and present, always have their own stories to tell...

4. Chelsea Flower Show 2005

I'm green (naturally) with envy that the Moosey London team has just visited the Chelsea Flower Show of 2005. Just when I'm despairing of the pale winter sun, they bombard me with hundreds of colourful, vibrant, summery photographs. Maybe next year I'll get out that old floral floaty dress, buy a business class air ticket, and surprise them!

5. Gardening News Desk

The Moosey webmaster likes to keep up with technological advances - unlike the Moosey gardener (who is still using the kitchen scissors to make her state-of-the-art mulch) - so he has launched a brand new Gardening News Desk. The news desk rounds up gardening news-feeds, articles and blog entries from popular websites around the world, and places them at your fingertips...

Regulars

6. Plant of the month : Leucadendron Safari Sunset

The original winner of the Shrubs Survival Competition, Leucadendron Safari Sunset has put up with drought, flattening snow, hot winds, and cold winds - and is still growing strong. It is an older variety of Leucadendron, but still a goodie...

7. Animal of the month : Stumpy the cat

Stumpy the cat gets the Animal of the Month Award, simply for sitting on my lap every single day as I'm writing up my journal. I have become very good at typing around her warm furry body. If there was a Non-Animal of the Month Award it would go to rooster, who has taken his hens off three farms down the road in a sulk...

8. Garden quote : Organisation

All good gardeners know this important phrase, and like me use it far too much. I've even written a gardening article about it, complete with helpful dictionary definition! This month's quote is from the May journal page where I say (for the nth time): "My goodness I need to get organised!"

9. Garden gallery : Cercis Forest Pansy tree

I've finally found the camera close-up button! After many years of suffering blurry camera shots (getting too close and personal for the camera lens) I've finally worked out how to take terribly good quality (and terribly interesting) garden close-up photographs. This month's favourite is the heart-shaped autumn leaf on the Cercis Forest Pansy tree - bright orange and yellow in the autumn sun...

10. Forum focus : Roses around the world

Irish roses, Chinese roses, balcony roses, unidentified roses - roses from around the world are being shared and discussed in the rose forum. And not one mention of the dreaded rust, or aphids, or black spot!

11. Gardening advice : Compost

If it's compost, it's rotted, and it's free - say yes. But keep an eye out for unacceptable, unwelcome extras - for example, treated wood shavings or sawdust are not OK. And if like me you make lazy compost, don't give up on it - one day, when you least expect it, you'll be rewarded!

12. Searching for Moosey

People arrive at Moosey's Country Garden from the strangest of sources! 'Searching for Moosey' looks at some of the search terms people have typed in to arrive at Moosey's Country Garden. From the search engines this month :

13. Coming up this month : Samoa

There are plans to escape the middle of the Moosey garden's winter - we are going to Samoa for a short, warm visit. We'll be relaxing on the beach, reading lots of books, and sightseeing. Hopefully there'll be lots of tropical flower and plant photographs to show you!

Happy Gardening wherever you are - in high summer, or winter, whether wet or dry. The world shrinks rather nicely when gardeners get together. Take care, and don't forget to wear your gardening gloves.

Cheers,

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