Garden Glossary
My Garden Glossary is an attempt to explain certain words which occur on the website. Some of these are part of the local language, while others are definitely home-made!
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Grasshopper Gardening...
- Grasshopper Gardening is what I do when I have a creative, random, satisfying gardening day. As a Grasshopper Gardener I am vibrant and alert, bouncing purposefully from one gardening task to the other...
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Oops! and Eek! and Aargh!...
- The language styles of garden bloggers are as varied as the gardens they tend. Some bloggers think before they commit, while others let their words loose to whizz around like random insects on the wing. Take three tiny, polite words of exclamation - 'Oops!' and 'Eek!' and 'Aargh!'
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The Water Race...
- The Water Race is a man-made irrigation canal, flowing right through the Moosey property behind the house. It's like a small burbling stream, but it's dead straight, with smooth river stones on the bottom. The water is for irrigation and stock.
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Dog-Paths...
- A Dog-path is a path through the garden which follows (as strictly as possible) the exploratory route taken by a dog. The Moosey Dog-paths were originally suggested by much loved Tajdog, the first Moosey dog.
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The Norwester...
- Good gardeners know their own weather patterns like the back of their gloved gardening hand. The Moosey garden is much affected by Canterbury's classic norwest wind.
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The Plank...
- One of the bridges spanning the narrow water race is called 'The Plank'. That's exactly what it is - a plank of wood (actually two pieces on top of each other). It's basic, wobbly, and a real trap for the unwary visitor.
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The Hump...
- Garden areas often get far more romantic names than they deserve. Not so The Hump - it's one of the more down-to-earth Moosey garden places - dry, very sandy - and humpy! Early planting schemes have failed, but lately there is some native progress...
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The Cricket Radio...
- Cricket is an odd ball game played by two teams - and it can go on for ages. So cricket commentaries obviously go on for ages, too, and a gardener can get heaps of gardening done while listening - on a cricket radio!
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Cat Company...
- Cat company involves the physical presence of one or more cats, who must stay close during a gardening activity. Cats are expected to look interested and to interact with the gardener - for example by sitting underneath the wheelbarrow.
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Sneaky Watering...
- I'm one of the billions of gardeners whose favourite plants need water. Rain, of course, should do most of the irrigating. But often a little extra help is required, and sometimes one has to be subtle...
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Apres Gardening...
- Going Apres-Gardening requires changing into a clean body, and stylish, clean clothes - the comparison to Apres-Ski is obvious. And, of course, some serious gardening has to have taken place - this definitely an 'afterwards' situation!