Issues with the Shrubbery
Issues with the Shrubbery : the entrance to the hidden courtyard is blocked. The rustic garden benches therein are rotting and parts of the stone wall are coming apart. And periwinkle is rampant, smothering everything.
The Shrubbery
Also the small garden immediately below needs filling with suitable plants. A detailed analysis follows, sorry about this.
- How to get into the little courtyard without tripping over leaves from an over-sized green Astelia? Don't want to 'destroy' a large living plant. Digging it out is an option? Hmm. Probably a two hour option, but worth it.
- This one should be easier. The rustic (i.e. rotting) benches. Non-Gardening Partner! Where are you?
- The small garden area before the entrance needs filling up. Since it's autumn (fall), all I can think of are loads of dahlias. If it were spring I'd be thinking Camellias. I need year-round vision.
- Periwinkle has spread all around the existing shrubs in the Shrubbery. Does this worry me? If it does I can look forward to five hard days' work and really sore fingers.
New Pink Dahlia
My Monday has started off being a little overwhelming. Shouldn't be, am probably over-thinking (as usual). Aargh! Just need to get going. Wish me luck!
Three hours later...
I must not write gloomy things in my journal. I must not mention my feeble hands, hopeless fingers, or my legs not being strong enough. I must not say that anything is too hard, too heavy, and so on.
Most importantly, I must not say I can't do it. I must just keep on trying. A thought : I could ask Non-Gardening Partner to help me?
Two more hours later...
He did! And he dug the new planting hole for the huge Astelia, in the small garden area that needed planting, and helped me pop it in place.
Green Astelia
Then I decided to dig out the Periwinkle. My reasoning was sound. Was the wee courtyard and its pretty stone retaining wall a wilderness area? No. It was a garden feature. And garden features should be deliberate, and beautiful to behold.
Periwinkle Flowers
So why had Periwinkle (a wilderness-only plant) been allowed to grow all over everything? With tendrils reaching half way up the shrubs (Corokias, Escallonias, Mahonias). Poor things! A dense root mat was covering the surface, and I don't reckon any rain had been getting through for years. Well, that's going to change.
Finished my day by wheeling three barrowloads of mess over to the bonfire. Smoulder, smoulder it went. Lots of gum leaves and bark in it to help combustion. Hard work, but good work. A great start to my Shrubbery make-over.