October Week 3

Everything in the garden is growing greener by the hour! I’m afraid to even be lazy for an afternoon in case I miss some new blossom, some sudden flowering. I am still sick of weeding, though - I’d rather be buying in new plants...

Sunday 17th October

Today we have a couple of exciting garden-fringe things to do. After checking the flow-rate in my Wattle Woods stream (I do this at least once a week) we are off to the market to buy some Benjamin Britten roses. I am allowed to be a little reckless with money, since I work so hard in my garden nearly every day.

Then we are off to a Spring Garden Tour - a series of open country gardens in nearby Darfield. I know what will happen - I will suddenly get a Gardening-Panic attack and want to rush home immediately to the Moosey garden - after buying lots of new plants - hee hee...

Early Afternoon

Very interesting! The Spring Garden Tour was - well - cold, rainy, and not quite the inspiration I was looking for! In fact we drove past a few gardens and didn't stop. We did go to the market where there was a Trillium stall - very common, my Trillium! But I bought my two Benjamin Britten roses - they are David Austin English roses - and one each of a Brandywine pink and purple tomato plant. These are so much bigger than my 3cm seedlings of the same - oh well, we'll see who has the best fruit!

Then when we arrived home rooster and the hens were sheltering in my glass-house. I could have caught him! I didn't have the heart - big softie me! Anyway, there was furious squawking as he was escorted to the door, and he ran off across the grass as if his tail was on fire. Now I am waiting for the rain to ease so I can plant my new roses. That may be all I achieve today. So be it!

Later...

I’ve weeded in the mud for two hours (until I just got too dirty and cold). The new roses are planted, as are two Leucadendrons which have been languishing by the Stables. I've also planted a trayful of ruby pansies along the back lawn fence. There is a cherry coloured scrambler rose draped over the top of this fence - imagine how colour co-ordinated things will look! I shifted a hosta out to the stone edge, and pulled out (oops) rather a lot of raspberry shoots. There obviously will be an on-going problem eradicating the raspberry canes - I knew that, though!

For a rainy day today has been lots of fun...

Tuesday 19th October

Now the October month is racing away on me - I’m trying hard to keep up! I can only garden this morning - what to do? Burn some rubbish? Wait until the air temperature warms up a bit? Burn some rubbish to warm up? Connections, connections...

Rooster is staring through the glass, crowing, balanced on one leg. I ’caught’ him raiding the cat food. Aargh! Another Moosey pet addicted to the salt content of dried cat-food! In the garden there is a lot of pinkness - a bit of a Pink Festival going on - as more (pink!) rhododendrons start to flower, and the deeper pink blossom trees join in. Isn’t Crab Apple tree blossom gorgeous! Must make mental note to self - after the yellowness of the daffodils all this rosy pink is lovely.

I guess the next big thing will be blueness, as the irises start flowering. Thus a beautiful colour wave is slowly creeping through the Moosey garden...

Mid-Day

So what did I do in my garden this morning? I weeded. Humph...

Wednesday 20th October

And what am I going to do in my garden this morning? I will be weeding. This is turning into a weeding diary. Deep and meaningful discussions about weeding are not very interesting. I will have to buy a huge load of new plants so that I have something else to write about...

A Brief Wildlife Report
• 1. It isn’t a peacock in the Hump garden - it is a large brown pheasant.

I suppose that pheasants can visit - but can they be e.g. pets? I met the pheasant this morning using the driveway as a runway for take-off, shrieking wildly.

• 2. The young chicken has still not declared its gender.

Cross fingers it’s a female!

• 3. The frog chorus continues every night.

Sounds now as if there are huge numbers of them. They are still not resonantly croaking, though - perhaps they are small frogs? Frog-resonance improves with age?

• 4. The new puppy is coming around Christmas time.

Plus a new kitten. The gentle equilibrium of the Moosey house pets will be destroyed!