End of July

I am really trying to give my garden all the detailed care and attention it's missed out on. For every task I complete I seem to unearth four more which should have been done years ago. Humph...

Saturday 29th July

Today I scattered myself listlessly here, there, and everywhere. Pittosporums and Hebes were planted in the garden by the pond, Heuchera divisions by the driveway, and two flax refugees were firmly installed in the lower Wattle Woods. I planted the first Pink Panther flax - oh yes, new little red flax, you had better behave! A friend gave me some silver Astelias - they are now in big pots by the Pond Garden Seat. What a mess the paths are in! Aargh!

Then it got really cold. I should have finished the day by burning, but I ran out of puff. The garden looks so wintry, with just a few spring bulb leaves visible, nowhere near to flowering size. I am longing for some spring colour!

What My Garden Needs

The fence which runs through the middle of the Septic Tank Garden needs repairing, then painting. I need to buy two specimen trees for the Wattle Woods - no, not wattles! I need to continue my spasmodic rose pruning. I must plant all my plants. I simply must keep going right until the end of the month.

‘Be proactive, not reactive.’

-Head Gardener's Motto.

There is to be no more slackness, no more leaving the growth of large areas of my garden to nature's wily ways. I remind myself of my new gardening motto - be pro-active, rather than reactive. In other words, do things before they need doing?

I need to finish everything I start. My garden needs more mulch. And much more energy and determination from the Head Gardener. And more compost. And more, more, more....

Sunday 30th July

I am so cross with myself for getting so gloomy yesterday. I am so sorry! This morning while mind gardening at dawn (as one does) I solved everything. The answer is easy! Separate out the tasks into categories, and write lists. Yes, that's lists, plural. Then when one has an uninspiring, maintenance type of day, one can still tick things off.

A Harry Potter List?

Random thought - wouldn't it be nice to have a Harry Potterish list - as soon as an item was completed it vanished - pouff! - off the paper! Ha! Look, I am doing really well. Little things are happening fast. Yesterday, for example, I removed three more coarse carex grasses (which I keep on finding in every corner and on every curve of the garden). But since I hadn't written a list, I didn't sense the satisfaction... Three more, thirty to go...

I will now present my End Of July Lists. They will be quite detailed, and can easily be skimmed over by bored readers. In my mind they should appear set in concrete. And I have TWO gardening days in which most of the items should vanish. Pouff!

List One - Garden Maintenance, Do Now
1. Remove strangling Clematis Montana from beautiful flowering cherry tree.
2. Put all excess flax divisions in pots, or heel in.
3. Clean glass roof of glass-house, using step-ladder.
4. Rationalise log piles in Wattle Woods. If necessary, relocate.
5. Finish clearing Wattle Woods paths, and organise edging.

And there's more...

List Two - Planting, Do Now
1. Prune uprooted Penelope roses and replant.
2. Plant all remaining NZ natives. Put them on wheelbarrow and simply wander around.
3. Plant flax pieces in back of Wattle Woods and Welcome Garden. Create a boundary.
4. Pick up new Ligularias from friend.

And even more...(love that set of steak knives, brilliant for removing flaxes)

List Three - Assorted Garden Tasks, Ongoing
1. Prune more roses.
2. Burn rubbish.
3. Finish digging behind new Pond Garden bench.
4. Organise Laundry path extension.
5. Purchase new specimen trees.

Ridiculous! But they should keep me going (until Christmas, probably). And I haven't taken any garden photographs for the last two weeks. This must be fixed up at once! Prepare to be dazzled by a series of path clearing and Clematis ripping images! And no more lists allowed this month...

Later...

I've done some of my list things properly (in other words, I can tick them off). My major focus, the Clematis Montana, is cmpletely removed. I also severely trimmed the rose Cecile Brunner next-door. Many of its branches were split from the snow, so it got rather a complete overhaul. One of the flowering cherries had two main branches broken, too, and now looks rather lopsided, naked, and defnitely inelegant. I await some visible spring blossom in the driveway - and it better be good!

Burning, and rose pruning kept me busy later in the afternoon. I have placed my Pink Panther flaxes, ready for planting tomorrow, and cleared more path. I think on a score out of ten I would give myself - six? The lists will be my inspiration tomorrow, when I hope to finish all possible items.