November Week 2

What a weekend! Three monster Cabbage trees dug up from another garden, trailered across town, and planted on the far edge of the Frisbee Lawn. This morning we're off to pick up a wooden garden bench - another one! Gardens need lots of seats and benches...

Sunday 8th November

More roses are flowering - the woodshed rambler, such a pretty apple-blossom pink, and Clair Matin, another lovely pink. A very late Crab-Apple tree called Charlotte is in blossom.

Crepuscule on the pergola is starting - sadly only on one side of the pergola. The second Crepuscule was trashed in a winter snow storm, struggled on for a year or so, but was never healthy - I cut it down last autumn. So the scruffy pink Gerbe rose is allowed to climb over that side - just for now.

Swarming Bees

Yesterday bees (please let them be bees) were swarming high in the gum trees, with many zooming down to gardener height. This morning Son of Moosey found a (live) bee in his bed. Eek!

Right. I have work to do. All the edges need trimming before my friend arrives for lunch. She gave me a rhododendron which (phew) has stopped sulking and started flowering. It's a deepish purple, a very vibrant colour, and works well with the neighbouring deciduous Azaleas (they're all peachy apricot shades). I'm off to water it before she gets here.

Later, Early Afternoon...

My visiting friend has been and gone - she doesn't like pink, so I pointed out all the pink rhododendrons, and took her especially to see the peonies (they're a coral-pink). Many of my adult green flaxes were originally gifts from her garden - and my birdbath. And there's more to come - she has a garden gnome who is taking a country retreat here. Apparently he needs sprucing up - a set of new clothes...

I need four of me. One does nothing but weeding. The second plants things. The third does lopping and cleans up the hedge trimmings. The fourth me shifts the hose around, gets big ideas, organises Non-Gardening Partner, shows friends around, and sits on newly acquired garden benches drinking coffee and reading. Hee hee.

Get Working!

Right. The weeding-me is now going to work in the Shrubbery. This area needs watering, too. I can do that! All these versions of me are being busy today!

Ha! It's one hour later, and the weeding-me is finished! Easy! All shrubs in the Shrubbery are growing well - the rugosa Corylus is a gorgeous rose. Madame Leonie de Viennot is sprawling along the sheep netting fence, ready to flower.

Other rugosas with pale pink single blooms behind the rustic bench are flowering, too, and the trailing Rosemary looks gorgeous with its blue flowers falling gently down the stone wall. I've pulled out all forget-me-nots and purple Honesty - their time in the garden is over.

One of me (not sure which one) has totally lost my green wheelbarrow, and thus the piles of weeds and grass clippings cannot be scooped up. The lopping-me is just enjoying a cup of tea, and then she will go out the back to do some more work on the hedge trimmings. NGP located the swarm of bees in the middle of the Hazelnut Orchard while mowing between the rows - he's taken some pictures. I hope they go away - last evening my rubbish fire seemed to attract them and I had to run for the house (sounds a bit dramatic).

Late Afternoon...

All the 'me's have gone apres-gardening. Lopping-me only lasted half an hour - hopeless. It's just been a wonderfully tiring day, working in the sunshine. I have a list for planting tomorrow:

Things to Plant

1. Dwarf Agapanthus

By the powder-pink rhododendron, other side of the wee path.

2. Left-over shrubs

In the Frisbee Border.

3. Green Hosta

In with the other new hostas.

4. Flower Carpet Rose

On edge of Wattle Woods Garden.

I also need to water the vegetable garden and the glass-house seedlings. Might just be able to manage those after dinner tonight.