Monster Cabbage trees...
Crab-Apple Charlotte
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.
A Blob of Bees
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...
Coral Pink Peonies
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.
Aargh! Hedge Trimmings
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 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.
Othello Rose Petals
Monday 9th November
Brr... A southerly wind is blowing, straight from the deep southern oceans of Antarctica. It's cold, but I am going to do a little bit of gardening before going in to work (eek). I've been a bit wayward online (another eek). I've bought a pair of super-sized Agaves cheaply - well I think they are. And another garden gnome. And some more red Phormiums. Oops, oops, oops - just couldn't resist. It's the perfect way to 'accessorise' my garden...
Tuesday 10th November
Well, after having had yet another complete day off from the garden, today I have to work twice as hard. Later I'm going to try to squash the two Agaves into my car - I might have to sit them on the seats, like chunky, spiky passengers.
I'm having a few morning moments of giving thanks for everything - my cats, my dog, my family who allows me to be silly, my friends who pop up and pop down through the weeks. I guess I'm saying thank you for all the groovy things I've been able to do, particularly in the last six years. Enough of that! Rather than blithering thanks and getting sentimental I should be digging my thanks into the garden.
Much Later...
I planted the Agapanthus nearer the house. Then I said thank you to the Frisbee Borders by raking up dried grass clippings and spreading it on. I also weeded and dug out two barrowfuls of grass from my new garden dig. And then - oops, two giant oopses in fact - I went off in my tiny forest green Moosey car, wheelbarrow stuffed in the back. I returned triumphant with two huge monster Agaves, a rather large faded gnome, three pots of Elegia capensis (yippee! I've always wanted to grow this), nine pots of dark red flaxes, and a tiny Wintersweet. Everything fitted, but I had to leave the wheelbarrow behind.
Large White Clematis
I've trimmed lots of 'babies' off the Agaves, and I've decided the parents will be planted in the small triangle of garden at the gate. Digging holes for them could be impossible (the land here is quite stony). Aargh! So this is what I'll be doing tomorrow.