2012 May Week 3

Playing chamber music (particularly Bach and Vivaldi) with my flautist-friend is one of my greatest loves at the moment. It's almost as inspiring as gardening. If I had to choose between the two, I'd choose both. Oh, and reading in bed...

Tuesday 15th May

Thinking about my recently ordered clutch of new roses, and feeling guilty - eek! Last spring a reputable rose grower (me?) bought and planted two new pinks - Leonardo da Vinci, and Kathryn Morley - near the edge of the sunny Pond Paddock border. I even remembered initially to give them buckets of water. What I suspect then happened is this: self-seeding red Centranthus took over, and the roses struggled for air and light in the confusion of late spring and summer. Please, please let them still be there, with some stalks still growing. I can't remember either of them flowering. Hopeless.

When I get home from chamber music I'm going to approach this border gingerly, not-always-green fingers crossed. Several smaller Flower Carpet roses have to come out, and I need to prune back the background shrubs. My new-rose reputation is threatened, and I'm nervous...

Later...

Phew! Just as I thought - Leonardo is there, sulking underneath the Centranthus, while dear Kathryn is completely submerged in perennial Umbrella grass (that's what I call it). But they are both still alive! Phew! This is good news.

Have I done any gardening? Not exactly. I arrived home with my head full of Vivaldi and my car full of tins of recycled exterior paint - luscious colours like fuchsia and purple, a dull lime green, and some reds. Total cost fifteen dollars - brilliant. So I leapt outside immediately and painted the rest of the house-side fence. If a colour-fanatic looks closely, it changes from nose-bleed red to a more terracotta, cherry colour. Hee hee.

Chanticleer Seat :

Chanticleer is a delightful, whimsical garden in Pennsylvania.

If the weather is warm enough tomorrow I might paint some of my wooden garden chairs and benches. I've been meaning to do this for so long now - ever since visiting Chanticleer Gardens in the USA. The bright colours may be a bit 'out there' for those of conservative persuasion (like Non-Gardening Partner), but will delightfully brighten up the garden this coming winter.