What worked well? Me!

Looking back over November's first gardening weekend (with Monday included), here's a self-evaluation, if you like. What worked well? Me! is there room for improvement? Yes, always! In what areas, exactly? In me! Positives? Lots and lots - where do I begin?

 A flower spiral? Oops.
Flowers and Roses by the Herb Spiral

For three days the weather has been gorgeous. My energy levels have been brilliant, the gardening mood highly receptive to the magic all around. But the logical gardening brain has been hard at work, too. If I remembered something which needed doing I'd go and do it. At the end of each gardening session I'd walk past a batch of weeds. At the beginning of the next I would start by pulling them out. A continuously functioning gardener!

 Off to the compost we go.
Forget-Me-Nots

My New Weeding Strategy...

Actually, my weeding strategy is now somewhat refined. Barrowfuls of forget-me-nots (and only forget-me-nots) are dumped along the side driveway. Then I do some lasagne layering, adding horse manure, shreddings, ash from the bonfire, and water. In my mind's inexperienced eye I am (slowly) creating an enriched semi-soil, which will be covered by little blue flowers next spring. And in which the things I deliberately plant will be moderately happy. I'm sure this is how it works!

All other weeds go in a different wheelbarrow and are dumped in a different place. This includes the Alkanet (which I might dislike, but my bees love it) and the edge lawn trimmings.

Then I shift the hoses, trim some edges, grab the camera and photograph yet another rose flowering, and find another patch of forget-me-nots past its use-by date. I love forget-me-nots, by the way. And I love the way that they've managed to spread nearly everywhere. Hee hee. My mistress plan has worked!

 A rugosa (I think) in the Hen House Garden, flowering beautifully in the shade.
Unknown Red Rose

My Watering Plans...

My watering plans have been well thought out, too. No surface dribbling - the hoses stay on one area and plants are watered properly. On Saturday it was the turn of the rhododendrons and roses in the Stumpy (AKA Willow Tree) Garden. On Sunday and Monday the Hen House Gardens were chosen to receive water, which meant I also weeded them. I found a beautiful cherry-red rugosa (possibly) rose flowering in here, in the shade for much of the day. Unfortunately the irises along the shadeless edge are not. Funny - I'd have thought they'd like it. Sort of sunny, sort of dryish...

I planted the Psoralea shrub by Duck Lawn, next to the rhododendron which I think might be Virginia Richards. I found lots of little lupin seedlings nearby, but the larger plants have not resprouted. So I've planted some new stock. I also weeded out a thousand and one little gorse and broom seedlings. Just joking.

 Pale creamy-pink.
Rhododendron by Duck Lawn

Each afternoon I bucket water onto the Herb Spiral and the vegetable garden, and first thing in the morning I grab the cottage watering can, fill it from the pond (being careful not to fall in), and water the cottage's roses and pots. Little and often is the plan here.

 A sparkling pink, late season flowering.
Recycled Pink Rhododendron

Recycled Rhododendrons

Then I wander over to the house carrying water buckets for the four new recycled rhododendrons on the saide of the Jelly Bean Border. They seem to love it here, and have settled in well.

The pink is subtle, and now a third shrub, a lilac-purple, has started blooming. This seem very late in the season, but this may be due to being shifted out of their original town garden. Just one more, a darker purple to go - I can see this from the buds, which are just starting to open.

Towards the end of each day, freshly showered, I water the house pots with watering cats stationed in the kitchen. Then I grab the hugest glass of cold milk and watch another episode of Miss Fisher (she's a flapper-socialite lady detective, and the series is set in Melbourne). It's delightful.

Too tired to write anything interesting, I promise myself I'll get up early tomorrow morning to check my photographs and do my gardening journal. Oops...