Couldn't resist...

I gave in. Driving past the big Easter Nursery Sale after swimming this morning, I just couldn't resist popping in. Just to satisfy myself that the nursery's sale prices would still be far too dear for me, you understand.

 Still room for more plants...
Stumpy Garden

And they mainly were! But I found some bargains, and spent (amazingly) twenty-one dollars. I bought two bargain bin variegated Coprosmas, a rather pretty pink and white Pelargonium, and ten little dollar pots of perennials, including some Acorus, a little strappy grass which I like to plant by the water.

 With Carex grasses growing out of the top.
Willow Tree Stump

Already planted!

I've already planted the Coprosmas, two Anthemis, two Lavatera shrubs (variety 'rosea'), and two Penstemons in the Stumpy (AKA Willow Tree) Garden near the blue garden seats. They can provide good perennial company for the new rugosa roses. I also dug clumps of new seedling Lychnis out of the lawn and lazy-planted them in the gaps.

I've also cleaned up the willow stump. I've been lazy, letting it send forth sprouting branches in all directions. I used my saw on a pole to finish the job. Another one of those tasks that I should have done ages ago. My gardening life is riddled with such.

Thought : two smallish Pittosporum Lemonwood seedlings in the Stumpy Garden can be dug out carefully and planted on the boundary. That's a saving of eight dollars - if I'd seen two in the nursery sale I'd have probably bought them.

Another thought : the scruffy dahlia clumps squashed up against the big Miscanthus can be dug out and dumped. The flowers are single mid-sized magenta, and have little impact. I like my dahlias to be big, or fluffy, or pink, or spiky...

 Half fluffy half spiky!
Seedling Dahlia

And now...

And now my day would be complete.... if I could only work out how to watch The Bachelor New Zealand, recorded somewhere on my TV, while Non-Gardening Partner is out at a flying barbecue (the people fly, not the barbecue, hee hee) Such a programme as The Bachelor is best watched with the fast forward button when the bloke of the house is absent. Good country blokes don't understand things like 'The Bachelor'.

OK. Hopeless. I have pressed just about everything I can find to press on two remotes, with no luck. Many of the icons make no sense to me at all. Hmm... a possible sign of older age?

Sunday 16th April

The dogs and I walked around the Dog-Path Garden early this morning. I've been weeding clover out of the gardens for three days now. And this morning I found some more. More. Aargh!

 Aargh!
Clover

Now the garden area near the Koru brick courtyard needs - remodelling? Revamping? Possibly re-designating, as its beautiful Copper Beech tree spreads ever outwards and upwards. I have already shifted out most of the roses and shifted in deciduous Azaleas. Now I need to think leafy woodland. And - eek! - weed out the clover before it stops the invasive Euphorbia in its tracks. Hmm...

 Flowering now - a weed and Agastache.
Food for the Bees

How about a revisit to that Easter Plant Sale? Absolutely, definitely no need to. I have more than enough plants to nurture, organise, and/or boss around. And to take pity on, and rescue, or shift to a better spot. Or - sshhh - dump on the bonfire. Oops.