Pick up your toys...

Sometimes gardeners spend hours and hours making a huge mess, then leave it exactly where it is, blocking a path or scattered all over the lawn. Whenever I do this (and it happens rather too often) I sneak back into the house feeling a bit guilty. Naughty gardener! Pick up your toys before you go to bed!

Thursday 14th April

But no guilt today, for I am allowed. I am being responsible. Have to go to a singing rehearsal in an hour's time. So if I piled everything onto the burning heap (probably five barrowfuls), and it slowly smouldered, then reignited when I was long gone, well that wouldn't be responsible at all!

 Very pretty New Zealand natives.
Green and Brown Astelias

So I've cleaned up in the Driveway Garden around the Astelias and dug out four struggling Sally Holmes roses. And I've cleared the Jelly Bean Garden of suckers and pieces of gum bark.

 Very pretty pink.
Small Pink Azalea

Not even sale price!

Spoke sweetly to the new Azaleas I bought and planted in here last year. Bulk out, you lot! You are all still far too tiddley. I paid jolly good money for you - you weren't even at sale price! So do some growing. Grow!

I've pulled out weeds and clumps of grass. And cut down loads of tree suckers. The path between this garden and the Pond Garden is passable again. But again, I've left all the mess on the ground. So there!

Some days later...

It's never fun cleaning up mess days after one made it. One rakes and plods and throws stuff on the bonfire and feels totally uninspired. Because that was then, and back-tracking doesn't lift the gardening spirits as much as living in the moment, or looking forwards. But this afternoon I've done it, I've made peace with those messy piles, and I'm once more up too date with my garden maintenance. Good work, me.