A large country gardener?
Yippee for gardening Mondays! Just had a scary memory of when I was trying to be a large country gardener (so to speak) as well as a Maths and Music teacher. Aargh! Never again, phew.
Driveway Shrub - Coleonema?
First thing today I collected a barrow load of prunings for the bonfire and weeded the narrow border which runs alongside the driveway. Then I planted all the Agapanthus pieces. Took ages, but I had to remove a lot of little grass weeds.
President Roosevelt Rhododendrons
Happy thoughts...
Sat in the dirt, got really wet and muddy, but full of happy thoughts. Divided up another Renga Renga clump and came inside.
At the end of the day I'm relieved I'm not hiking somewhere in the mountains and setting up a tent in the rain. I can have a warm shower and go to bed in a cosy cottage. What's all this about? Have been trekking with a Youtube film maker in the Himachal Pradesh (India, Western Himalayas). Amazing routes, rivers, valleys, mountains. Yet another 'Wish I'd visited when I was a bit younger and truly adventurous' place. Now I'm just a stay-at-home gardener who goes on mind adventures. But I'm OK with that! At least I'm going somewhere...
Tuesday 26th August
The big rhododendron President Roosevelt's leaves are looking a but yellow, and I have a nasty feeling that it's my fault. Months ago I was trying (carefully) to spray the invasive Alstroemeria underneath it. Oops. Not sure what to do. Maybe a hard prune after flowering and loads of horse manure?
Now I am off to dig out nine 'second hand' Hebes. Oh joy! I need some tough shrubs for filling up garden gaps. The morning has started a bit foggy, so what better to do? Question : how many Hebes can I fit in my tiddly car? Hee hee. Nine?
An hour later...
All nine dug out (easily), popped in bags and squashed into my car, and now soaking in tubs of water. So where am I going to plant them all? Not sure. How exciting!
Later still...
Have planted four of them by the side of the house. Am very happy. Except I've put one too close to a fern, which will smother it in summer. Trying to think ahead and get things 'right'. Will have to shift it a little.