Garden Journal 2026

2026 is going to be a wonderful gardening year, right? Even if it's only sort of wonderful, I'll be happy. I'm going to do my very best to be a measured, thoughtful gardener. All year, in all weathers. And to lovingly record all my garden adventures, both good and not so good, hopefully with balance and good humour. Ha! Let's see, now...

Good morning 2026Good morning 2026...
Good morning, 2026. Thanks for the rain, my garden loves it when it rains. But thank you also (in advance) for the summer sunshine which I hope to arrive this afternoon - so I can start off 2026 with some good gardening.
Gnomes in disarray!Gnomes in disarray!...
I am brave. I am tough. I am woman gardener, ready to go outside into my damp, cold garden. It's mid-summer (well, it's supposed to be), the second day of 2026, and I'm already a day behind schedule, hee hee. But am I prepared for a gnome surprise?
Tossing the letter box?Tossing the letter box?...
Day three of 2026 : took the rubbish bin out to the road for collection, noticed that our letter box had gone, post and all. Found it three paddocks down the road, post and box still attached. Somebody practicing for a new quasi-Scottish sports event : 'Tossing the Letter Box'...
Floating by...Floating by......
Summer days are floating by - so what day of the week is it? Yesterday we visited family. I know I did some gardening, because I went visiting in my gardening shorts, but I can't remember what I did. Oh dear me...
New Shrubs...New Shrubs......
My friend has given me some shrubs in large plastic pots (five Michelias, and two Azaleas). Michelia gracipes : an evergreen large shrub, easily grown, good for hedges. Hmm... Would I like a hedge? Not sure. Don't have any Michelias in my garden.
Should be easy?Should be easy?...
Shrubs in big pots should be easy to handle. One quickly clears a space, and pops them into the garden. Half an hour per shrub? Reality - more like half a day!
Wind-noisy...Wind-noisy......
Blustery summer nor-west days are difficult to enjoy, worrisome for the gardener (it's wind-noisy). My lawns are in a terrible mess, strewn with long pieces of gum bark - one of the joys of wind in summer. But I'm not complaining, honestly...
Refreshed!Refreshed!...
There's no wind! It's not thirty degrees Celsius! My garden is refreshed, moderate, and waiting for its Head Gardener to do some amazing things. Gently, though. My garden is very patient and understanding.
Pukekos in my garden!Pukekos in my garden!...
Have just been to check on the Stumpy Garden, by the water race - to do a cleaning-up inventory, see what needs fixing, and so on. Quite a surprise. Someone (so kind) has already done a lot of clearing, but they've just left all the mess, loads and loads of it, lying in there. I wonder who could this possibly have been? And some pukekos have moved in...
Finish what I started?Finish what I started?...
Have just had the most scary gardening idea, which fills me with dread. It makes me want to curl up under the bedcovers and refuse to come out! I make a list of all the things I've started this year and not finished. And then I finish them, one by one. Aargh!
More warm summer rain...More warm summer rain......
We've had another three days of wonderful summer warm rain - the perfect length of time to finish the second holiday jigsaw, reflect on the garden, and recharge. This morning the drizzle has finally stopped, leaving shiny wet vegetation and saturated soil. Yeay!
Fix up the flaxes...Fix up the flaxes......
Oh boy! It's turning into a Fix Up the Flaxes month. More and more of the larger Phormiums (I have quite a few) are splitting apart. They've had a bumper flowering season, and their stalks are really heavy.
Rudderless!Rudderless!...
Aargh! I am rudderless! Non-Gardening Partner has gone back to work (I thought he had another week off). I'm not sure exactly why I'm missing him - it is only 10am, first morning on my own. What a silly billy I am. Hmm...
Summer bonfire is allowed...Summer bonfire is allowed......
The fire ban has been lifted (there's been significant rainfall in the last two weeks). It's a gloomy January day. And Non-Gardening Partner has the day off. Ha! The starts are aligned! Specifically, NGP can be the star of the bonfire.
In the water race...In the water race......
Summer means standing in the water race in my crocs and trimming Carexes, Ferns, and Phormiums. The water refreshes the mind (and the feet), the trickling and burbling noises calm the spirit.
Hello February!Hello February!...
My goodness, it's February already. My goodness indeed. All my lovely musical groups start up again this week. I am enjoying my relationship with my wonderful garden, spending quality time in it with my dogs.
Reconnecting...Reconnecting......
Good morning to my garden, and my inner gardener. Time you were both reconnected. It's a coolish but sunny day, no wind, and I have no commitments. Yeay! It's merely a question of what to do first. What, indeed? When in doubt, write a list.
Checking the poultry...Checking the poultry......
Today's first task should be to weed and clean up Henworld, and to check on the poultry. A weedy grass which came into my garden with some Agapanthus I planted there needs to be pulled out. ASAP. BISS. Before it sets seeds.
Continuing...Continuing......
So what am I going to do today? Continue what I was doing yesterday. Gardeners are always continuing something or other. So I'm going back over by the Hen House to work in the shade...
Guilty?Guilty?...
Had the day off the garden yesterday. This morning I felt a bit guilty, so decided I needed to work extra hard. Really silly - am allowed a day of rest (as long as I water the pots of tomatoes). So there.
Sitting down on the job!Sitting down on the job!...
I love doing sit-down gardening. My knees talk to me in the night if I've been kneeling. My hips join in if I've done too much ducking and diving. So sitting in the dirt suits me just fine. Quiet nights!
Who cares what the date is!Who cares what the date is!...
Friday 13th was just another great gardening day for me. Didn't realise the date until after dinner time, so no chance to be remotely superstitious. Great gardening days don't care which number they've been assigned...
My new Phormium cutting knife...My new Phormium cutting knife......
What to do first in my garden today? After I've put on my gardening shorts and boots, that is. How about some more Phormium slicing? I have a new serrated breadknife to try out - sourced from the Op Shop, cost FOUR dollars. Gardening hand tools are SO expensive these days...
New is easy...New is easy......
Back in the garden again after three weather-bound days - what do I feel like doing? Starting something new, hee hee. But I've stopped myself, and thought things through. Starting something new is easy, and mentally light. It takes much more inner strength and character to finish something...
Stepping out...Stepping out......
For interest, yesterday I counted my gardening steps. Four hundred from the Island Bed to the bonfire and back. Carried fifteen loads, plus six detours to pick up mess from the fence-line. I reckon I walked about three kilometers. And these are just gardening steps...
Weeds in the compost...Weeds in the compost......
Something really unfair has happened - weeds are growing happily in the new compost I've been spreading. Stern words to self : sulking is not allowed. It will not improve the situation. What's needed is weeding, pure and simple, which I do really well.
Wonderful dahlias...Wonderful dahlias......
The dahlias are filling my garden with wonderful flower colours - I am so glad I grow them. Memo to self : all the self-sown ones growing in silly places could be dug out and replanted. Sensible? Reward them for growing without making a fuss?
Early autumn...Early autumn......
Late summer seems to have transitioned into early autumn. The light has changed - gardeners notice such things. And so do people who sleep in garden cottages. Cooler nights, darker mornings, lots more reflective autumnal thoughts...
A minimalist?A minimalist?...
Yeay! The sun and I are both back in the garden, after several wet grey days. Should I let my gardening time be fluid, or should I get all serious and write a list? Hmm... A maxi-list? A minimal-list?
Ridiculous...Ridiculous......
Ridiculous temperature variations - six degrees Celsius one day, twenty six the next. Can put a gardener into a bit of a tizz. What warmth-level of clothing is required? How many covers on the bed at night? It's not just the shrubs in the garden that can get a bit confused...
Hot, hot, hot...Hot, hot, hot......
Non-Gardening Partner, sitting lazily in one of the breakfast chairs, informs me that temperatures could reach thirty degrees. So what would he like to do today? Finish trimming the Olearia hedge? Some chain-sawing? Or mow all the lawns? He didn't answer.
Variety...Variety......
Variety is the spice of autumn gardening life, yes? Three hot days, and now it's gone back down to nine degrees Celsius and is raining. Have been for a wet walk with the dogs, am back inside contemplating my day. What do I feel like doing? Gardening! Wrong answer.
Thursdays...Thursdays......
Thursdays in 2026 are (in theory) my lovely 'don't have to go anywhere' days. Yeay! Days of gardening, or reading, or mooching around doing nothing (hopefully not too many of these).
Multi-layered...Multi-layered......
A bit of this, a bit of that... Autumn gardening is multi-layered, after all. One minute I'm picking beautiful roses, the next I'm carting annoying mess off to the bonfire.
Issues with the ShrubberyIssues with the Shrubbery...
Problems with the Shrubbery : the entrance to the hidden courtyard is blocked. The rustic garden benches therein are rotting and parts of the stone wall are coming apart. And periwinkle is rampant, smothering everything.
How good?How good?...
How good am I? This morning I removed three more huge loads of periwinkle mess from the Shrubbery. I also dug out some unhappy dahlias. I am on fire! Like my bonfire, which is burning merrily...
Wellness...Wellness......
Friday morning - woke up with a fuzzy head, grumpy, hadn't sleep well (a very talkative knee). Walked over to the house through my lovely green garden. Felt instantly better, so did my knee. The wellness benefits of being in the garden...
A slight error...A slight error......
A slight error of judgment - left four bags of stinky horse manure in my car (windows shut tight), where they happily percolated in the sunshine for two days. Oh dear.
March...March......
March is a beautiful time of the year to be in the garden. Not too hot, not too cold, the mellow golden colours of autumn starting to appear everywhere.
Settling in...Settling in......
Autumn is settling in. But my garden contains lots of evergreens, so amid the autumn golds there are still green leaves all around. This makes the changing colour spectrum even more beautiful.
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