Moosey News : May 2006

Dear Subscriber,

It's amazing to think that as Autumn 'digs in' here other gardening friends are waking up to spring flowers. I hope you'll find something nicely seasoned to enjoy in my May newsletter!

This month's features :

1. Easter Plant Sales
2. Rose Clair Matin
3. My First Fungi Collection
4. Burning
5. Perennial Asters

Regulars :

6. Plant of the Month : Cordylines
7. Animal of the Month : Fluff-Fluff the Cat
8. Garden Quote : Getting Started
9. Garden Gallery : Camouflage Cat
10. Forum Focus : Spring Versus Autumn
11. Gardening Advice : Sun and Shade
12. Searching for Moosey : Questions, questions...
13. Coming up this month : Mellow Reflections

This month's features

1. Easter Plant Sales

Each year at Easter I take pity on the old nursery stock, pot-bound all summer, desperate to stretch out in some good quality, free-draining country garden soil...

2. Rose Clair Matin

The sweetest rose - almost a climber, beautifully pink with a heart of soft gold.

3. My First Fungi Collection

A horticultural first - I wanted to find and photograph all the different types of fungi in my garden. Then I was to faithfully match my pictures with the proper Latin names. Good intentions...

4. Burning

The first in my series of terribly serious garden articles dealt with the old perennial topic of pruning. This month I tackle the burning issue. Where there's smoke, there's fire!

5. Perennial Asters

Brilliant flower colour for Autumn days is provided by these cheerful daisy-faced perennials.

Regulars

6. Plant of the Month : Cordylines

It's a New Zealand thing - the Cordylines, or Cabbage trees as we affectionately call them, are one of the strong players in the the New Zealand landscape. Colourful hybrids, or the common-garden variety...

7. Animal of the Month : Fluff-Fluff

Fluff-Fluff the Fearless, the friendliest member of the fur-family at Mooseys, gets this month's award - for being a feline feather-brain? He's either getting covered in diesel oil (under-car climbing), soaked in rain (pergola climbing), or totally covered in mud and dust from rolling in the garden.

8. Garden Quote : Getting Started

Procrastinating, dithering - many gardeners are guilty, always putting off the moment when a garden task needs doing. Check out my advice to self, and a special poem on the subject!

9. Garden Gallery : Camouflage Cat

Tiger the cat recently posed for me on the fencepost by the Sliver Birch tree - check out her cat-camouflage!

10. Forum Focus : Spring Photographs vs Autumn Photographs

It could turn into the nicest, friendliest, in-house competition since the MVC. Pick your favourite image - one of the fresh, magical spring pictures, or the mellow, reflective photographs of Autumn? All lovingly posted by gardening friends in the forum...

11. Gardening Advice : Sun or Shade?

I love all the foliage plants I grow. But often I forget their sun-shade preferences, as I strive to create the right 'look'. I'm silly - the Cannas and Daylilies will look sulky in the shade, and the hostas will look frazzled and stressed in the sun. Let the plants have what they need, and the garden will look so much better!

12. Searching for Moosey : Questions, questions...

Flower Carpet Roses

''What are flower rose carpets?' They are definitely roses, and 'Flower Carpet' is their registered trademark name, used in New Zealand and I believe in Australia. They are ground-covering, low-growing, bright and uncomplicated. Compulsive weeders should not attempt to grow these roses!

Gum Trees

''Gum tree how big does it get?'. Aargh! There are lots of different varieties of these Australian trees. Some get really big. The bigger the gum tree, the bigger the mess of fallen bark and leaves. Some silly gardeners grow them as specimen trees in the house lawns. Aargh!

Cat Face

'Black and orange face cat' This has to be Mugsy the Cat! She has her own cat-page, and also a stylish big-face portrait appears in the 2004 gardening journal.

Finally, the strange search for 'very private gardening'. Hmm... One hopes that this searcher has the cleanest, greenest motives!

13. Coming up this month : Mellow Reflections

I'll be thoughtfully shifting my plants around, before winter brings too many frosty no-dig mornings. My May will be mellow and reflective. Hope you enjoy yours!

Cheers,