Moosey News : December 2006

Dear Subscriber,

We rush towards the longest day, while northern hemisphere gardeners have quietly packed away their hand diggers. Those who garden 'in-between' must think we are all quite silly - it's either too cold or too hot for us to garden!

This month's features :

1. Garden Tour of Akaroa
2. Raindrops on Roses
3. Shrubs in the Pink
4. Another New Zealand Journey
5. An Old Fashioned Rose Garden

Regulars :

6. Plant of the Month : Rose Rhapsody in Blue
7. Animal of the Month : The Sheep Again
8. Garden Quote : Ownership of Weeds
9. Garden Gallery : Bee on a Cistus Flower
10. Forum Focus : Rosy Summer Promises
11. Gardening Advice : You'll Never Weed Alone...
12. Searching for Moosey : Cabbages and Queens
13. Coming up this month : Christmas - and Lots of Rose Dead-Heading

This month's features

1. Garden Tour of Akaroa

I packed my floating skirt, my groovy cardigan, my thermal long johns, and my Gore Tex parka - ready to enjoy in comfort an overnight trip to the gardens of Akaroa. What a variety!

2. Raindrops on Roses

What does a frustrated gardener do when it's raining? Take photographs of some of her newest roses, with raindrop accessories...

3. Shrubs in the Pink

The pink delights on my garden continue, with two surprisingly pretty shrubs I've never noticed properly before.

4. Another New Zealand Journey

My weekly walk-abouts continue - though some are definitely walk-ups-and-downs. The foothills are covered in tracks, usually through native bush and forest. My latest trip up a braided river gorge was a little weedier than I'd hoped...

5. An Old Fashioned Rose Garden

I've remembered to make a timely visit to the old fashioned rose garden in the local Botanic Gardens. Beautiful is the only word!

Regulars

6. Plant of the Month : Rose Rhapsody in Blue

I owe my newest favourite rose to friends in the forum. I first saw this rose in a forum posting by super-friend Jack, who gardens in the mountains of South Africa.

7. Animal of the Month : The Sheep, Again - Thanks to the Moosey Lambs

Haru the pet lamb is now three months old - in other words, three months fat. She's the brainiest, gentlest, smoochiest lamb I've ever looked after. Then we have a late lamb, another girl, and a boy lamb who is destined for ram-hood down the road.

8. Garden Quote : Ownership of Weeds

OK, so it's easier to blame something else - the latest bag of compost, the wind, the neighbours - or even the birds. But honest gardeners own up and take responsibility - their weeds are theirs!

9. Garden Gallery : Bee on a Cistus Flower

I snapped this busy bumble bee, pollen sacs bursting, on a beautiful papery pink Cistus flower in the Botanic Gardens. It's been a while since the web-master posted any of his insect close-ups, so I thought I'd better - hold the fort? Fill the void? Whatever!

10. Forum Focus : Rosy Summer Promises

Northern friends can keep warm by peeping at our New Zealand rose pictures, like Dixie's favourite Apricot Scentasia. Gardeners down here feel especially rosy at this time of the gardening year...

11. Gardening Advice : You'll Never Weed Alone

Weed on through the rain... Weed on through the sun... And you'll never weed alone.... With apologies to a famous songwriter, and a famous football team, we gardeners all do weeding. So we should all be able to reach out and form a giant cosmic weeding chain... Seriously, gardeners share so much - there's never any need to feel alone.

12. Searching for Moosey : Cabbages and Queens...

Green cabbage tree

Well, 'Cabbage tree' is the pet name for New Zealand's iconic Cordyline Australis. I have lots in my own garden, and I can't resist photographing them when I'm out with the walking group.

Queen rose.

My Queen Elizabeth roses have sulked for years - like their namesake, they probably feel like retiring. So the best answer to this search is the beautiful Queen of the Violets, the old fashioned rose Reine des Violettes.

13. Coming up this month : Christmas

And lots of rose dead-heading. I would like to state publicly that, although I would really love a second pond for my Christmas present, I understand the associated engineering problems, the solving of which cannot be rushed. Hee hee!

Warm greetings to you, wherever you might be, this December. And warm greetings to your families, friends, animal friends, and gardens.

Cheers,