Moosey News : May 2007

Dear Subscriber,

May is almost a winter month for me. There's no more early morning garden wandering (too dark) and by five o'clock all sensible gardeners will be freshly showered, enjoying some pre-dinner relaxation. It's a great month to start writing lists of new resolutions for the coming spring.

This month's features :

1. Saddles and Scree
2. Cactus Collections
3. Trap-Neuter-Return
4. Purple Sage
5. Seeing Red

Regulars :

6. Plant of the Month : Venus Fly Trap
7. Animal of the Month : The Hens - and Henworld
8. Garden Quote : Hebe Book
9. Garden Gallery : Journal Pictures
10. Forum Focus : Touring the World
11. Gardening Advice : Strictly for Grumpy Gardeners
12. Searching for Moosey : mossy garden blog
13. Coming up this month : Making lists? Checking dates?

This month's features

1. Saddles and Scree

I've made the daytrip up Camp Saddle twice in the last month. Resting on the Saddle high in the Craigieburn Ranges, I've been doubly inspired by Mother Nature's beautiful foliage garden. And all well-balanced lady gardeners enjoy dancing down a scree slope in the autumn sunshine.

2. Cactus Collections

This light hearted article may say more about a certain mother-son relationship than all those much beloved collections of cacti.

3. Trap-Neuter-Return

More stories about the Trap-Neuter-Return feral cat programme I help with. More adult cats have been helped, more kittens have found good homes...

4. Purple Sage

Purple sage must be one of the most perfect foliage plants, yet I rarely take any photographs. Until now! It's a humble, short-lived herby perennial, but thoroughly deserves its own page. I can't think why, but it reminds me of a Jimi Hendrix song...

5. Seeing Red

The colour red in my garden, whether in flowers or in foliage, is a bright contributor all the year round. Dahlias, roses, rhododendrons, and of course those wonderful autumn red-coloured shrubs and trees are all celebrated in this article.

Regulars

6. Plant of the Month : Venus Fly Trap

It's another plant I've rediscovered since playing the What-Plant-Am-I? Quiz. Just a few happy times I've ended up being a Venus Fly Trap. Yippee! I think I'm carnivorous!

7. Animal of the Month : The Hens - and Henworld

I've created a special garden playground for my poultry, called Henworld. During the designing and digging process the hens enjoyed scratching around. Rooster, however, was a total nuisance - the big plastic rake had to be handy at all times, in case he decided to charge and peck. Silly bird! Almost as silly as me...

8. Garden Quote : Hebe Book

My new Hebe book has inspired and terrified me - and every page has had me reaching for the dictionary. I've found some quotable quotes in it, though - hopefully its writer won't mind me using one.

9. Garden Gallery : Journal Pictures

Of course I love writing my journal, but I really enjoy choosing the photographs to accompany the text. Sometimes the images fit, sometimes they don't - but I'm always trying to take new pictures of new things. Have a peep at this month's feature picture - one of my striped Cannas, oh so late to flower.

10. Forum Focus : Touring the World

Forum friends are posting wonderful pictures of flowers, and cats, and journeys around the world's gardens and cities. You'll love to go touring with friend Liza in her beloved Greece.

11. Gardening Advice : Strictly for Grumpy Gardeners

Not that I am ever very strict, or very grumpy... But sometimes when I'm writing my journal I get a little moody. I've found the perfect solution to the Garden Grumps!

12. Searching for Moosey : mossy garden blog

The First Ever Mossy (AKA Moosey) Blog

Firstly the word 'mossy'. It's a common spelling mistake, usually made by friends who can't spell, searching for me! My garden isn't wet enough to be nicely mossy, while my lawns simply shouldn't be mossy at all - aargh! And any mail sent to mossyscountrygarden just disappears into the great cosmic compost bin! As for 'garden blog' - the Moosey journals popped up on the internet even before the word 'blog' was invented! I started officially in the year 1997.

Friends' Garden Blogs

Now lots of gardeners have their own blogs. When they're not busy gardening they're writing about it...sounds familiar! You'll enjoy meeting friends who garden at Tangly Cottage in the USA, and in Kuala Lumpar - their addresses are in my blog links page.

13. Coming up this month : Making lists? Checking dates?

I'll be busy getting the garden and the gardener ready (both physically and mentally) for the Moosey Semi-Grand Global Garden Tour, which happens next month. Hmm... The M-S-G-G-G-T... It has a certain racy, if somewhat chemical ring to it...

Cheers,