I need to regroup...
Percy the Cat
I need to regroup (even though there's only one of me) after the rainy days earlier this week - my gardening tempo has gone molto adagio. Get some general October garden goals? No, no, get a new blue gardening shirt. Much less scary...
Saturday 8th October
I've had another low key, flat, dribbly gardening day today, only managing a couple of hours of unspectacular weeding. But it's all to do with having a balanced Saturday - in fact all days require this sort of treatment.
One Tries...
One tries to do a bit of everything every day - well almost everything. Things like swimming and hiking (physical fitness), having morning tea with friends (social fitness), Brahms (musical fitness), and gardening (soul fitness).
And The Rugby!
And then there's the rugby - it's the semi-finals of the World Cup and I am looking forward to (cross fingers) Wales getting though. So I've had to go apres gardening rather early this afternoon, to be ready for kick-off at 6pm.
Spring - From the Patio
My temporary garden malaise could be more simply treated by writing a list for tomorrow, getting up early, and sticking to it. I'll do it! And here it is:
- 1. Shifting Things
- The Hosta by Willow Stump is replanted by Middle Path, and that sad pink rhododendron on the edge of the Frisbee Lawn is shifted somewhere nicer.
- 2. Planting Things
- The recycled Viburnum, the purple Heuchera, and the remaining recycled rose in a bucket all get planted somewhere sensible.
- 3. Glass-House Duties
- Seeds are watered, the purple cornflowers are pricked out, cuttings are checked for signs of little roots.
- 4. Weeding
- The Dog-Path Garden is the designated weeding-zone.
Just an hour spent on each will suffice, I think... And I'll also get a trailer load of mulch, as part of my BMP, Beautify by Maintenance Programme. What on earth is that? I just made it up, hee hee...
First Purple Dwarf Iris
Sunday 9th October
Aha! I have got myself a 'new' two dollar gardening shirt - a soft blue and white plaid pattern, perfect for late spring days. And I'm waking up to Wales (land of my mothers, actually) and France (land of my daughter-in-law) winning their knock-out rugby games. Today I require Australia (land of my son-in-law) and the All Blacks, from the land of meeeeeeeee, and the quadrilateral will be nicely balanced, hee hee.
Lemon Tulips
A Good List
I'm also very happy with that list - surely a good start to the gardening day. See, I am better all ready (it doesn't take much).
Seven Hours Later!
Yippee! Wearing this new gardening shirt works! I've been super-industrious, I'm not even bored, nothing is getting sore, and I've done plenty of good gardening, working mainly off that list.
Good Place for Rhododendrons?
When we first came to Mooseys Non-Gardening Partner pointed over the Frisbee Lawn and said this would be a good place for rhododendrons. He doesn't remember saying this, but I filed his comment away for future reference. Some years later I did plant four rhododendrons there. And they have absolutely hated it, because it's always been too dry. And I hardly ever go over there to say hello and check on them anyway - such a waste of these noble shrubs.
President Roosevelt Rhododendrons
Well, one flowered this year, a bright red with the label 'Lucky Dip' - no, that's not the rhododendron's name. One has 'Possibly Pink' written on its label and one has a smudged name - somthing like Celebration? The last is anonymous and has never flowered. Well, I've moved them all out, and three have been lovingly planted in the Apple Tree Garden, and covered with exciting soil and compost. The fourth is nearby, along the fence, and the Viburnum has gone in one of the holes left behind, hee hee.
Willow Stump
October Weeds
I took a quick break for lunch on the garden bench by the Stables Garden - I've recently weeded here, so I could relax without seeing anything nasty. Then back to business - I dug out the Hostas and replanted them, and did some extra weeding in the Glass-House Garden, where my so-called 'October weeds' were in full pre-seedy swing. Eek!
Tree House
Non-Gardening Partner has been preparing the Willow Stump for the tree platform he's building. He says he knows what he's doing - phew! And he got me a new trailer load of mulch for the paths, but alas I've run out of day-gardening hours, so that can be tomorrow's job. I'd like to congratulate my new gardening shirt for re-invigorating me.
Monday 10th October
Hmm... I have seven more garden gnomes to pick up. This is slightly embarrassing as I thought I'd stopped collecting. However I do have a large country garden pond, and there's still plenty of room. Perhaps it's time to cull the ceramic Disney chaps? Ouch. How does one cull a garden gnome sensitively, anyway?
Path to the Cottage
Path Mulch
Right. I've done an hour of spreading path mulch, and an hour weeding by the Laundry Path. It's just devastating after a long, hard working day to stumble in from the washing line past lots and lots of weeds. Dandelions may have the prettiest yellow daisy flowers, but they shout out a rather rude 'boo!' to a tired end-of-day gardener.
Pouff! The pale lemon tulips in the Laundry Garden, photographed in first flower only days ago, have just about fallen to pieces. Hopeless flowers! And the Rosemary is getting very scruffy...
I've decided to have a Brahms break before working for another hour. I've still got the Heuchera and one rose to plant, as per yesterday's list. So I should behave and do just that, methinks. OK, Mister B. Let's get your semiquavers going faster!