A magical inspiration in winter?
Red Nasturtium
I blame my new garden library book. Why can't my garden be a magical inspiration in winter? High expectations. Aargh! Then reality. Starting at the beginning, the entrance to my garden does not entrance. Weeds, rough edges, random mess, rough grass... Humph.
Tuesday 26th May
Walking the dogs around the garden I saw so many things to do to make my garden even semi-magical. So as soon as the day warms up a bit, here's the plan. Lots of little things, a list disguised as a sentence so it doesn't look too scary : pot Penstemons and Bergenias, plant those Tulips, chop down more Gunnera leaves and dump them to dry underneath hedge. Deal to the Allotment Garden (pull out weeds, frosted red Nasturtiums, and rogue frosted spuds, trim Salvia uligosa).
Take a deep breath, and continue : Trim Agastache and scatter seeds around. Such a welcome perennial, and I love the aniseed smell. Yeay and yippee for self-seeders which my bees love so much.
Yellow Euphorbia :- This Euphorbia could possibly be considered a nuisance, but it's easy to pull out.
Trim Euphorbias in Stables Garden. Another welcome self-seeding perennial. Remember how fresh and lovely the new yellow growth is in spring. Careful with the white milky sap, though. And an indoors thought - finish watching latest recorded episode of DI Frost now, while coffee is hot, because it's only 8:30am and close to zero degrees outside.
Much. Much Later...
OK. Five gardening hours, plus lunch with an old friend and a quick, slick visit to the dog-park. I couldn't find my secateurs, and it took me all my time to weed and trim in the Allotment Garden. I transplanted a clutch of well-grown foxglove rosettes into the old potato patch. I'd estimate there are still maybe fifty little spuddies in there, which will sprout next spring. Once a potato patch, always a potato patch in my garden. I get gently cross (?) with myself towards the end of a long gardening day. All those little things - surely it would only take another ten minutes to actually finish a few more of them? But I don't. Oh well.
Wednesday 27th May
Look. About this magical inspiration thing. It's so nearly mid-winter. Garden colours (if any) are dull. There's a winter-blue sheen over all my photographs. Such is the season.
Winter Greenery - Hebe, Pseudopanax, Phormium
Today I weeded further down the driveway (I'm thinking first impressions here). I trimmed Euphorbias, and potted up the red Penstemons. I also pulled a species Canna Lily out of a pot and divided it into smaller pieces.
Winter Sun Berberis
Blast that Library Book!
Then I quickly skimmed through my library book's photographs. Being in a rather winter-dour and practical mood, I noticed the neatly trimmed lawn edges. And - wonder of wonders - with neatly trimmed edges, the greenery in the garden borders looked really lovely. And - wonder of wonders - with a reasonably plant and weed-free edge to the border itself, the shapes and curves looked lovely.
Thursday 28th May
Today I have plans. I need large river stones to replace the wood log edging along the Hump. And a sharp shovel, a good eye, and lots of energetic woman-power. I mustn't be afraid of spare soil.
Much, Much Later...
A successful edging day. Gardening on the edge - ha! Employing a sharpish spade I have recreated the edges of the gardens around the Frisbee Lawn. And immediately - so obvious, really - everything looks better, more shapely, more nurtured. And I pulled out any self-seeding thing (e.g. yellow flowering Euphorbias) growing right on the edge. So there's a small piece of 'no-plants-land' between garden and lawn. I am learning...
Winter Frisbee Lawn
Small green-with-envy thought : compared to the sweeping lawns in my library book, mine look like rough, lumpy, tufty old paddocks. Because that's what they are. Hmm... This is far more difficult to do something about.