The joys of gardening
Weeds!
It's high time I rediscovered the joys of gardening life - the practical ones as well as the dreamy. So do I feel like having a monster weeding session today? All day, in the Hump, gloves on, using the spade to slice out mess, as well as the hand digger? Maybe yes, maybe no? Hmm... I don't want to be a non-gardener. When I get distracted doing other things I never feel complete.
Music and jigsaws...
This week I've been spending a lot of time doing my music arranging and working away at my jigsaw. Time wasters, jigsaws, but they're enjoyable, challenging even. The jigsaw is full of boats, in a Swedish harbour. It's nit-picky, but there's no greenery or flowers for me to enjoy. Those are in my garden, waiting patiently for me to return to them.
Weeding or Housework?
Today I will give myself a choice : weeding in the Hump or doing housework. That should do the trick. Aargh! The answer is obviously yes to the weeding. It's big scale weeding, but my pace can be gently measured. I've already applied rude stuff (sorry) to the California thistles, which are browning off rather nicely.
Part of the Hump Garden
Four hours later...
So easy! I just sat on my bottom and wiggled around the bottom of the Hump Garden, following the shade, pulling out weeds. I thought about all sorts of things to do with the garden.
Pale Pink Rose
Deep thoughts...
Deep thoughts, like what is gardening actually all about? What, for me, is the meaning of gardening life? I've come up with lots of possibles.
Perhaps it's just all about keeping the weeds down. And avoiding life's prickles : from, for example, the California thistles, making sure I don't sit on one, or kneel on a stinging nettle. Hmm...
Roses and greenery...
Aha! Roses and greenery. These are things I couldn't be without, in my garden. And the one definitely goes with the other. Many of the roses are blooming nicely again, and I'm sure they are enjoying my hose watering. I'm making a special effort in the Allotment Garden, where the hose has been poked into the rugosa hedge for the last fortnight.
At this time of year, late summer, my garden is all about potatoes. It's full of potatoes. I have red ones, white ones, purple-skinned ones which are white inside, yellowish-white ones (Agrias, so tasty).
Knobby Maori Potatoes
Then I have squillions of self-sown potatoes growing in the Hump, leftovers from last year's harvest. And then ones with spooky blue flowers, motley purple flesh, and strange, knobby shapes (which I've always called Maori potatoes). I've been pulling these out - they are a nuisance, and don't cook well for me.
Greenery by the Water Race
My inner gardener loves paths and curves and water. She loves garden views - peeping around a border, wondering where a path goes, and so on. She loves sitting on garden benches and leaning against trees.
Adirondack Garden Chairs
The plantsperson therein adores the shapes of spiky shrubs like Cordylines and New Zealand Phormiums. The naturalist likes the birds and the buzzy bees (and tries to provide for them all year round). And of course there's so much joy in sharing a garden with animals - finding a cat snoozing in the tussocks, or wandering around the orchard with the dogs.
Too many joys to mention
See - there are so many joys in gardening - too many to mention! Now I just need to get out there and - ahem - pull out some weeds.