A list with one item?
The Pilgrim Roses
Winter is a great time to shift things about. Plants (particularly roses) in my garden often end up in the wrong place. So I started to write a list in my head, but could only think of one item : The Pilgrim rose. Oops. A brief list is usually a successfully implemented one? But a list with one item?
Aha! Wandered around with my dogs, checking for other misplaced plants. I've found two more roses to add to the 'Please Shift Me ASAP' list - Sharifa Asma and John Clare by the Koru brick courtyard. They look fine at the moment, but there's far too much shade from late spring and throughout summer. Poor roses! And I think John Clare is now out of production, should I want a replacement. Action, potting mix, and well-labelled pot, please.
My cats have embraced winter. The two Freds often snooze all day, one usually on a bed, the other in front of the log-burner (regardless of whether it's going or not). Minimus snuggles in her new fleecy blanket which I've put in a cane basket on the cottage verandah. Speckles the stray comes and goes as he pleases, but he's well fed, and never wet or cold. Even black Buster dances into the lounge room to sit on the arm of the dog couch, near the fire when the night gets a bit cold.
Fred and Friends
And how kind is Non-Gardening Partner? Apart from chain-sawing for me and fixing things that I break (oops) he has driven me all the way into town and back the last two nights to attend two half-hour singing rehearsals (Bach and Mozart).
Later, mid-afternoon...
So I bought two big bags of potting mix for the roses. Then I decided to ignore them (as one does) and put my leaky waders on instead, to try and finish trimming the Gunnera. Spent the next two hours in the water slicing and heaving out huge stems and leaves.
The Gunnera is Trimmed
My right foot got number and number, as more and more cold water sloshed about inside the gumboot. Not pleasant! Have come inside to change. Warm dry socks are one of the greatest joys of winter life. Right up there with snuggly puffy down jackets.
Forty dollar roses...
Brought a rose catalogue home from the local nursery. Eek! An 'I remember when' moment : when new season's roses at the nursery cost $25 and I used to think that was too dear. Welcome to winter 2022, where new season's roses now appear to be $40. Was just checking out a possible replacement for The Pilgrim, just in case my one gives up the ghost when I dig it up. Well, it jolly well better not!
Miscanthus Zebrinus
Tuesday 14th June
So yesterday was a real winter's day - too cold to potter outside, noticeably cold when I walked the dogs. But today - oh joy! No rain, little wind, sun doing her very best to warm up the land. After clearing up the latest Gunnera mess, I reconnected (quite by chance) with the garden border by Duck Lawn. I chopped some coarse green Carexes right down to ground level, rerouted the wee path to the water, scooped up lots and lots of mess, and pulled out lots of broom and gorse seedlings.
New shrubs?
I also thought about buying some rough tough shrubs to replant by Duck Lawn. Originally there were some pretty Cistus and Hebe shrubs. A good thought? Must remember not to squash the Japanese irises and the Lupins, planted here a couple of years ago, beautiful in late spring and summer.
A list for tomorrow, a proper list, with more than one item - it will involve a 'waders in the water' session, in the same area :
Tomorrow's proper list...
- The Darmera needs sorting out (Carexes which are smothering it need removing).
- Other large Carexes need to be sliced out.
- Water's edge plantings (like ferns) need a bold clean-up.
Right. Now into some clean clothes, crank up the log-burner, and relax with an ice cold beer (zero-alcohol).