A Trim-athon!
Yeay! A Trim-athon! I've had a proper weekend in the garden, trimming. And then trimming. And then some more trimming. I've been targetting the gardens over the water race, which are pretty much non-fussy, multi-shrubby places. Perfect places for a trim.
Pebbles by the Bonfire Mess
Monday 22nd August
First I worked in the Stumpy Garden, where I removed this year's willow sprouts. The willow stump is finally rotting, and so I pulled off large chunks of it and sort of sprinkled them roughly on the garden. Leaves (mainly from the gum trees) were raked off lawns, and the ornamental Miscanthus grass was cut back. This took absolutely ages.
Hello Middle Garden...
Then I jumped on down to Middle Garden. It's been a long time since Middle Garden has experienced a thorough clean-out. Its interior path was decommissioned some time ago, and everything has been left alone to do its own thing - risky, in a large garden. So I worked my way wearily past the waterside Gunnera (already trimmed), removing mainly overgrown Carexes, Pseudopanax treelets, and self-seeded Pittosporums and Berberis. The usual collection of gorse and broom seedlings were exposed and pulled out, and I completely cut down one huge sprawling green Phormium. Alas, its leaves won't burn easily or decompose. So I had to squash most of them into the large wheelie rubbish bin. Didn't feel very eco-minded.
And just when I was getting quite grumbly it started to rain. Ha! The perfect excuse to abandon the last piles of Phormium leaves and escape into the house. No bonfire for me today - yippee! The nicest thing? I can tell the difference, and see the improvement. Thousands wouldn't be able to, but I jolly well can, and that's all that matters!
Tuesday 23rd August
So if I work hard all day - in the garden, of course - I have some nice rewards lined up : a hair wash, clean clothes, and a roast meal at the local pub. Today is actually full of rewards. Have already worked for two hours clearing Middle Garden. But am inside for a coffee and some fresh bread (due to beep any minute). I have some chocolate and a new Fine Gardening magazine stashed for afternoon tea - only to be consumed if I have been a high-achiever garden-wise.
Speckles :- Have been feeding Speckles for nearly a year now.
Speckles the stray cat is so random. After going AWOL for a week, for two mornings now I've woken to find him camped on the cottage doormat waiting for breakfast. We have compulsory socialisation, then he loses patience and tries to bite my elbow. When he's filled his tummy up he's not interested in smooching me at all. Today I watched him slink around the Pond Path and off into the garden beyond. A most unrewarding cat, with very wild habits. Nothing like the grateful 'feral' sweeties I see on my Facebook feed, hee hee.
In contrast, Red Fred so understands the cat rules. During my lunchbreak he came to sit on my lap, gazed adoringly into my eyes, and then tucked himself up cosily next to me on the dog-couch. No biting, no rude behaviour. I felt appreciated!
We keep being visited by a black labrador called Digby, who lives a long way down our road and loves to go dog-cruising. We pop him into one of our kennels and then ring his mother, who is usually out looking for him. She should just drive straight here!
Red Camellia Behind Garage
Right. Back into the garden I go for session number two. Hope it's a good one. It had better be. No reason not to be.
Much later...
Clean clothes, clean hair, a wee snack of chocolate and a non-alcohol beer - now just waiting around for the light to fade. I worked for six hours - the last two were spent bonfiring. I'm very pleased. Middle Garden is sorted! I've organised the end of its waterside path, relaid stone edges, and shifted in a green outdoors chair to be the destination. Sliced through encroaching Gunnera roots and replanted them nearer the water, crowns pointing away from the path towards the sun. Should be be able to sit in the chair and enjoy the rushing water in all four seasons, without getting spiked by Gunnera stems and leaves. In theory. Yeay!
Middle Garden is Cleared
Dear dog Winnie kept me company again. I kept throwing her stick until she'd chewed it into far-too-small pieces. She then found a ball. I threw that quite a few times, then she dropped it in the water and watched it bob off downstream.