Before the rain arrives...
Solitary Daffodil
Have just mooched around the garden with my camera and the dogs to check on things before the rain arrives. Apologized to the Camellias - more frosts, more brown flowers. Said hello to several lone daffodils - so where did your mates go? Back in the day I could pick bunches for the house, and still have lots left over. Hmm...
Start the bonfire...
Am now going to start the bonfire (Non-Gardening Partner removed the excess ash yesterday, and there's a pile of mess waiting on the lawn). Rain is forecast for this afternoon, and sensible gardeners keep an eye on the weather.
I'll prune more roses and rake up dry gum leaves. While the bonfire gurgles I'll spread the last bags of horse manure around. Will try and do everything. Ha ha!
A magic pointing finger!
OK, I know I can't do everything, and am always seeing things I've left undone - little things and big things. Imagine if I had a magic pointing finger! I'd recite a sparkley spell, and whoosh! Fixed it. That would be nice! The reality is getting achy fingers from picking things up and carrying them around.
Baby Pink Camellias
Now it's lunchtime, and so far so good. The bonfire is going well, and to fuel it I've collected dry mess from random places (including the side house garden by the driveway, which was in need of a serious tidy up). Did a major prune of the rose Westerland. Hope it will be OK.
Miscanthus :- Miscanthus and Calamagrostis are my favourite grasses.
Have a serious message to myself : next time I gush about how much I like ornamental grasses, how stylish and interesting they are in a mixed border, how they romantically echo nature in the wild, and so on... How about remembering that they need trimming in August, and this is really annoying?
Now the plan is to continue trimming and pruning this and that (especially the roses), then raking and barrowing loads over to the bonfire. Stop when the rain arrives, scheduled to be in one hour's time. Eek!
Still Tidying Up
Much later - it didn't rain. So I just kept going. Started pulling mess out of the Jelly Bean Border. Found a pretty little pink Azalea in flower, and two striped Phormiums I'd planted in here four or five years ago are doing really well. Scissor trimmed the Miscanthus grass by the house. Threw some large Phormium pieces on the bonfire - reckoned they were dry enough. Potted up some green Carexes and some pieces of Cream Delight Phormium.
Another six hour day...
Today, like yesterday, I've gardened for six hours. Two in a row! Pretty good, I reckon. And good on me for making the most of the dry weather. There's plenty of rain to come in the next few days. Non-Gardening Partner told me, and he's always right.