Exciting August...
I love, love, love my garden this month. I must have forgotten how exciting August is - all those spring things just weeks away from showing themselves. Pink Camellias, Daphne and Hellebores are flowering - and the first yellow daffodils.
Pale Pink Hellebores
Friday 15th August
I have a list. Here goes.
- Weed one more orchard rose archway.
- Weed in rhubarb patch.
- Two more wheelbarrowfuls of rose prunings please.
- Spread all horse manure - lucky garden!
First I am going to the gym to work on the Moosey muscles. Then I'll pick some Daphne and some daffodils for the house. And how's this for a sensible afternoon plan - instead of Olympic TV watching I will relax in the glass-house repotting succulents and pelargoniums. I might even sow some seeds for spring flowers.
Phew - that's lots of super-organised gardening stuff. Strawberries and creamy yoghurt as a reward if I get it all done.
Spring is Nearly Here!
Saturday 16th August
It's me again! I'm ready for an Olympic Gardening weekend. Flushed with yesterday's success (I did everything - EVERYTHING - except the glass-house pottering) I have plans for another day of golden triumphs - plus a few silvers (and bronzes are OK, too).
The sun is shining. Bless the sun! And how good was I yesterday? I made myself keep going, out of respect for the Olympic athletes. They can't stop just because their hands are getting sore or they've scratched their legs on a rose. But first of all, Non-Gardening Partner (bless him) is taking me to get some path mulch and look at some garden sheds. I will be back - much, much later...
Daphne Shrub in Flower
Much, Much Later...
Since it is the weekend, I decided to clear out the small garden by the car lay-by (with the help of NGP's chain-saw) - mainly Pittosporums and a Feijoa tree which I didn't want by the fence. I pruned the Ballerina roses, and found that my little castle sculpture has one of its turrets broken off.
- 'If they grow, they grow!'
- -Moosey Words of Wisdom.
Now my two Easleas Golden Ramblers, beautiful bullies of the rose rambling world, are planted there-in, on the fence. If they grow, they grow - famous last words, since they are so rampant...
The house gardens look beautiful - they all have freshly sliced edges, and the house lawns have been mowed. I mulched part of the Shrubbery's network of paths, and laid yet more stones along the edge of the path behind the glass-house. Here is tomorrow's weeding spot.
House Gardens and Shrubbery
All of that took me four hours plus. The sun shone, and my radio crackled with Olympic reports and rugby commentaries. Wow - what a brilliant, balmy day (not to be confused with 'barmy', a word which only applies to the Head Gardener).
Lack of Cat Company
I only have one complaint - the complete and utter lack of cat company. Fluff-Fluff was sulking (he's on a cat-diet), Percy was totally AWOL, and I had stern words with Histeria the tabby - explaining that, as she was once a bona fide wild cat, I didn't expect her to spend all of a sunny day snoozing inside in a cat-basket.
Sunday 17th August
Oops. On behalf of all good gardening cats I apologise to Percy, who was shut in the Moosey office all day yesterday. Hmm... So that's why he didn't appear.
Some good overnight sports news - finally, New Zealand has won some Olympic medals. And there's more - we also won the rugby. My sports radio will be a patriotic joy to listen to today, as I do the following:
- 1. Glass-House Potting.
- Pelargoniums and succulents will be freshly potted.
- 2. Glass-House Seed-Sowing.
- It's not too early to get properly organised.
- 3. Hen-House cleaning.
- My own personal Moosey chook-manure.
- 4. Orchard Weeding.
- Just two rose archways to go.
- 5. Path Mulching.
- The Shrubbery paths need finishing.
There! A list item for each of the five Olympic medals New Zealand won yesterday. That can be my personal tribute. And my very own personal reward can be a boysenberry ice-cream. Seems rather insignificant - would prefer a million dollars from the government, or whatever the going rate is...
Sedums in the Glass-House
Five hours later...
I've only done four of my list items, but I've done them really really well. I finished weeding both orchard rose archways. I did all my glass-house pottering, even managing a PB (personal best time) slicing basal shoots off some sprouting Lupins and potting them up. Never before (if they grow) have new Lupin plants been created so swiftly!
And I burnt all my rubbish afterwards, so I reckon I deserve that ice-cream. And a new rustic garden shed, and a white flowering Daphne, and handrails on Willow Bridge, and... NGP will also be ice-cream-rewarded for replacing a rotten pergola post, helping me with my fire, and promising to fix the back of the hen house. We are a winning pairs team.