Concerning Agapanthus and Astelias...
Recycled Salmon Rose
Aha! I do not need the Easter Nursery Plant Sales this year. I have a hillside (well, almost) of unwanted Agapanthus plants and Astelias to dig out. Some will be planted in the Moosey Garden, the rest are coming 'Guerrilla Gardening' with me.
Don't Tell Anyone...
The secret GG location is in Christchurch's earthquake 'red zone', on land where houses have been demolished. Shhhh... Don't tell anyone. My friends are helping, potting up seedling Hebes and Kowhai trees.
Thursday 4th April
It's been a day of road trips. This afternoon I returned for a second carful of green vegetation. This morning my car was full of howling cat boxes - the last of the vet trips for the cats' FIV inoculations. Lilli-Puss, however, refused to go in her cat cage. The word 'refused' doesn't really cover Non-Gardening Partner's scratched and bloody arms! Oops. She won't go into the Stables for her food. I reckon big Fluff-Fluff has been bullying her while we were away. Hmm...
Friday 5th April
OK. It's not the best start to the gardening day, with a rainy southerly predicted to arrive mid-morning. Big Fluff-Fluff has just sent my morning coffee flying, resulting in a beautiful splatter pattern on the carpet. He is blameless, however, since I had it balancing on 'his' seat, and he just wanted to squash up close against me. I was just about to write the fastest list, too. Honestly! Enough. There'll be more of me when I get too wet to continue outside.
Cherry Red Shrub Rose
+5Executive cat decision - I'm now feeding Lilli-Puss twice a day in the hay barn at the back of the Hazelnut Orchard. She was there this morning, happily sunning her tummy in the sun. Big Fluff-Fluff has been a nuisance in the Stables, popping through the cat door, throwing his substantial weight around, and stealing her food.
The Astelias are Planted
Over Three Hours Later...
Though why it should take over three hours to plant nine Astelias beats me. OK, I trimmed them, and had to dig proper holes, and the ground was quite hard, criss-crossed with tree roots. But, really!
There's no sign of the southerly yet, which I was rather counting on - an excuse to stop gardening and read one of my library books. So I'm going back outside to do some raking. A rule of autumn gardening - when in doubt, rake something up.
One more thing before I relaunch myself: For the first time ever I am receiving meaningful spam (if there is such a thing). It involves garden hoses which are described as 'futuristic', 'new age', and the like. Perhaps market research has shown there are squillions of disgruntled gardeners out there grappling with their 'old age' hoses?
Tiger the Cat and the Old Garden Hose
Check out my boring but functional old hose in the above photograph. Naturally I've resisted peeping further, and I've got the old school hoses on now, watering the new Astelias. 'Tired of my old hoses?' No - but a garden robot to shift them around and fix the leaks might be useful.
Stop Procrastinating!
Look - I suspect some weather related procrastination is going on here. Enough rabbiting on about nothing. I'm taking my camera outside to photograph the new mass plantings. I will not hang it in a tree and leave it there when the rain comes.
Rusty the Dog in the Driveway
Late Afternoon...
Hee hee. The perfect time for the rain to start. There's been enough dry-time to mass-plant some Agapanthus in the darkest corner of the Frisbee Lawn, take Rusty the dog for a leisurely walk down the road, and visit Lilli-Puss in the hay barn. I've put a cat-sitting chair near her new food station.
Fluff-Fluff the Cat
Aargh! Here comes Fluff-Fluff, trying to balance himself on my sloping lap. He's been super-vigilant today, in one of his intense, smothering moods. This can be rather interesting when one is digging holes for plants.
Not a Dog...
He sat and cried when my dog and I went for our walk - I could hear him from way down the road. Of course he was waiting under a shrub in the driveway when we returned. 'It's just that you're not a dog,' I told him. 'See! I told you I'd come back!' I didn't tell him about Lilli's new feeding station, though. I just hope Fluff-Fluff is too lazy to check out the hay barn.
Now he's dribbling on the computer keyboard, trying to type cryptic messages. A passionate cat who won't stay still - I do love you Fluff-Fluff, you big fluffy nuisance.