Garden Journal 2013

2013 is a year which is not only odd but divisible by three primes including three. Phew! Will it be my best gardening year ever? I'm aiming for three things in my gardening this year - energy, creativity, and consistency. Eek! According to impeccable sources (the internet) 2013 is a deficient number. Well, it had better not be a deficient gardening year. Watch this space...

Good Morning, 2013......: A very good morning to my whistling bellbirds, my pond with resident garden gnomes, Minimus the Pond Cottage cat, my lovely summer garden, and good morning to the New Year, 2013 (which is a deficient number, poor thing...)
Stop Sulking and Grow Up!...: Words of warning for my roses growing in the orchard. Get on with life. You've got fresh air, lots of space, sunshine, and good soil - so stop sulking and get growing! Old roses survive, neglected, for decades in old cemeteries. Why not in my Hazelnut Orchard?
Mid-Summer Musings......: I usually wake up thinking 'Garden, Garden, Garden'. I slurp my cup of tea, scribble a stern list, grab the gardening shirt de jour and off outside I go. Except in January, mid-summer, when 'first thing in the morning' lasts a whole lot longer!
Needed: A New Garden Project......: A tiny idea is twinkling and itching in my mind, involving finding a new garden project to work on when Non-Gardening Partner goes back to work. While the cat's away the mouse will build something outlandishly silly in her garden?
Thanks to David Austin......: Sometimes life's plans (and by life I mean the garden) only become obvious when one's mind is taken up with other things (Fluff-Fluff my cat). But I know exactly what my new project for 2013 is, thanks to David Austin and his roses...
Foliage Forests......: I love the foliage forests in my garden. The trees and shrubs (even the roughies and toughies) are just delightful, and of course they provide wonderful summer shade in which to garden. So many beautiful greens, so many beautiful leaves...
On Fire?...: Ha! This gardener's on fire. Oops. Not a good statement to make, considering the dryness of the land around me and the number of rural fire calls there've been. But my gardening energy has been reignited, and I am busy digging...
A No-Frills Gardener......: Some mornings one just has to be strict with oneself. It's impossible to dress up a garden maintenance day. Just put on the dull blue gardening shirt, serviceable shorts, think plain thoughts, and get going - a no-frills gardener.
Gardening Super-Hero?...: I am a gardening super-hero, having just bravely rescued three desperate maiden roses from the evil clutches of some tyrannical Eucalyptus trees. But hang on a minute. Wasn't it me who planted them in there in the first place? Oops.
Thanks for My Pond......: Water is a precious gift in the garden at any time. But, oh boy! My long-furred dog Rusty and I give hot summer thanks for the pond. He belly-flops in and dogpaddles efficiently towards his floating tennis ball. I am rather more slinky. Slowly, slowly...
More on Mozart......: There is a definite correlation between my miniscule hot-weather gardening efforts and my discovery of Mozart's tiddly, cute symphonies and concerti. Hmm. I need the somewhat raunchier musical gestures of Rachmaninoff to get me garden-going again.
Armchair Gardening......: What am I waiting for? I'm sitting in my armchair in Pond Cottage 'ooohing' and 'aaahing' over garden photographs, while the summer morning sun is shining outside. The pond Phormiums are gently waving their spiky leaves at me. Oy! You! Get real! Come on out here!
The grooviest new path......: I've taken back Head Gardener control of the Wattle Woods. I've been removing super-sized grasses (Anamalenthe), trimming floppy flaxes, and dividing and replanting Renga Renga (Rock lilies). And I've made the grooviest new path behind Pond Cottage. I love paths in the garden!
Fifty Shades of Green!...: Totally immersed and preoccupied with monochromatic greenery these last days, my gardening world has been fifty shades of green: sage, olive, avocado, lime, emerald, avocado... Suddenly, goggled-eyed, I've noticed the many bursts of strong summer colours. I must have been green-gardening with my eyes closed.
Conversations with my Cat......: Cats are such good company in the garden. Not only are they subtle conversationalists, but also great listeners, and they're really, really helpful when there are interesting decisions to make. My cats give me confidence as a gardener.
Lucky......: Most mornings I wake up, gaze out at the pond, and grin - I feel so lucky to be a gardener. Just occasionally the tiniest drop of desperation sneaks in, and then I decide I am really, really, really, really lucky...
A Mixture of Tears and Giggles......: Life with animals is a heady mixture of tears and giggles. I don't think I can write much today. Little Mac (who never, ever, goes far from the house) went seriously missing overnight. There's absolutely no sign of her...
March mooching......: March has started without much evidence of the physical me - I've been floating around, detached from the garden. There I am, surrounded by so much beauty, and I start mooching and feeling rather half-hearted. This will not do! And I haven't even said hello to this new gardening month - how rude!
Dogs ARE different......: Dogs ARE different to cats, I tell Rusty (a low-impact dog with mild manners), and he is not to feel in any way inferior. Dear dog. We go for his walk down the road and he's forced to listen to me rambling on about the cats. And he's put on lead whenever there's the slightest whiff of a cyclist...
Fall, leaves, fall......: Fall, leaves, fall... March in my garden is rather mellow, with a calm anticipation of the autumnal things to come. Isolated leaves are already fluttering down off their trees, the nights are getting cooler, the summer perennials finished, ready for trimming.
Bless the rains......: Exciting news - a southerly should be arriving this afternoon, like a jolly, visiting maiden aunt bustling into the garden, laden with goodies - namely rain, rain, and more rain. Welcome, welcome, you are most welcome!
Shift'n'swap?...: I may have stumbled upon a great gardening truth. Roses are growing in gardens that are far too shady, hydrangeas are growing in gardens that are far too sunny. Shift'n'swap them? Is it really this simple? Hmm...
Being away, being back......: I'm back, enervated, invigorated, refreshed, and revitalised, from three days hiking on the Awatere Tussock Track (my third visit to this remarkable place). But this time I didn't take my camera. I thought I'd left it hanging it on a tree in my garden. Oops. The thought of rain made me rather nervous...
Concerning Agapanthus and Astelias......: 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.
Yippee for greenery!...: I love the foliage plants in my garden, and the thousands of different leaf shapes and colours. Yippee for greenery! Ten beautiful clumps of evergreen spiky Agapanthus lying underneath a hedge (awaiting planting) have caused this gush of green adoration...
How Do I Love Thee?...: Non-Gardening Partner - how do I love thee? Let me count the ways... You brighten up my dullest times, you put up with my silly rhymes... And you bring me home ten bags of miniature Agapanthus plants, knowing I will like them. Brilliant chap!
So Random......: Sometimes my animals are so random. For some reason known only to ginger cats - a specific phase of the moon, perhaps? - Percy spent all of last night leaping in and out of my cottage window. 'Kerplunk! Crunch... Kerplunk!' he'd go, waking me up each time...
I Love Autumn....: Ooh, autumn! I love you to bits! I've been sitting on the cottage verandah watching Minimus my cottage cat chasing the autumn leaves fluttering gently down from the Silver Birch. Actually, it looks more like a 'Golden Birch', leaf-wise...
Too wet to garden......: It's too wet to garden. But not too wet to go for a country drive to pick up thirty Allium bulbs (tiny ones), and pop into the rose nursery on the way back - just to check things out, nothing too serious. To be kind to Non-Gardening Partner I really should take my own wallet...
Interviewing a famous gardener......: I've got into a silly gardening habit. While burning the autumn bonfire I conduct long, in-depth interviews with myself. I pretend I'm a famous gardener, poke at the flames with my rake, ask myself all sorts of daft questions, and then answer them out loud. A little light madness?
When in doubt, don't dig......: OK. Let's evaluate things. I have a trailer-load of Agapanthus clumps. I have an idea for a huge new garden, wherein they could be planted. But do I really want to be digging until mid-winter? It would keep me warm... When in doubt, don't dig, I reckon.
Dear April......: Dear April, Thank you so much for being such a groovy month. You've certainly been my best April for a while. All that lovely sunshine, and you've allowed the lawns to go green again. And your trees! Thanks for the beautifully coloured leaves. Yours in appreciation, Moosey
A, B, or C?...: Here's a multi-choice gardening question for the start of May. It needs to be answered very, very carefully. Why does it take me five hours to divide and plant two large clumps of species Agapanthus? Choose one of the following: A, B, or C.
Weather-sensible......: This week I have been very weather-sensible. I was supposed to be on a five day trip in the big mountains, hiking the St James Walkway. But the rivers were 'up', one bridge was 'down', and there were eleven slips on the first day of the track. Hmm... Next summer, maybe? Anyway, there's lots of gardening to do before winter arrives.
Out of Love?...: Alas, my love affair with free clumps of Agapanthus is losing its intensity. I'm slowly getting them planted, but I'm disenchanted with the process. Slice a chunk off with the spade, scissor off the dead leaves and chop them into mulch pieces, trim the roots, dig the hole, squash and push... Aargh! It's over!
Mothers' Day Gifts......: How nice! It's another 'Bring-a-Mouse-Inside for Mothers' Day' day. The cat-mother is me and the cat is Histeria the tabby. Hmm... Would I possibly prefer a bouquets of flowers and a gourmet brunch?
I'd love to be out there gardening......: I'd love to be out there gardening, honestly I would, but it's far too wet. I'm just back from a weekend adventure, and judging by the size of the driveway puddles it's been continuously raining cats and dogs on the Moosey Garden.
A Very Wet Week....: The colours in my garden are becoming so muted - the word 'dull' seems unfair, because my garden is doing its very best. There are no fizzy pink roses to catch my eye, just wet foliage covered with a grey-blue wash. It's been a very wet week.
Sheepish?...: I've read the daftest quote. The writer says: 'It's better to be a lion for a day than a sheep for a month'. What on earth is she thinking? Imagine being able to spend a stress-free month mooching around browsing, not worrying about a thing. Because that's what sheep do. The time-line of a sheep is uncluttered...
I promise......: My latest Fine Gardening magazine, skimmed through early this morning in Pond Cottage, has warmed up the winter-gardener in me. But (as usual) I am now embarrassed about my slapdash planting schemes. So yet again I promise...
A dog day......: The end of my May month, with possibly the end of the warmish weather, has been varied and delightfully mad. That's M for mountain (a hiking day yesterday), A for Agapanthus (I've got more to plant), and D for dogs - today has been a dog day.
The first day of winter?...: June 1st is the first day of winter, according to the weather-woman on the TV. She is a trained meteorologist as well as a woman. Two good reasons to believe her? Yes, and yes! Except today it doesn't feel like winter. It's far too warm. Oops - mustn't grumble!
Too many exclamation and question marks?...: Sun! Yippee! But how cold is it? How many degrees? Only three? Eek! Brr! Too many exclamation and question marks? Absolutely! But enough of this typing silliness. I have gardening plans for today, starting with the patio garden.
The Hot Tub's Gone Cold......: Blast! I've gone off the idea of getting an outdoors wooden hot tub, one in which to soak after gardening, slurping a glass of wine. Anyway, wine puts me to sleep - fifteen minutes after finishing a drink I tend to leap into my pyjamas and bed. Non-Gardening Partner is heaving a sigh of relief...
Inexplicably winter-moochy......: On good winter gardening days I feel a bit sorry for people who don't garden. They must sulk inside getting so bored, hee hee. Mind you, some winter days are just too cold or wet - and then there are those days when I get in an inexplicably winter-moochy, can't-quite-be-bothered mood.
Getting ready for THE SNOW....: Right. What am I doing for the next two days? I am getting ready for THE SNOW. The weather forecasters are daring to call it a storm. Bah! It had better not storm around my garden. I will begrudgingly accept small snow, and long may it not last!
Mid-winter solstice day....: It's the mid-winter solstice day, more-or-less. OK, silly weather. What's up? Raging southerly gales yesterday, a few limp snow flurries this morning, then look! Up there - a patch of blue sky! Ha ha - fooled you. Here's some sleet...
An optimistic cup of tea......: Yippee! A proper winter's day with no forecast snow, and no 'rain events'. There's winter-blue sky, sun, and morning frost, to keep the gardener (me) on her toes, working hard to keep warm. At dawn (only minus three degrees Celsius, a drop in the frost-ocean) I enjoyed an optimistic cup of tea in the cottage...
Gently, gently......: Gently, gently - a frosty morning gives a compulsive garden 'journalist' time to smile at the birds on the bird feeder, write a few pithy sentences about yesterday's brilliant achievements, make another cup of coffee, then check to see if more birds have arrived.
Action!...: Wow. Sometimes I really impress myself. I get a good garden idea, I think about it overnight, checking out feasibility, sensibility. etc., and then the very next day - action! Today (sunny but rather cold) I made a new straight path through the perennials garden by the pergola.
Small things......: I've been thinking. So 'Small things please small minds', do they? Well, someone who can be inspired and excited by something tiny and relatively insignificant is the luckiest, I reckon! Who needs the big stuff? Big stuff usually involves big money. anyway...
Good morning, good morning......: Good morning, beautiful sunshine and the warmest of winter days. Good morning to the very first yellow daffodils (Jonquils?) just starting to flower in my pots. Good morning to my cats, my dog, and my garden. I'm going to be very good to you all today.
Ten more minutes of daylight......: The days are getting longer, and I reckon its noticeable. Today ten more minutes of daylight are available (to a keen winter gardener) than were on the shortest day. So why exactly am I still inside my house listening to Beethoven? Mind you, I feel in the mood to write a list...
Le Seed Catalogue and le Tour......: Me multi-tasking on an early winter's morning: I am couch-cycling (le Tour) towards the Pyrenees with a pot of tea and my ginger cat (purring Percy) on my lap. And - here's the best thing - peeping at the new season's seed catalogue, which already has a lot of suspicious ticks on it. Hee hee hee...
Seed orders are boring?...: Hands up who thinks that other people's seed orders for their next spring-summer season are boring? The only interesting list is your own, right? Oh well. In the depths of my winter, suffering from three whole days of too-cold-or-wet-to-garden weather, my seed order shines like a beacon.
My 'warts-and-all' winter garden!...: Welcome to my 'warts-and-all' winter garden! There's nothing startling to see, but hang on a minute - what about the early yellow spring bulbs? And the beautiful pink and red Camellias? And Percy, most ornamental of cats, beautifully ginger...
It is a good morning......: Good morning. And it is a good morning. A light is flickering at the end of the tunnel that is my nasty head-cold. I have stopped going back to bed and sulking therein. I am going outside, to reintegrate myself into the garden and cough all over the weeds.
What a difference a week makes!...: The days are definitely longer. The sun is definitely stronger. The garden looks warmer and more welcoming. The greenery seems to be greener. And I am feeling much, much better. What a difference a week makes!
Reasonably brainy?...: For a reasonably brainy person I can be an extremely silly gardener. But lately I've been really good. In my world this can never be taken for granted - often I flit around randomly, not thinking anything through. I put plants in ridiculous places, forgetting that there will be sun/no sun when needed.
Swept Away......: Garden maintenance usually involves a whole lot of nothing. But late winter garden maintenance is different. I float along doing some humdrum task, and then I'm swept away in a surge of hope and positive anticipation. Yes!!!!! My improvements WILL work! This is SUCH a better idea!
50 ways to do your gardening......: The beginning of a new gardening month is always exciting. So what's the plan, Stan? Clear a new bed, Ted? Cut down a tree, Lee? Plant a Camellia, Delia? Aha! There must be fifty ways to do your gardening...
I love my shed-with-a-bed!...: Waking up in Pond Cottage - ginger cat Percy in the window, chirping like a bird, the bellbirds whistling high in the trees, a pair of mallard ducks cruising contentedly around the pond, my cottage cat Minimus purring quietly underneath the crochet bed-cover... I love the animals in my garden.
Let the seed sowing commence!...: All the signs are extremely auspicious this week. The stars are aligned, the tea leaves deeply symbolic, the entrails - no, never mind the entrails. Basically, I have found my permanent marker black pen. And this means? Let the seed sowing commence! Yippee!
Keeping Cat-Mother company......: I reckon my cats have a roster. 'Hey, guys - it's Thursday. Who's on 'Keeping Cat-Mother Company' duty? Big Fluff-Fluff, it's you! Off you go, quickly now, don't lose her. She's just going past the herb spiral. Looks like you're on bonfire watch.'
Lovely spring things......: Lovely spring things are taking over the garden, and I've made a pledge to keep up with them all. The first Prunus blossom, the full flush of mid-season Camellias, rhododendrons in bud ready to bloom - it's quite astonishing how many new things appear each day.
Good dog-company......: My dear dog Rusty has certainly lifted his gardening game. 'A garden seat underneath the bough, a cup of tea, a dog biscuit, and thou.' Or something! He is following me around, listening to me, and concentrating. He is providing jolly good dog-company.
Footnotes......: Normally I am happy with my feet. They are modest in size, and fit snugly into my gardening boots. But for delicate spring weeding they turn into super-sized clown feet. I tread on this, I squash that - my boots are way too big! Desperate to avoid an emerging trillium I trip over and crash into some daffodils. Blast!
A Lovely Way to Spend a Morning...: Sings in croony contralto voice: 'It's been a lovely way.... to spend a morning...' I have been in the Wattle Woods pulling out Creeping Charlie. It is my intention to remove him and all of his brothers, cousins, uncles, etc. from this whole garden. Don't laugh!
Please rescue me?...: This week should see my finest hours as a compulsive rescuer - firstly of unwanted plants and shrubs (roses, rhododendrons, camellias, and so on) from other people's gardens, secondly of teddy bears (oops) donated to the Charity shops. Not to mention plants struggling in my own garden...
Ordering my birthday presents......: I am ordering my birthday presents early this year. I would like the following: an obelisk for the Island Bed, paving stones leading from the side of the house to the Pond Paddock, the lawn by the patio re-sown, and all moss removed safely from the other lawns and the brick courtyard. Too greedy?
West Coast Road Trip...: Obsessive gardeners really should to go away for tiny compulsory holidays, in order to totally appreciate their own garden world. I've just spent three days on a road trip on the West Coast. That's the South Island, New Zealand version - think tree ferns (pungas), wild driftwood beaches, rugged bush-clad hills...
Birthday Digging!...: It's so nice being home after my short holiday, garden-doing rather than just garden-thinking. And I've had the most brilliant idea for my fifteen new rescued roses. So easy - dig a new garden for them! Quickly, before sanity strikes or moderation muddles the thinking...
Eradicamus!...: If just one gardening wish could come true - might it be something to do with weeding? Imagine being able to remove a weed with a concentrated, withering stare and a Harry Potter whoosh of the gardening digger. Eradicamus!
A very unpleasant day......: It is a very unpleasant day. Last night we had severe nor-west gale force winds. My neighbour's huge pine and gum trees have crashed down onto our property, and there's a dreadful mess on parts of my garden...
All the lovely spring things......: Mountains of mess - we're busy clearing up after the big winds. Chainsaws are buzzing, loppers are lopping, wheelbarrows are wheeling well-marked trails over the lawns to the bonfire. But my garden is so beautiful in mid-spring. Mustn't forget all the lovely spring things...
Feeling good......: Aha! Day six of the big clean-up and I'm feeling good. I love that inspiring song - 'birds flying high, sun in the sky, you know how I feel...' Today I'm tidying up behind the pond, trimming around the fallen pine tree. Ah! That fresh, heady pine aroma again!
Still feeling good......: 'Blossom on a tree - you know how I feel...' Yeay! I'm back for yet another clean-up day. I'm still singing that song, and I'm still feeling good.
SBW? Super-Bonfire-Woman!...: In my gardening world there is a new female super hero called Super-Bonfire-Woman, SBW for short. She collects wheelbarrow loads of scrappy pine and gum tree mess, and trundles over to her bonfire, for hours and hours. She is sleek (well, semi-sleek), efficient, and rather stinky. She is me!
Dogs have taste?...: Good morning world, cats, garden, spring flowers, blossom, and Rusty the dog, whose kennel I will be approaching nervously. Yesterday he found something 'dog-tasty' in the back paddock to munch on. Eek. Here's a no-brainer : never employ a dog as a taste tester!
Daft? Obsessed?...: Let's think this through. I've done fourteen days of garden cleaning-up in a row. I'm trying to have a day off, and I'm feeling guilty! Daft? Obsessed? All those years and years of 'mother-guilt', impossible to shake off? Hmm... Obsessed, I reckon.
Old blossom, new blossom......: Old blossom is fluttering down, new blossom buds are flowering. Gunnera leaves are unfurling, seedlings are growing, there's even a speckling of early rose flowers. Spring is gaining in confidence, and everything looks so green.
OK, October......: OK, October, month of sunshine, weeds, and wonders. How's it going out there? I have a few little requests. Please, no whispers of equinoxial gales, no southerly storm tickles, and no sneaky visits in the night from Jack Frost. Oh, and while I'm asking, no unseasonal snow, and...
A gardener of substance?...: It is vitally important that I make a list in the next twenty minutes (before the breakfast Beethoven piano concerto finishes). The jigsaw is banned until I can prove I am a gardener of substance. Well, maybe just a few pieces, while I drink my coffee...
Hard-Working Gardening Verbs...: Journal writing first thing in the morning should be eyes-wide-open and energetic, with colourful, imaginative phrases leaping off the page. At the end of the day it's just a succession of hard-working gardening verbs, with a gush about how tired and happy I am. Yawn! Must start earlier, must start earlier...
Being good means......: Today I will spring into my garden. I will leave no weed unpulled. I will look around and enjoy the beauty. I will be creative, planting flowers in gaps. I will be functional, sweeping and raking and trimming and weeding. Oh yes. Today I WILL BE GOOD.
Beaming and squinting......: My goodness, October is a beautiful month - on my camera, and in my garden, provided I screw up my eyes and beam at everything. It's time to organise my latest photographs. Lilac rhododendrons, that means you! And my other spring shrubs, and the last blossom trees, and the first roses...
Busy-bee me...: Ha! The busy-bee version of me is here, buzzing with fresh plans for another great day in my garden. What to do first? Find some flowers, or pull out some weeds? Flowers, surely...
Too windy to garden?...: I dislike gardening in big wind. All that energy and noise, crashing into my serene thoughts, and those gusts of aggressive air threatening to blow me (or a nearby tree) over. But I'm so far behind in my general spring gardening tasks that I'm out there today. Intrepid me? Or simply silly?
Pots and Percy......: So here I am, and my garden is out there, and the whole week (which has promised faithfully to be windless) stretches out in front of me. I have some ideas, but they are gentle in nature. I might frighten them away if I wrote a list. Perhaps a rambling paragraph?
Gardeners and Hobbits......: I am one of those gardeners who never goes to the movies. My garden's visual landscape is expansively 3D, with superb surround-sound. Film-wise I am content with a modestly small screen and the TV couch. Finally, thereon, I am watching The Hobbit - Part One, The Unexpected Journey.
Huffing and Puffing......: 'I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your garden down'... Thanks, Mister Big-Noise Wind. And he blew down the blossom flowers, and the big irises... But the Moosey trees stood tall, and the Moosey Head Gardener remained defiant (while reserving the right to retreat).
What would a visitor think?...: So what would a visitor think if they walked through my Wattle Woods? Hmm... Here's the path. Hang on a minute - is this the path? Hey, where did that path go? Aargh! Lost! How do I get out of here?
A perfect day......: It's been a perfect day (thanks for everything, Lou Reed) to end a near-perfect month, in an almost perfect year. It's all to do with the absence of wind and the presence of birds and buzzing bees - so simple, really. Gardeners are easily pleased. This makes them the nicest people? Hmm...
What worked well? Me!...: Looking back over November's first gardening weekend (with Monday included), here's a self-evaluation, if you like. What worked well? Me! is there room for improvement? Yes, always! In what areas, exactly? In me! Positives? Lots and lots - where do I begin?
A funny thing......: Garden photography is a funny thing. In the depths of winter, last summer's pictures are impossibly colourful. And sometimes there's unexpected disappointment - for example, when in pictures taken five years ago the garden actually looks better than now. Aargh! What improvements?
Delightfully distracting......: Suddenly the garden is beautifully rosy and flowery. The beautiful colours are delightfully distracting, and I could spend hours floating around taking photographs and gasping in admiration. But what about GM? That's garden maintenance, by the way.</p>
One of gardening life's sweet mysteries......: Some weeks I must wander around in a haze. How else would all the little Forget-Me-Nots grow so cleverly in the silliest places, and then flower - without me noticing they were there? Best not to think too hard, and just accept it as one of the sweet mysteries of gardening life.
On the edge......: I love all my green lawns. I love all my curved borders around which the green grass swirls. But the connection between the two? Aargh! This is definitely gardening on the edge!
A rather scary plan......: I have a rather scary plan. I'm cleaning out a huge piece of garden, in the corner of the Frisbee Lawn. Lilli-Puss my grey cat likes this garden, so she can help with the design. Planting possibilities? As limitless as my wallet. Eek! That immediately puts a dampener on things...
Life's lessons....: This morning I sat on the verandah of Pond Cottage with my cottage cat Minimus for over half an hour, quiet and still, just watching the wildlife. Many of life's lessons can be learnt from the natural behaviour of the creatures that share the garden.
Lots of ticks?...: I'm doing something of everything today, so I can give myself lots of ticks. This will require much self-discipline, staying on task, not panicking, and ignoring any sneaky tickles of boredom. I want a good gardening report...
Pink rose time!...: Good morning, web-garden! I have over fifteen web-pages upon which to place new photographs. It's pink rose time, and Gerbe rose and Zephirine Drouhin don't even have pages of their own. Cornelia, such a sweet rose, has one solitary photograph, as does her look-alike, Clair Matin.
What to do first?...: Aha! I have Pittosporums and red-skinned seed potatoes to plant. And Non-Gardening Partner has to be encouraged to finish some chain-sawing for me. So what to do first? NGP - where exactly are you scurrying off to? The sheep's bottoms need cleaning again? You did that last weekend...
After the garden tour......: I've been out on a garden tour. Was it inspiring? In a kick-up the backside sort of way. Put it this way - the first thing I did on returning home was to sweep gum leaves off the patio. And now I'm off to scrape up all the weeds from the paving stone path around the house. See what I mean?
THE most amazing week!...: It's been one of THE most amazing weeks in my recent life. It started with some wonderful horse manure and ended with my grand piano repaired and the rebirth of the musical me. And in the middle I've finished the Moosey Christmas Calendars. And it's not yet December!
The advent of Beethoven......: Yippee! It's December, the start of summer. I've hung up a quilted Advent Calendar, and I've put the numbers from 1 to 32 into the little pockets. Each of these represents the Beethoven Piano Sonata de Jour, so to speak. It's my plan to sight-read all of them by Christmas Day.
Everything, all at once......: Today I have to do everything all at once. Parallel time lines, or high quality clones are urgently needed. Aha! The piano! My Beethoven sight-reading! My roses! The journal! I love writing and playing when I'm feeling fresh...
Noises off......: Early this morning in Pond Cottage I listened to the bird orchestra gently warming up. Then a noise offstage like a creaky old door opening - the bassoonist arriving late? No, no - a frog! One or two croaks, no more. An extremely minimal frog - shy, perhaps? A frog who is still finding his voice!
Croak, creak......: My pond frog has found his night-voice. All last night he croaked and creaked, announcing his frog-presence to the sleeping world. This morning the arrival of the rubbish truck out in the road got him really excited. Creak went the wheelie-bins, croak went the frog, louder than ever. Darling! I'm over here!
Flower mulch......: Time is so sneaky. It's only just summer, and I'm still planting out the last of the summer flowering annuals. Yet I'm already collecting seeds from salvias and pansies, and cutting up seed-heads of lupins and foxgloves to make 'flower mulch'. Love those self-seeders!
Any excuse......: Nearly-Christmas greetings from a slack, semi-lapsed gardening women. What is it about December? My garden needs me more than ever, and yet is politely ignored. The piano, the Christmas jigsaw, swimming and sushi with my friends, talking to the cats, reading books - any excuse...
A merry mess......: Right. I am getting the garden (and the house, mustn't forget the house) ready for Christmas. The garden is easy - cosmetic weeding and dead-heading. But the house? It's a merry mess - what to do? Accept the clutter and the lack of style? Throw everything out and get an interior designer in?
Merry Christmas...: Merry Christmas from me. All the best for this festive season : eat and drink wisely, and have lots of happy fun times. If anything gets you down, just beam, nod wisely, and give thanks. It seems to work!
Mid-Summer Rain......: Four days of continual mid-summer rain - so good for the garden, but lacking the gardener's gentle touch to provide some subtle summer balance. Eek. I wonder how the weeds are getting on? They'll be in full party mood - it's ages since I checked them out.
The Last of the Summer Bonfires......: I'm thrilled, delighted, ecstatic, over-the-moon, delirious with joy (and so on) that the fire ban is finally on for the summer. I'm not a compulsive burner, but oh so slowly I've been cleaning up a strip of the neighbour's land over the fence-line. It's over. No more bonfiring. Phew!

Garden Journal 2014 Top Garden Journal 2012

Tweets by @mooseysgarden

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