Wealth and style
Dahlias by the Pergola
Something silly on my Facebook feed this morning. Apparently dahlias are a sign of wealth and style. Oh really? So the plan was to feel wealthy and stylish and trim off all the dahlia dead-heads. But things didn't quite work out.
Yeay! No rain, no drizzle, and it was just great to be gardening again. So I started by cleaning up the house patio and one side of the driveway. I didn't take anything to the bonfire - it was strictly nipping, trimming, and dumping. And sweeping the patio.
Then I shifted location - into the Hump Gardens. Bad move. There was soooooooooo much stuff to trim and pull out. Poor dahlias - they didn't really stand a chance. And why is so much trimming needed in my late summer garden anyway? Suspect a mix of poor design and total lack of control back in spring. Perhaps this autumn, late, I'll go through the Hump Garden with a blow-torch. Or a slasher. Or something rude in a squirty bottle. Or all three.
The growth of unwanted mess is spectacular (a very polite way of putting it). And the clumps of miniature roses MUST be dug out and repositioned (or thrown on the bonfire).
Now I'm off to walk the dogs round the orchard - wonder if Speckles will be there? Discovered him in the hay barn yesterday, lolling in the sun. Removed my dogs and returned with a tiny bit of food. 'Yum!' he said, when he eventually plucked up the courage to come out from behind the hay bales. Is he getting tamer? Maybe a little, but it's super-slow going.
Hump Garden Mess
He now sometimes arrives at the cottage for breakfast as well as supper. I wake up to find him staring through the glass door at me. Most unnerving! And sometimes he hisses and stands his ground, rather than scuttling for cover. This is progress? I guess so. Mildly unpleasant, but never-the-less progress...