Garden 2012 no18.

Garden 2012 no 18

Oh my poor garden. Hospital says I can now ‘resume normal activities’ (while taking care) and the eye is healing nicely. Therefore; this weekend is going to be a gardening weekend. I’m still getting fresh spinach leaves every couple of days and they are good either steamed as part of a hot meal or fresh as part of a salad.

 My lettuce is almost gone, I’ve another two or three and then that’s it. I am still picking spinach leaves, the last of the nasturtium leaves and the last of the spring onions to make up a bowl of salad every couple of days and I have the last of the shallots drying out ready to be spiced and pickled.
I’m a bit upset about the lavender and the tansy. I usually make up bowls of potpourri for the house with these. Unfortunately this year they flowered and died of in the couple of weeks I’ve been unable to get out there. I’m quite cross with myself for leaving them, they were ready to be cut a few days before I went into hospital but I decided to leave them until that weekend. Now I wish I had harvested them when I had the chance. But at least these will flower again next year and there is no real harm done. The more lasting damage is likely to be around the edge of the garden in amongst the wild flowers and hedgerow. I’ve always been very careful about removing deep rooting invasive weeds as they appeared. Particularly the thistles, dandelions, and those big tall dock leaves, they all have roots that quickly go deep and are a real problem to get out. I’ve taken a walk around the edge of the garden and there they all are, happily growing, spreading and depriving my plants of space and nutrition. This weekend it will be a war on those weeds. Its not even that I have any particular grudge against these plants, they are all part of the natural habitat and, in their own way are quite attractive, its just that left unchecked the garden would be full of these and little else. 

Another regret is the way my herb collection has gone to seed and is past its best for harvesting. But I still have quite a lot of frozen herbs collected last year and if I cut the herbs back now they should all grow again next year and I’ll be able to collect them then. I bought Mace for the first time this year and didn't even get to save a little. It smelt wondefull, harvesting my first Mace will be something to look forward to next year.

The dainty little purple flower growing in the midst of chaos is…….actually I don’t know what it is. I think it was part of the mixed wild flower seeds I sprinkled there. As you can see.....the wind was getting up and the little flowers were waving wildly in the wind.

This yellow flower is another attractive but unknown addition to the garden. It has grown tall and flowered in the couple of weeks I’ve been away from the garden, and now I’m busy looking up pictures of yellow flowers and trying to identify it. 

This is something I am pleased with. I brought back a whole load of Mullen seeds from my last visit to my sister and this is where I sprinkled them. At this point I’m not sure if these new plants are self seeded Digitalis (foxglove) or, if some of the Mullen seeds have started to grow.  To my non-expert eye, Mullen and Foxglove look too similar to decide, but which ever it is, I’m happy with it.

July8, 2009, Multiply, I won the battle of the hedge

I WON THE BATTLE WITH MY HEDGE.

One week ago I began the battle with my hedge, I just wanted to make it manageable. I wanted it to stop taking up half the footpath, I wanted to be able to reach the top for trimming, And………..one week and many scratches later, I think I’ve won! My neighbours all think I’ve gone mad, they think I ruined my hedge, killed it beyond repair and made my garden look as if it were vandalised. What do they know?? I have every confidence that this time next year it will be covered in new growth and fresh leaves, there will just be a lot less of it that’s all.
I am now left with a mountain of branches and leavers, far too many to fit into the composter. So many that my gate refuses to close. My solution is to go buy one of those outdoor wood burning stoves. The sort designed to keep the chill from the air and allow you to sit outside after the warmth of the sun has left.
That is first on the agenda of ‘must dos’ for tomorrow. In the afternoon I shall start clipping these branches into smaller chunks and spend the afternoon leisurely burning them. I’m hoping that if the weather stays warm and dry over night, by tomorrow afternoon this pile of old hedge will have dried out enough to burn with out too many problems.
The tray of Busy Lizzie I bought for the garden ‘’toilet and cistern’’ containers have taken and are blooming nicely. They add a real splash of colour to the garden. Again, my neighbours don’t quite approve of me having a toilet in the garden………..but as it’s my garden not theirs guess there’s not a lot they can do about it.
I don’t have to much colour in the garden because most of my containers are full or herbs, which is very nice and very fragrant, just not particularly colourful.
The couple of colour splashes I do have are happy accidents really and not at all planned, except the Busy Lizzie of course.
I just have one regret about my garden at the moment. I had left all the clumps of wild clover to grow undisturbed on my driveway, I loved the look of all that clover growing there and I liked the fact that it encouraged bees into the garden. Until I disturbed one and it stung my toe…..OUCH…. it really hurt. Then I realised if the any one of the grandchildren were stung by a Bee it could be very dangerous……………so I reluctantly sprayed the clover and killed it. I hated having to do that but felt I had no choice.
 
BUT…………………I found a purple thistle growing under the gate and decided to leave it alone and let it grow there.

Tags: garden, plants

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delete reply pestep55 wrote on Jul 9, '09 Donnie cuts ours back when it gets too high and/or wide -- looks branch for a few weeks then fills in.

delete reply aimlessjoys wrote on Jul 9, '09 Good for you, Loretta! Have Fun & enjoy your labours!

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jul 9, '09 starfishred said we have a central place we can bring t I'm sure we do too Heidi but I don't drive so I would need to find someone to take it for me and I expect I would have to pay them to take it all away fro me. I thought this would be a 'one off' buy and I could use it all summer, if you se what i mean.

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jul 9, '09 brendainmad said Are these photos you've taken with your camera phone? yep afraid so..................still no camera but I've decided to put that on hold for a while, I have so many things around the house and garden to do right now finding the money for a camera seems a bit of an extravagance. I did think about buying a couple of those disposable cammeras just for over the summer, maybe I'll do that. Anyway................I've got over not having a camera, I'm sure I will get another one day. So for now, I take photos with my phone.

delete reply brendainmad wrote on Jul 9, '09 That story about the bee stinging your toe reminded me that when I was little I used to step on bees on purpose. . Why? No idea. Your garden looks very nice. Are these photos you've taken with your camera phone?

delete reply starfishred wrote on Jul 8, '09 we have a central place we can bring things like greens that are to big for own decomposers-looking good loretta

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jul 8, '09 veroniquemariquita said Don't forget to run to the kitchen for the meat tenderizer to sprinkle on a sting Thanks Vero but I ran screaming to the kitchen and poured half a bottle of vinagar over it.............that did the trick :-))

delete reply dragonwind wrote on Jul 8, '09 For me, a Bee sting means death unless I get help REAL fast. I'm so violently allergic to them that within 2-3 minutes I start having trouble breathing and shortly after lose consciousness. And that is WITH a bee sting kit.

delete reply veroniquemariquita wrote on Jul 8, '09 Don't forget to run to the kitchen for the meat tenderizer to sprinkle on a sting. It really lessens the effect the bee venom has on you.

delete reply dragonwind wrote on Jul 8, '09 Alive is preferable.. that way you can enjoy their screams and whines and tears.

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jul 8, '09 greenwytch said wondering if that is tansy or artemesia in bloom? which ones?? the little pink daisy like flowers in the container??

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jul 8, '09 bennett1 said Just checked the meaning of LOL................that will teach you to go being so inquisitive

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jul 8, '09 greenwytch said P.S...we call those charming wood burning things 'chimineas'. ; D yep so do we ..............just couldn't remember the word..........oh dam think this is the begining of Alzheimer's ??

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jul 8, '09 dragonwind said If not, rip it out and plant your neighbors in it's place. would that be dead...............or alive ?? (neighbours that is) :-))

delete reply bennett1 wrote on Jul 8, '09 Just checked the meaning of "sod off" on Google. That was interesting. I love learning about other cultures. :-}

delete reply greenwytch wrote on Jul 8, '09 P.S...we call those charming wood burning things 'chimineas'. ; D

delete reply greenwytch wrote on Jul 8, '09 lrrpslady said Can you send me some??? I love the way Tansy smells. sure! ; D

delete reply lrrpslady wrote on Jul 8, '09 I'll tell the neighbors to sod off for you. I think you're garden looks wonderful and I like the use of the toilet with the flowers in them. :-P

delete reply lrrpslady wrote on Jul 8, '09 greenwytch said BTW......wondering if that is tansy or artemesia in bloom? my tansy is blooming its head off right now. Can you send me some??? I love the way Tansy smells.

delete reply msowens1 wrote on Jul 8, '09 once had a hedge like that.... always required three clippings.... once for the massive new growth in spring, once in the summer and once by the beginning of autumn..... they never stop growing! lol.... the rest of your garden looks wonderful!

delete reply greenwytch wrote on Jul 8, '09 BTW......wondering if that is tansy or artemesia in bloom? my tansy is blooming its head off right now.

delete reply dragonwind wrote on Jul 8, '09 It will come back next spring. If not, rip it out and plant your neighbors in it's place...... oh wait um never mind! lol.

delete reply veryfrank wrote on Jul 8, '09 Good for you. The shrubs will return, maybe some yet this year.

delete reply bennett1 wrote on Jul 8, '09 I have done the same to my various bushes, cut them way back, and they do return, and rather quickly. So I understand and am confident your hedge will come back. I think it is charming we both have pink/rose campion in our gardens. And, of course, I have to say for the millionth time, I love that blue fence. Oh, I forgot, bee stings do hurt like crazy and one can never tell if you or the children are allergic. I stepped on one once and it pretty much put an end to going barefoot outside.

delete reply greenwytch wrote on Jul 8, '09 LOL, good for you for having your garden the way that YOU want it. sod the neighbours, hehe. sorry you got stung, hope you'll soon feel better. p.s........our old commode has become a container garden, too. ) ; D

delete reply djdx wrote on Jul 8, '09 Poor neighbours. Sometimes I think we should do each others gardens, since that is what we see, if you see what I mean. My neighbour and I have different gardening styles also. He is much stricter. :-)