Ah,
where has the time gone? Weeding, that's where. All that
lovely compost I dug in was riddled with weed seeds ...
never mind, It will be better next year. I hope.
The
garden is starting to look very good - shortly I will
put up more photographs of it. I have plants growing here
that I simply could not grow in Victoria - foxtail lilies,
himalayan poppies, peonies .. .and the dragon arums. They
flowered about 10 days ago. Oh, the stink! For
about a week the front garden stank of rotting meat, but
the flowers were spectacular.
I
am in the process of finally finishing off the cat
empire. I was waiting for two small pieces to arrive,
which they eventually did, but then I was busy elsewhere,
and so last weekend was supposed to be the final fix weekend.
But it turned out to be both hot and humid, and working
outside was so horrendous that I simply didn't bother
overmuch. I have done a bit - erecting the final two enclosures,
constructing one of two overpasses, but that is as far
as I go. Perhaps I will have some time later today to
get some work done. Once it is finished I will do a new
series of photographs for the empire pages - with all
the growth in the garden they now look very different.
Vegie
garden is doing very well. I really did plant out too
much lettuce. I have pulled most of the broccoli - they
bolted and flowered before I had time to eat most of them
(they were not supposed to do that!). One of the best
tomato plants was snapped over by strong winds a few days
ago - my fault, I'd delayed tying it into the stake. the
tomatoes are still tiny ... but then the garden seems
to be so far behind most other gardens ... even my foxgloves
are only just now beginning to think about flowering.
The
weather has been nasty, but at least now, after almost
two years in the house, I have the windows in order. The
previous owners, for reasons best known to themselves,
had painted, screwed and nailed shut most of the windows.
Their sash cords were broken, the lead weights dropped
down into the basement. So over the past few months I
have been chiselling, scraping, unscrewing and un-nailing
the windows so they could open, getting in someone to
repair the sash cords and affix the weights, and about
ten days ago I had full length security mesh screens fixed
(the good sort, not the diamond mesh sort). That means
I can throw the house open on warm nights and really enjoy
the air! Previously there was just one window I could
open at night, and it was awful.
26th
December 2006:
I
needed to get back in here before the year ran out
on me. I have been ill over the past week with what
appears to be a bad case of the summer flu ... but
at least it has kept me away from the weeding, for
which I am grateful.
The
garden is looking good. It had really grown over the
past month or so, particularly the flower borders.
I can't get over how much later everything is here
- the foxgloves are only now thinking about flowering.
I must get some images up, but at the moment I can
barely think let alone cope with uploading images.
The
trees and larger shrubs need another couple of years
before they really start to make their presence felt
on the garden - and I need more. The tree gardenia
hedge has failed utterly - I have no idea why. Perhaps
it felt oppressed by the mountains. I have now the
option of planting out a bay tree hedge there (the
said bay trees coming along nicely in pots) which
would be okay, but a trifle boring, and very slow
to grow (I really need to block out a purple house
and a dead lawn). Or I have the option of planting
out a border of large shrubs ... Lavatera and buddleia,
and some pillar roses. That would look gorgeous ...
if only they grow and don't die. This winter, before
planting them out, I must work the soil over well.
I ordered a mass of heritage roses yesterday while
snuffling and moaning over my computer - my Christmas
gift to myself.
Talking
of winter work. I have decided to just concentrate
on a few areas this coming year. This past year, trying
to keep up with 90% of the garden has exhausted me,
and left me hating it for long periods. So there are
two raised beds I will dig over and replant, as well
the long line of dead tree gardenias, and perhaps
the side street garden, which I have layered under
with much cardboard and pea straw to kill the lawn
and improve the soil. If it all gets to much then
the side garden will be the one to keep - I can just
layer down more straw and leave it for yet another
year.
I
have finally finished the cat empire - see the new
tour here.
Christmas
has seen a blast of icy weather arrive from the Antarctic.
I hope my tomatoes have survived. I can't bear to
go look.
And
I have finally realised the reason why it is so windy
here ... Tasmania exists slap bang in the middle of
the Roaring Forties! Doh! Well, both I and the garden
have now learned to live with the wind, although it
took some adjustment.
Do
I feel well enough to restart the weeding today?
No,
I don't think so. I think another day in front of
the fire.
