I have been reading 'Gorgeous Garden Boosters' a book about improving your garden. In the gardening section of the library there's basically three categories of books. English gardening books endorsed by the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society). NZ gardening books, which sometimes extend to Australia. And American gardening books. I don't know why the library buys ones published in America, we don't live on a prairie. Also the American ones seems so basic and naive, like plant something in the ground and it grows kind of thing. They don't have a tradition or love of gardening like the English do.
This one comes under the first category. It is so exhaustive and comprehensive, that, I'm sure if I wasn't working full-time that you would need to employ someone full time just to realise this vision. It has everything. Trees, shrubs, hedges, kitchen gardens, beds, borders, water features, topiary, sculptures, paths, bulbs, perennials, annuals, pleaching, pollarding, pruning, espaliering, containers, irrigation, lawns...
I'm inspired to add a bit more drama to my borders by edging them with catmint. I managed to find some growing in punnets so I had plenty and removed the creeping buttercup and other sundry weeds so I can have an eventual purple border beneath the sweet peas mummy cat will enjoy.
The annoying thing about the sweet peas is that they are now starting to flower, but most of the flowers are on the neighbours side of the fence!
I am consoling myself with the thought that I am being neighbourly and also, I managed to pick up a silver lady fern for $2 from the Warehouse so that will be the start of my shady fern grove. I will name it Ferndale, after the suburb in Shortland Street.
The chickens had a field day digging up the compost I generously spread on the back border that had two lone hellebores, a canna lilly, an small agapanthus and my tomato, basil and potato pots and basket. I hope they haven't destroyed my comfrey. I think I need to plant it so thickly and give it a chance so that, as heard once you have it you can't get rid of it, so useful for compost and green manure, but, this seems to be the reverse as, both times I planted it, the chickens scoffed the lot. Otherwise I don't know what to put there. Lupins again? Red clover didn't take.
As for Snowy's bed I'm on the look out for vinca, or periwinkle, as the only thing that will grow to crowd out the flower carpet rose. But I heard its an invasive weed although less bad as ivy. But I do need a ground cover of some sort, and trying to grow anything under a maple tree is a hard task as they suck up all the moisture with their thick roots. Maybe another snow in summer?
