Some new plants have been added to my garden.
Ajuga 'bugleweed' although its not actually a weed but a groundcover. Christmas lily bulbs. In Ferndale by driveway.
Two ivy geraniums to clamber up the chain link fence in the backyard. One red and one cerise. New Gardenland.
Lemon grass by garage.
Spanish Shawl groundcover in Princess Diana bed and Snowy's bed.
Some weeds like creeping buttercup and oxalis have been taken out. In general the plant population is the same, as the more plants I plant, the less weeds there will be.
Plants shifted around - mexican sage, chyrsanthemum to the garage bed.
Aster to the chain link fence.
Hen and chickens fern to beneath kowhai. Ponga wheki fern to behind daphne.
Cuttings of rosemary are forming a tentative hedge past the wisteria.
So there's progress at home, like the tortoise, plodding along. At work it's a totally different scenario, where we are all racing around like hares trying to finish first. Its not something I'm used to since I'm a firm believer in slow and steady wins the race.
Carrie Fisher used to say 'instant gratification takes too long'. I blame television. I think it feeds people the illusion that life is always a pretty picture that doesn't require any effort except to turn the TV on. Like viewing a show garden. It looks good and in full colour all the time. When people look out their windows maybe they expect to see what's always been there. I don't know, I have no control over other people's opinions. It's just the vociferous that always complain. They don't really care if the plant is plastic. Or the actors are not even real but animated plastic robots. They just want something to look at.
Am I in garden theatre? If I am, I may be getting performance anxiety. No weeds! Must look busy! Pretend I know what I am doing! Everyone is judging me! Last night at the Floral Circle meeting we heard Kate Hillier speak. She shared her lineage and pride in her family's nursery, Hilliers, who's claim to fame is 73 consecutive Gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show, and appointments as official nursery to Her Majesty the Queen. She is now an official at the NZ Flower and Garden Show, which is like the Garden Olympics or World Championships if gardening were a sport, or the Oscars if gardening was on film. It will be back again at the Trusts Stadium in November, and this time there will be an inside the stadium for the floral part as well as outside in the field.
She shared some very interesting anecdotes about the Chelsea Flower Show except I was rather suspicious that Hilliers had won every gold medal for 73 years running. Surely this competiton is rigged, or the plants on steroids or something? What I found bizarre is, that you aren't allowed to enter or walk into any show garden. if designing one you can't let the public walk in it. They are strictly off limits and only allowed to view it. I just didn't let on that Karyn and I walked into some gardens after the show had finished, and sat inside the Hobbiton garden, and one of the Balinese style subtropical gardens and watched the ducks float by in the artificial pond. If you can only view a garden from your window then what use is it? You might as well just sit on the couch and watch TV instead.
