I was a busy weekend gardener. I did so much work that I'm hoping it will last me through the next few months of July and August while waiting for spring. Earlicheer jonquils are already out and my magnolia is budding.
I put in two new strawberry patches, one by the garage and one by the front door. Thank you Woodside Garden for the extra strawberries. Also added a whole lot of comfrey leaves as mulch. Apparently pine needles make really good mulch for strawberries, but I was using straw and lavender cuttings.
Also planted - more catmint, purple sage, and iceland poppies (which were promptly dug out by Martha as the poppies didn't have much protection. Ah well)
I also pruned the tangelo tree for some deadwood, which I may burn and make biochar. I dumped neem granules all around the citrus. I pruned some of the kowhai, which is gloriously flowering right now. It's divaricating habit makes it sprawl over the ground, so I can't get past. I'm training it to behave.
I planted some oriental lillies in the front side bed, scented. I had two packets so ten bulbs in total.
After that I swept the paths.
Someone has generously donated a whole lot of garden magazines in the pop up library so I've taken them out to go through them and read. Some copies I already have though. I sometimes find it annoying that people donate me garden magazines because I already have loads of the exact same copies. You not doing me any favours by giving me magazines I already have read. I think people can't just bear to biff them because they contain good information. Some magazines are totally throw away, like yesterday's newspaper, but in gardening world next season will come round again and you'll be looking at that month's issue even if it's from ten years ago wondering well what do I do now?
Just don't answer any of the advertisements because some of those businesses have gone out of business, and the garden events and festivals have all passed, and fads and fashions change - who knew in the last decade that designer gardens would come crashing down because of the GFC (global financial crisis) so people couldn't spend money they actually didn't have on investing in their gardens to raise their property value to sell later. Well thank goodness for that because it's tiring looking at all the fancy garden gear and accoutrements they kept wanting you to buy to tart up your garden.
Now people have come to their senses and gone back to their first love, which is to grow yummy food to eat in their gardens and not just cos it's fashionable but because its necessary! Far be it from me to look down on anyone who thinks gardening is just a hobby to keep up appearances with the neighbours and that people do it just cos they have nothing better to do. Actually it's actually the only thing worth doing. You don't garden, you don't eat, and you won't have food for your soul.
I'm thinking of donating some of these extra magazines to the doctors waiting rooms. I don't know about you but doctor's waiting rooms seem to have the most trashy magazines. You could be waiting for the doctor for an eternity and all you have to look at is celebrity porn. How about a good garden magazine, that way, if you get into gardening, you might not even have to see the doctor next time.
