Yesterday we planted Martha in the garden, next to her sister Mary. She lived with us for 8 years. She was a bit bossy. She liked eating bugs. She laid soft eggs, but also manure, which she never did in the garden (and preferred to do in the house). She liked listening to stories. Of course, she was the original 'Book Chook'
RIP Martha, will miss you.
Dad's thermometer has been peaking at 30 degrees celsius, making him happy every time a record is broken. I am not however, meant to set foot on the lawn while the thermometer is on the grass, for fear that I may step on it and break it (although I do have eyes, and I need to water plants). Half the Swan plants have been ruthlessly cleared away so that no shade befalls the precious mercury.
While this was the death knell for one cucumber plant, amazingly three more miraculously appeared, thanks to Saint Jacqui patron of Woodside Garden, the very next day. The snake plants and lazy housewife beans though, were a complete disappointment, not growing much at all in the thin clay soil by the fence, probably the worst place to grow them and when they should have raised beds of which I am not allowed. Even the Yates orange cosmos, now flowering is barely 30cm high when the seed packet promised 1.2 metres of triffid plants 'good tall flowers for by the fence, tolerates drought'. Well at least they flowered...
I had to do lots of remedial potting up with 2 bags of potting mix from Kings. Though I noticed that the mixture is made of up of bark, peat and pumice. Peat? Isn't it bad and environmentally disastrous to harvest peat? And I wonder where the bark is from..dead kauri trees?
Some gardeners swear by Zoo Doo. I haven't tried it for manuring yet. I've just been soaking or baptizing my pot plants in seaweed tonic. I asked veteran gardener Louise what she fed her plants and she surprised me by saying 'nothing'. I pictured her plants going hungry and crying. Nothing?? Just compost. huh.
She said they seemed to grow anyway, so I think she must be of the 'treat em' mean, keep em' keen' ilk. Kind of like the way mum treats me (sometimes). I guess adversity toughens you up, but I don't really know in my case.
My new thing for new year is to learn raranga or flax weaving. I have started a little on weaving flax wall mangers when I chucked out the old coir and hessian that was rotting and replaced them with flax leaves and cabbage leaves. They actually don't look too bad, plus, I have lined them with meat trays and put pots in them instead of filling them entirely with potting mix which then dries out and turns to dust.I have a few old hanging baskets that no longer have linings so when my flax bush grows more leaves I will weave them too.
The other thing thats new is obtaining some cover pots for my plants. As they are pricy and hard to come by am doing it gradually so that Mr plasticky black pots will be turned into stylishly cordinated indoor decor and glazed outdoor features in tasteful colours.
Cabbage tree has been thinned and I am experimenting taking cuttings from the branches. And I am clipping the buxus, wanting in vain to turn them into stylish cones or turrets but instead they still want to retain their boring rectangular blob shape. It echoes the bricks and shape of the house (one big rectangle). My garden is not going to grace the pages of 'Private Gardens of Aotearoa' anytime soon. For one thing there is no swimming pool or tennis court or 'car court'. Although the next door neighbours now have a swimming pool..I can hear them splashing. The only water feature I have a is a pot full of taro. But it seems to be doing much better than next door's taro which is now flattened by their new trampoline.
Mr Postman has still not delivered me any letters or a brand new letterbox so, am still waiting on that or Mum will imporvise a roof of aluminium she'll get Dad to knock together so it will look instead like a mini-garage that may or may not rust away when it's nailed down. Ah suburbia.