I read this book in which a preacher kid learned to let go and have a garden. This strait laced competitive American control freak lands in the English countryside and learns the beauty of an bearded iris and the wonders of a cottage garden where there's not a straight line to be seen, no lawnmower, and things just you know, GROW.
After 20 different quotations from published authors as if uncertain that his point of view was even valid (if you got it from a book, it must be!) he finally learns to just sit still and smell the roses instead of spraying them into submission.
I have thought about this as I walked around the garden today and saw my plantings establishing themselves, the lemon balm's scented leaves, the parsley, the feathery fennel, the delicately scented sweet peas and nasturtiums twining their way along the border. The narrow strip of land between our lawn and the neighbours driveway has been reclaimed. That bit is mine but it sits adjacent to the large expanse of lawn cut to an inch of its life, and where dad hadn't mowed, I barely noticed until he pointed out to me that he neglected to cut that bit of grass where the lawn mower had run out of petrol.
I have never once said to Dad that he must mow the lawns ever, but I imagine it is pre-programmed into his brain that he must do it or risk...what exactly? Butterflies and bees? Daisies? Hundreds and thousands of yellow creeping buttercups strewn like confetti over the backyard? A meadow?
It's a bit hard to romp in this garden if there's nothing really to romp about in. I've considered we just roll up the turf and install fake grass which may look just as good. People do it all the time at silly season, fake trees, fake snow, fake reindeer, coming after the fake ghosts and fake blood and bone of Halloween. My garden could conceivably become one of those fake landscaping design projects in which everything is all lines on a page and no soul.
Anyway, just my thoughts. Hurry up global warming, can't wait for the day petrol is going to run out and then all the lawnmowers and cars are silenced and we can just get back to real gardening again.
Wednesday, 9 November 2016
Friday, 4 November 2016
Covering new ground
Progress report -
I planted three more thymes, one emerald carpet and two woollies, plus another pratia which has little blue flowers, and a leptinella, which is like a native ferny groundcover that I saw at Mincher. Also I have edged the path to the house with more lamb's ears, scrounged from the bed that is now smothered in mugwort. The chickens like to use that plant as a hidey hole to lay eggs in.
I have moved the ficus primula - creeping fig - to the side of the steps hoping it might decide to clamber up the wall there as the last two spots I had it in did nothing but sulk. Then I have ripped up some hydrocotyl which I know is now deemed a weed but it creeps and looks spectacularly green so I'm hoping that will take as well.
My weedmat is now covered with weeds and it's only really one third weeded. Another plant I found at Mitre 10 is nz fuschia procumbens, which is a creeping kind of fuschia and I've put that in with the ponga fern. I had my eye on star jasmine as a ground cover and you can buy small ones for $8 so I was thinking I might buy two to cover the ground where it's sunny. I have seen star jasmine used to great effect as a groundcover outside of all places McDonalds in Pt Chevalier. Fluffy's butterfly garden has one star jasmine which is now climbing the fence but as it would take a long time to get established and cuttings I think maybe I better buy two plants.
I also need to buy some more potting mix to pot up aloes as they don't really like shallow rock beds even though its warm and I will put them on the deck side of the house which currently doesn't have any plants, except for muehlenbeckia now twining its way through the railing. There is a sign that now says 'Beware of the Cat' in brass.
I may also move the tea tree (camellia) next to the other camellia so it can have a friend as its really not doing that well next to the hydrangeas down the bottom of the garden, the leaves are very pale and don't seem to be growing much.
And another task I need to get busy with is growing sunflowers, which I will plant directly at Woodside although I now have seed raising mix, which I am going to use to sow beans where I had tomatoes last year. These are scarlet runner beans and perennials so that means I don't need to plant them again every year just cut them down and they will resprout again. I have no tomatoes as yet since last time they didn't do that well (and they are very heavy feeders) but I may have them in pots on the deck with the aloes this time if I can find big enough buckets. Or maybe by the fence However I have learned they are actually perennial vines too so I actually don't need to dig them out again if I just leave them they will grow again.
Anyway, busy busy must get cracking since its November and not long before the summer bbqs season.
I planted three more thymes, one emerald carpet and two woollies, plus another pratia which has little blue flowers, and a leptinella, which is like a native ferny groundcover that I saw at Mincher. Also I have edged the path to the house with more lamb's ears, scrounged from the bed that is now smothered in mugwort. The chickens like to use that plant as a hidey hole to lay eggs in.
I have moved the ficus primula - creeping fig - to the side of the steps hoping it might decide to clamber up the wall there as the last two spots I had it in did nothing but sulk. Then I have ripped up some hydrocotyl which I know is now deemed a weed but it creeps and looks spectacularly green so I'm hoping that will take as well.
My weedmat is now covered with weeds and it's only really one third weeded. Another plant I found at Mitre 10 is nz fuschia procumbens, which is a creeping kind of fuschia and I've put that in with the ponga fern. I had my eye on star jasmine as a ground cover and you can buy small ones for $8 so I was thinking I might buy two to cover the ground where it's sunny. I have seen star jasmine used to great effect as a groundcover outside of all places McDonalds in Pt Chevalier. Fluffy's butterfly garden has one star jasmine which is now climbing the fence but as it would take a long time to get established and cuttings I think maybe I better buy two plants.
I also need to buy some more potting mix to pot up aloes as they don't really like shallow rock beds even though its warm and I will put them on the deck side of the house which currently doesn't have any plants, except for muehlenbeckia now twining its way through the railing. There is a sign that now says 'Beware of the Cat' in brass.
I may also move the tea tree (camellia) next to the other camellia so it can have a friend as its really not doing that well next to the hydrangeas down the bottom of the garden, the leaves are very pale and don't seem to be growing much.
And another task I need to get busy with is growing sunflowers, which I will plant directly at Woodside although I now have seed raising mix, which I am going to use to sow beans where I had tomatoes last year. These are scarlet runner beans and perennials so that means I don't need to plant them again every year just cut them down and they will resprout again. I have no tomatoes as yet since last time they didn't do that well (and they are very heavy feeders) but I may have them in pots on the deck with the aloes this time if I can find big enough buckets. Or maybe by the fence However I have learned they are actually perennial vines too so I actually don't need to dig them out again if I just leave them they will grow again.
Anyway, busy busy must get cracking since its November and not long before the summer bbqs season.
Thursday, 3 November 2016
Thyme to get rid of weeds
My side front back garden (our house is back to front) has a bed that needs TLC or rather that needs to be completely replanted because its full of weeds!
Well it always has been ever since the conifers were taken out and become part of the driveway but I had some inspiration from Prince Charles' thyme walk and have decided to turn this bed of red gravel rocks into a thyme walk/drive as well.
So at first I thought maybe I can just weedmat it and plant in holes and I even bought some weedmat (ugly black stuff that supermarket bags are made out of) and pinned it to the ground with rivets. But then I realised that wouldn't really work and weedmat is so ugly, and then you have to put soil or mulch ON TOP and where would I get that from? So I am doing the old-fashioned route and weeding out each horrible weed by hand (and trowel). And underneath all those weeds and rocks is black plastic anyway which I can just pull up.
I have so far planted four emerald carpet thymes which I hope WILL spread to make a lovely green carpet, one native pratia and one native seriella. The natives are meant to do well if the thymes don't take but as they are in full sun for most of the day in poor soil I'm hoping they will take like a duck to water. (Or duckweed). The pratias and seriellas are groundcovers meant for no-mow lawns, forming dense mats, and even have nice white flowers, one is even called 'snow in summer'. Seriella is touted as wonderful and salt resistant, so if you need to get rid of weeds just sprinkle salt around and all the surrounding weeds will die except for the seriella. However I might hold off for now because I don't want to kill the thymes as well.
The weeds infesting this part of the garden include plaintain, dandelion, oxalis, clover (which I may just leave, it's pretty) and some other unidentifiables that routinely get squashed by my car tyres.
So here's hoping this experiment will work and I will have a nice fragrant lawn which never needs mowing just steamrolling (or rubberrolling) every now and again by my car. I hope to find some roman chamomile for the sunnier patch as heard that does well too. Unfortunately its not that cheap to buy these herbs that sell at Kings for $3.49 a pot and groundcovers are $9.99 so I will just need to do as my budget allows (which means, find some more paid work!) and I have a lot of ground to cover so as well as praying for it not to rain for my garden party I also have to pray that whatever I plant will thrive and spread quickly so people won't exclaim over my patchy no-mow lawn and say - you missed a spot. Mum was very suspicious that I put weedmat down and quickly reminded me that the rivets and nails I banged in place will probably puncture my car tyres.
I haven't told her those sharp mother-in-law tongues sell for $20 at the Warehouse but then I think she already knows. She already knows everything. That's the annoying thing.
Well it always has been ever since the conifers were taken out and become part of the driveway but I had some inspiration from Prince Charles' thyme walk and have decided to turn this bed of red gravel rocks into a thyme walk/drive as well.
So at first I thought maybe I can just weedmat it and plant in holes and I even bought some weedmat (ugly black stuff that supermarket bags are made out of) and pinned it to the ground with rivets. But then I realised that wouldn't really work and weedmat is so ugly, and then you have to put soil or mulch ON TOP and where would I get that from? So I am doing the old-fashioned route and weeding out each horrible weed by hand (and trowel). And underneath all those weeds and rocks is black plastic anyway which I can just pull up.
I have so far planted four emerald carpet thymes which I hope WILL spread to make a lovely green carpet, one native pratia and one native seriella. The natives are meant to do well if the thymes don't take but as they are in full sun for most of the day in poor soil I'm hoping they will take like a duck to water. (Or duckweed). The pratias and seriellas are groundcovers meant for no-mow lawns, forming dense mats, and even have nice white flowers, one is even called 'snow in summer'. Seriella is touted as wonderful and salt resistant, so if you need to get rid of weeds just sprinkle salt around and all the surrounding weeds will die except for the seriella. However I might hold off for now because I don't want to kill the thymes as well.
The weeds infesting this part of the garden include plaintain, dandelion, oxalis, clover (which I may just leave, it's pretty) and some other unidentifiables that routinely get squashed by my car tyres.
So here's hoping this experiment will work and I will have a nice fragrant lawn which never needs mowing just steamrolling (or rubberrolling) every now and again by my car. I hope to find some roman chamomile for the sunnier patch as heard that does well too. Unfortunately its not that cheap to buy these herbs that sell at Kings for $3.49 a pot and groundcovers are $9.99 so I will just need to do as my budget allows (which means, find some more paid work!) and I have a lot of ground to cover so as well as praying for it not to rain for my garden party I also have to pray that whatever I plant will thrive and spread quickly so people won't exclaim over my patchy no-mow lawn and say - you missed a spot. Mum was very suspicious that I put weedmat down and quickly reminded me that the rivets and nails I banged in place will probably puncture my car tyres.
I haven't told her those sharp mother-in-law tongues sell for $20 at the Warehouse but then I think she already knows. She already knows everything. That's the annoying thing.
Tuesday, 1 November 2016
101 Gardening Ideas
No I don't have 101 Gardening Ideas but I have two books that say the same so actually I have 202 Gardening Ideas. (One is NZ Gardener and one is Australian Women's Weekly).
Yesterday I bought some more solar lights, this time a longer one to thread on the deck and put the shorter one in the hedge since some of the bulbs are blown. I also bought one that has butterflies on it to put in my butterfly garden. I moved a ponga log to the corner as a kind of retaining edge since chickens kept digging up the mulch and took the broken chairs and umbrella to the dump (it cost $12 to get rid of them). I have a blue checked table cloth for my round outdoor table and hoping to find a similar or red checked one for the other picnic table.
It will be Guy Fawkes night soon and BBQ season should start up again so am thinking what to do for my next garden party. Karyn has invited all us gardeners to celebrate her partner's 40th at her place and the theme is Arabian Nights. I'm imagining her place is going to be rugged up and exotic looking. Very sheik.
I have thought one day when my brother has done up his 1930's Packard we could hold an Art Deco party perhaps. Or maybe... a Southern Style bbq with roast suckling pig. Or..a seafood extravaganza, if anyone wants to bring whitebait fritters and mussels.
Are not gardens meant to hold parties in?
I am taking some royal tips from Prince Charles' book the Garden at Highgrove as well. His garden is fantastic any way you look at it and I'm sure he holds lots of parties there to rival the Queen's petits fours.
I will just have to wait for the weather to clear after all this wind, rain and hail we've been having lately. It is now sunny outside but there's dark clouds on the horizon and who knows what it will be next hour. If I fix a day and time I will just need to pray like Elijah for it not to rain.
Yesterday I bought some more solar lights, this time a longer one to thread on the deck and put the shorter one in the hedge since some of the bulbs are blown. I also bought one that has butterflies on it to put in my butterfly garden. I moved a ponga log to the corner as a kind of retaining edge since chickens kept digging up the mulch and took the broken chairs and umbrella to the dump (it cost $12 to get rid of them). I have a blue checked table cloth for my round outdoor table and hoping to find a similar or red checked one for the other picnic table.
It will be Guy Fawkes night soon and BBQ season should start up again so am thinking what to do for my next garden party. Karyn has invited all us gardeners to celebrate her partner's 40th at her place and the theme is Arabian Nights. I'm imagining her place is going to be rugged up and exotic looking. Very sheik.
I have thought one day when my brother has done up his 1930's Packard we could hold an Art Deco party perhaps. Or maybe... a Southern Style bbq with roast suckling pig. Or..a seafood extravaganza, if anyone wants to bring whitebait fritters and mussels.
Are not gardens meant to hold parties in?
I am taking some royal tips from Prince Charles' book the Garden at Highgrove as well. His garden is fantastic any way you look at it and I'm sure he holds lots of parties there to rival the Queen's petits fours.
I will just have to wait for the weather to clear after all this wind, rain and hail we've been having lately. It is now sunny outside but there's dark clouds on the horizon and who knows what it will be next hour. If I fix a day and time I will just need to pray like Elijah for it not to rain.
Sunday, 30 October 2016
Mother-in-law's tongue
I have just been accused of stealing a mother-in-laws tongue, by my mother. Now I don't know why I would do that seeing as they are the most ugly plants ever but mum has got into her head that since its not there anymore I must have moved it or done something with it.
It is no good pleading innocent as she's already made up her mind I am guilty.
My mind is going into overdrive thinking of all the things I can say back to my mother about HER tongue but then again maybe its not a good idea. Perhaps if by magic the mother-in-law tongue does come back, her tongue would stop lashing out at me all the time because the plant will be there by proxy, absorbing all the noxious gases from the computer. (Mum claims these plants are good for computers). Well I don't know, my macbook has never really suggested it needed a plant. But it had been acting up on me lately, crashing my emails and thus I am not able to upload any photos of Mincher.
I don't have plants in my office/study although I do have fake gerberas in a vase. I also have enough sweet peas to fill a vase now and they are decorating the dining table. There's a maidenhair fern in the bathroom, and several of Beth's indoor pot plants I am looking after - a bird's nest fern, a plant called 'mother of millions', maidenhair, and kalanchoes. In my bedroom I have a rose and some daisies. Probably not the most inspiring floral arrangement but then I have to practise some more for the church flower blitz in December. I cannot compete with the flowers Else buys from Drury or Pukekohe but surely the church members might like some potted cyclamen?
Aunty Ellen gave us some of her orchids which I have gathered into the hanging basket, removing the paper daisies which are now being attacked by mites. Another casualty is also catmint and sage chickens again dug it up, (unless it was the naughty neighbourhood cat) but I suspect chickens. I have managed to find two good red sturdy plastic chairs for our outdoor table as the two wooden ones are collapsing, AND my outdoor umbrella broke, one of the spokes just plain snapped, so I've decided not to buy another one and just move the table under the tangelo tree for shade instead. I am looking for red checked table cloths that are wipe clean if anyone has them, and they are going to be anchored by mosaic solar lights to create a sort of french garden cafe atmosphere en plein air.
Yesterday in our working bee I mulched the eggplants with lavender and borage, so hopefully the snails won't get to them anymore. Things are growing at hectic pace and the garden centres are chock full of summer veges to put in. I managed to find a blue granny's bonnet or aquilegia that I so admired at Mincher to be part of my flower garden, and nearly got locked in at Kings Plant Barn when I lost my key. Thankfully someone had handed it in but for a moment I thought I would have to walk all the way home to get the spare one to unlock my car, or spend the night at the garden centre waiting for the AA to come. I suppose there are worse things than being stranded at Kings Plant Barn. They will have to make up a little corner for me there and name it 'Selina's bed' or something.
It is no good pleading innocent as she's already made up her mind I am guilty.
My mind is going into overdrive thinking of all the things I can say back to my mother about HER tongue but then again maybe its not a good idea. Perhaps if by magic the mother-in-law tongue does come back, her tongue would stop lashing out at me all the time because the plant will be there by proxy, absorbing all the noxious gases from the computer. (Mum claims these plants are good for computers). Well I don't know, my macbook has never really suggested it needed a plant. But it had been acting up on me lately, crashing my emails and thus I am not able to upload any photos of Mincher.
I don't have plants in my office/study although I do have fake gerberas in a vase. I also have enough sweet peas to fill a vase now and they are decorating the dining table. There's a maidenhair fern in the bathroom, and several of Beth's indoor pot plants I am looking after - a bird's nest fern, a plant called 'mother of millions', maidenhair, and kalanchoes. In my bedroom I have a rose and some daisies. Probably not the most inspiring floral arrangement but then I have to practise some more for the church flower blitz in December. I cannot compete with the flowers Else buys from Drury or Pukekohe but surely the church members might like some potted cyclamen?
Aunty Ellen gave us some of her orchids which I have gathered into the hanging basket, removing the paper daisies which are now being attacked by mites. Another casualty is also catmint and sage chickens again dug it up, (unless it was the naughty neighbourhood cat) but I suspect chickens. I have managed to find two good red sturdy plastic chairs for our outdoor table as the two wooden ones are collapsing, AND my outdoor umbrella broke, one of the spokes just plain snapped, so I've decided not to buy another one and just move the table under the tangelo tree for shade instead. I am looking for red checked table cloths that are wipe clean if anyone has them, and they are going to be anchored by mosaic solar lights to create a sort of french garden cafe atmosphere en plein air.
Yesterday in our working bee I mulched the eggplants with lavender and borage, so hopefully the snails won't get to them anymore. Things are growing at hectic pace and the garden centres are chock full of summer veges to put in. I managed to find a blue granny's bonnet or aquilegia that I so admired at Mincher to be part of my flower garden, and nearly got locked in at Kings Plant Barn when I lost my key. Thankfully someone had handed it in but for a moment I thought I would have to walk all the way home to get the spare one to unlock my car, or spend the night at the garden centre waiting for the AA to come. I suppose there are worse things than being stranded at Kings Plant Barn. They will have to make up a little corner for me there and name it 'Selina's bed' or something.
Friday, 28 October 2016
Lovely Mincher
I am typing up this post before I get out to the working bee today at 9am. I want to apologise what I said about the SDAs as it was a bit harsh. If you are an SDA reading this you are welcome to come to our community garden on a Sunday and help out as well. On a Saturday you can just come along and enjoy the garden while the rest of us are working in it but we will leave some jobs for you to do on Sunday. How is that?
Anyway....
My report on lovely Mincher!
Mincher is a Garden of National Significance. Like Ayrlies, it was originally farmland. Whilst Ayrlies was paddocks and rolling hills with a coastal climate, Mincher was orchards and strawberry fields on flat land on beautiful rich soil bordering on a stream. The owners, husband and wife team Angela and Bruce Spooner, transformed this into an English style country garden, complete with Georgian House, Cottage, hedging, herbaceous border, potager, cottage garden, kitchen garden, and even its own riding trail (no horses...yet) There's plenty of interest with the stream bordering the property where there's a native bush walk, leading toward a small lake with ducks, a croquet lawn surrounded by a circular totara hedge, pergolas covered with vines, espaliered fruit trees, plum trees in the remaining orchard, an avenue of pin oaks...even a bog garden with primulas and flag iris beneath a low bridge over a ditch.
For those that delight in all things English, you will find yourself at home in this immaculately presented garden that recalls a grand estate. Not quite as dramatic as Larnach Castle with its ghosts and brooding mists, I would say the atmosphere in this garden is quite different, when Margaret and I visited the day turned out brilliant. The gardeners gave us a tour of the property and in which they help the owners achieve their dreams - the herbaceous border is a lot of work! The lawns are criss cross patterned and I can imagine a sort of Jane Austen style Pemberley rom com being enacted here.
We exclaimed over all sorts of unusual plants we'd never seen before and I have taken a few (if can get them upload) photos of ones that caught my eye. There are even helpful brass name tags identifying the unusual plants in many areas of the garden. On the day we visited a later tour group of garden club members descended on the garden so it must be very popular one to see. As its only 25 minutes from where we are its worth visiting for a day out. Mincher is named after a breed of spaniel dog that the owners adore. Thank you Angela and Bruce for opening your garden for everyone to enjoy, its gorgeous!
Anyway....
My report on lovely Mincher!
Mincher is a Garden of National Significance. Like Ayrlies, it was originally farmland. Whilst Ayrlies was paddocks and rolling hills with a coastal climate, Mincher was orchards and strawberry fields on flat land on beautiful rich soil bordering on a stream. The owners, husband and wife team Angela and Bruce Spooner, transformed this into an English style country garden, complete with Georgian House, Cottage, hedging, herbaceous border, potager, cottage garden, kitchen garden, and even its own riding trail (no horses...yet) There's plenty of interest with the stream bordering the property where there's a native bush walk, leading toward a small lake with ducks, a croquet lawn surrounded by a circular totara hedge, pergolas covered with vines, espaliered fruit trees, plum trees in the remaining orchard, an avenue of pin oaks...even a bog garden with primulas and flag iris beneath a low bridge over a ditch.
For those that delight in all things English, you will find yourself at home in this immaculately presented garden that recalls a grand estate. Not quite as dramatic as Larnach Castle with its ghosts and brooding mists, I would say the atmosphere in this garden is quite different, when Margaret and I visited the day turned out brilliant. The gardeners gave us a tour of the property and in which they help the owners achieve their dreams - the herbaceous border is a lot of work! The lawns are criss cross patterned and I can imagine a sort of Jane Austen style Pemberley rom com being enacted here.
We exclaimed over all sorts of unusual plants we'd never seen before and I have taken a few (if can get them upload) photos of ones that caught my eye. There are even helpful brass name tags identifying the unusual plants in many areas of the garden. On the day we visited a later tour group of garden club members descended on the garden so it must be very popular one to see. As its only 25 minutes from where we are its worth visiting for a day out. Mincher is named after a breed of spaniel dog that the owners adore. Thank you Angela and Bruce for opening your garden for everyone to enjoy, its gorgeous!
Tuesday, 25 October 2016
Say it with flowers
I have just landed a job doing flowers for the church. I am rostered on for December, so am thinking what flowers will be available then, and if not flowers, maybe I can do fern baskets? Or maybe a water feature?
Looking around in my garden, the first sweet peas have blossomed, the geraniums are in bloom, as is the ceanothus and lavender. Everything is coming up lovely and my front rockery is a riot of rainbow colours. It will win no awards in the home and garden magazine, its so garish and not tasteful at all. It looks kinda like a primary school childrens garden with primary bright colours.
pink- sweet william
red - grevillea or spider flower
orange - geraniums, calendula
yellow - gazania
green- leaves, ferns, aloe
blue- ceanothus
indigo - dutch iris
violet - violets and pansies, lavender
along with grey green lambs ears
and white alyssum
The fun bits are the bird bath or rather duck bath, hippos and tuatara. There's even a cat sometimes sunning herself by the wall. So I suppose I do have a mini zoo. Except in this zoo you can feed the animals, in fact are encouraged to, as when they are hungry they have an annoying habit of coming inside and disturbing the humans.
Ssh don't tell Jacqui but I have secretly sown wildflowers in the community garden. When they come up it will be a pleasant surprise. Also it will help pollinate the capsicums and eggplant I am dead set of having a harvest this year. Choko was vetoed this time along with gourd. Too rampant and nobody eats them, claims Jacqui. Well, all the more for me.
Sweetcorn was also voted down because last time we had Seventh Day Adventists steal our corn and other veges. Well we suspect. They claimed innocence but we have evidence that it was them, and said if they want produce come help us on our working bee days. No we can't, they said, we are not allowed to work on Saturdays.
Maybe they were imitating Jesus when he plucked the corn in the field on the Sabbath but the thing is they plucked it when it wasn't even ripe.
I don't know, I never really got on with SDAs as they like to point out things like did you know you aren't supposed to eat bacon? But they still buy sausages at our sausage sizzle anyway, so I really don't know whats up with them. Plus..in promoting their Sanitarium breakfast cereals they asked librarians to lie to the camera and say they loved weetbix etc but to me it tastes like cardboard no matter how much sugar is dumped on it. Apparently they hire out the church on Saturday to have their services, which is fine, but we couldn't even clean up or do a regular working bee on a Saturday since they were using the church. Then all the lights blew and on Sunday the congregation entered a darkened church because the SDAs didn't want to work to change the lightbulbs.
I have now decided to go to a different church which SDAs don't rent out and do flowers there. If they did they'd probably steal the flowers.
Looking around in my garden, the first sweet peas have blossomed, the geraniums are in bloom, as is the ceanothus and lavender. Everything is coming up lovely and my front rockery is a riot of rainbow colours. It will win no awards in the home and garden magazine, its so garish and not tasteful at all. It looks kinda like a primary school childrens garden with primary bright colours.
pink- sweet william
red - grevillea or spider flower
orange - geraniums, calendula
yellow - gazania
green- leaves, ferns, aloe
blue- ceanothus
indigo - dutch iris
violet - violets and pansies, lavender
along with grey green lambs ears
and white alyssum
The fun bits are the bird bath or rather duck bath, hippos and tuatara. There's even a cat sometimes sunning herself by the wall. So I suppose I do have a mini zoo. Except in this zoo you can feed the animals, in fact are encouraged to, as when they are hungry they have an annoying habit of coming inside and disturbing the humans.
Ssh don't tell Jacqui but I have secretly sown wildflowers in the community garden. When they come up it will be a pleasant surprise. Also it will help pollinate the capsicums and eggplant I am dead set of having a harvest this year. Choko was vetoed this time along with gourd. Too rampant and nobody eats them, claims Jacqui. Well, all the more for me.
Sweetcorn was also voted down because last time we had Seventh Day Adventists steal our corn and other veges. Well we suspect. They claimed innocence but we have evidence that it was them, and said if they want produce come help us on our working bee days. No we can't, they said, we are not allowed to work on Saturdays.
Maybe they were imitating Jesus when he plucked the corn in the field on the Sabbath but the thing is they plucked it when it wasn't even ripe.
I don't know, I never really got on with SDAs as they like to point out things like did you know you aren't supposed to eat bacon? But they still buy sausages at our sausage sizzle anyway, so I really don't know whats up with them. Plus..in promoting their Sanitarium breakfast cereals they asked librarians to lie to the camera and say they loved weetbix etc but to me it tastes like cardboard no matter how much sugar is dumped on it. Apparently they hire out the church on Saturday to have their services, which is fine, but we couldn't even clean up or do a regular working bee on a Saturday since they were using the church. Then all the lights blew and on Sunday the congregation entered a darkened church because the SDAs didn't want to work to change the lightbulbs.
I have now decided to go to a different church which SDAs don't rent out and do flowers there. If they did they'd probably steal the flowers.
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