Good echium, bad echium

Well it's a full moon or a harvest moon last night, and I heard rumours it was going to be the end of the world - but only for America.
That's alright then. I'm sure I don't know anybody that important in America.

Anyway...it was a a busy day in the garden as I had to decide what to do about the garlic the chickens kept digging up. The whole L shaped bed needed an overhaul. I placed the flower jonquil bulbs in the corners and removed the netting. Poor garlic, never stood a chance. Also it's not really sunny enough for them there.

I went to Kings and bought four bags of compost to do some heavy duty compost-mulching-layering.
So in that bed now are sugar peas, which I'd been growing as seedlings, and a bamboo obelisk I made with netting. Chickens can't scratch that up, as peas are inside. The garlic is still there but buried underneath more compost. I put lily bulbs in the far corner as chickens dug them up from Fluffy's bed. Then, put some more plants in next to what was already there - lavender, Queen Anne's lace, catmint, nicotania (flowering tobacco), pyrethrum, alyssum. They are all nice and close to each other so chickens can't get in them and dig them out.

Fluffy's bed, now devoid of lily bulbs, is now more secure with an extra post blocking the gap where the chickens might have snuck through. I put in creeping maidenhair in the corner as it will climb up the fence and is native, which will go with the kowhai and manuka. It is springy and unsual, and also, looks great covered with dew. Also it was half price at Kings.

Then the back has now an echium fastostum, which butterflies love. This is the plant Joanne so admired at Ayrlies. I put in the sunny spot. Also, I emailed Kings Seeds and told them their seed, echium plantagineum, 'Blue bedder' is a noxious, invasive and poisonous weed and why are they selling it? I told them I dumped that packet in the trash and not planting it. They got all huffy and replied it was not a problem in NZ and that my council (what council?) didn't know it was an excellent beneficial plant for insects. I wrote back and said Wikipedia does not think so. You can look on the wiki - it's poisonous to cattle and also known as Paterson's Curse. They then wrote back that's only in Australia where they graze scrub and cattle in NZ eat grass in paddocks. Friggin' Kings! I pointed out, that yes so shall I plant prickly pear then, since that's only bad in Australia. And what about gorse? Everyone thought that was great. NOT.

They have not deigned to reply. Nor offer a refund. So, I don't think I'll buy from Kings Seeds again.
What an attitude! They said that nobody had given them that feedback before, well, so hundreds of people have been sowing invasive, noxious weeds and thinking they are flowers. Good one Kings.

Other than that, I have planted three clumps of renga renga lily near the raspberry and hydrangeas border as they like dappled shade and are native and smell nice. Also they are not weeds. I suppose I COULD have planted agapanthus lily. But I was in a good environmental mood today and thought, nope. Only good plants can grow in MY garden.

When will the good apples fall

My side of the fence now has apples..in the spot left vacant by the hibiscus now is a Crimson Spire columnar apple tree. I am going to espalier it - when I figure out how. I hope a single tree is ok, that it doesn't need cross pollination. We do have peach, pear and apricot.

All that's left is plum and nectarine and then I would have a fruit salad.

Beth rang again and said her mum died, she's going down Christchurch for the funeral and would I look after her plants? So I have several indoor plants to look after including a piggy back plant and a Cleopatra begonia. I'm not the best at remembering to water indoor plants but I was plant sitting an impatiens last christmas for Operation Christmas Child, it didn't die and they received a live christmas tree back, so I'm sure I will cope this time.

I must admit this plant sitting gig is easier than cat sitting or God forbid, dog sitting. Dogs are the worst. Have to walk them everyday, they are smelly, slobbery, over excitable, whiny, and in general a lot more work than a baby. At least babies have nappies. Dogs just go anywhere, and if they meet another dog, sniff each others butts and then go crazy.

Plants are more sedate. They don't go berserk unless they are weeds and thorny carpet roses, and then they are trouble.

Dad finally put up the new wooden letterbox with the help from our next door neighbours who gave us a post as they were putting up their wooden fence. We just need a 'no junk mail' sign. Dad said he wanted 'no circulars' instead as it sounded better, but the whole reason I put 'no junk mail' sign in addition to 'no circulars' on the old letterbox is hardly anyone knows what a circular is. And it didn't stop the junk mail!

Sometimes my dad is a bit thick. He has to be forgiven though, he's male.

My land

My writing friend Beth came and gave me some more manuka, a succulent and showed me how to propagate maidenhair ferns. They are really tiny and fragile and need tweezers and a sharp knife to tease them out. I will need to pot them up as they have a habit of clumping and need to spread out.

My garden bounty hasn't really yielded enough to give away yet, although Mum harvested some spinach looking leaves for dinner which tasted extremely salty and turned to green sludge. I think she got the wrong plant. We might have been eating flowers.

I am going to have to buy more netting and thoroughly cordon off the flowerbed and garlic from the chickens. They also got through to Fluffy's garden and destroyed her Queen Anne's Lace, uprooting the lilies as they went. I fear they may get their claws into the Jacaranda, I'm worried the leaves won't turn out and it will stay looking like a dormant stick. I saw this lovely white Clematis at Kings the other day, very tempted to buy it, it's native, but the price tag was $35, like the poor knights lily...should I be paying that much for one plant? Mum gave me grief over buying the Frangipani, and that was about $60, discounted.

I moved the hibiscus which was sited on the north facing fence to the rock garden outside my bedroom window. So there's two hibiscus side by side now, they can grow a small hedge. It wasn't really doing well by the fence as was in a kind of wind tunnel and the chickens kept scratching out the bark mulch.

Now reading Alan Titchmarsh's Garden Year which is a collection of his writings in Gardener's World magazine. I like to read about the goings on in English gardens. I am also, concurrently reading Changing Lives which is about two friends who wrote each other about their gardens in NZ but now are have sold their properties and moving to new places.

It made me think would I ever leave this place...where I'm putting down roots, not that theres much roots yet but it hasn't even been a year. In the forseeable future, unless a dream job comes up or a dream Prince comes along..not likely. I need land. Earth. Soil.
Gerald O'Hara's words come to mind from Gone with the Wind. Why land is the only thing in the world worth workin' for, worth fightin' for, worth dyin' for, because it's the only thing that lasts. Oh it will come to you this love of the land. There's no getting away from it...and I'm not even Irish.

You give me fever

arrgh!
Went to the Woodside Garden this morning to plant my sugar pea seedlings. It was a beautiful sunny morning. But...it has started up again.

Mr Sneezy has come back.

My nose started itching, then I was sneezing, and eyes watering...
I have just been to the pharmacy for a remedy. This time, instead of steroids nasal spray I have something made from quail eggs chewy tablets.

Well, there were plenty of volunteers there they didn't really need me..I think they will put up the arch and plant my choko in the corner and there's going to be a roster for watering the potatoes...

Otherwise it looks like Spring is well and truly here, hooray.
I think I must be allergic to the grass pollen, as there is lots of grass down Woodside but thankfully, there's no more privet next door so, where I live so  it won't be so bad.

The other day I bumped into my Horticulture teacher Buffie and we had a good catch up. I think Buffie is amazing and knowledgable about all kinds of gardening. She's into organic gardening/permaculture and ingenious DIY.  I remember fondly my early days of learning how to garden. One of my classmates, John, was a riot. We had nothing in common but he was always cracking jokes and talking/whining.  Some of those kids had just got out of juvie and needed caretakers to make sure they didn't get into mischief. But it was hilarious how, the big strong young guys let the older, weaker women do all the hard work....I didn't chat much and I bet most of them thought I couldn't speak English anyway!

Spring is here...

Daylight saving starts tomorrow...spring is here!

Today I planted some more lily of the valley near my hydrangeas. I had planted some under the apricot tree but they seem to have disappeared? Did the chickens dig them up??

Also, in Fluffy's bed she now has a Queen Anne's lace. As befitting a Queen cat.

Lemon balm, which the chickens dug up now is in the L poppy bed.
Pineapple sage is planted near the lemon tree in the sunny spot.

My abutilons have bloomed. The red one. I have also a yellow and pink one, but no blooms yet.

It has now just rained which is good so they will be watered in.

The chickens have been a menace and tried to dig up my tulips. I got angry and mum put them back with a grill and upturned dishrack over them.
I also have put the spider plants all in the tyres and covered them with twigs also as defence against chickens.

I found a dichondra silver falls at Kings which I had wanted for my hanging baskets as they hang so beautifully, so I had three in a pot and put them in three different baskets.

I've got rhythm, I've got music, I've got daisies in green pastures...I've got my garden, who can ask for anything more?

The best things in life are free

My friend's brother who's into gardening gave me some silver lavender cuttings yesterday, which I put in the ground, one in the corner of the flowerbed and one in the rock garden by the steps. He saw me admiring the plant at his house so he potted them up for me.

Another friend gave me a whole lot of plants, a maidenhair fern, several flaming katies, spider plants, tiny succulents, flax and manuka from her house in Swanson which is near the bush.

I planted them all too and then it rained last night so they are watered in. Tomorrow will be officially spring!

Flowers are appearing, so far I see

Snowflakes
Dutch Iris (bud)
Peach blossom
Lupin
Stock
Geranium
Night scented stock
Alyssum
Calendula
Feverfew
Borage
Kalanchoe
Sweet pea (one bud)
Camellia (red)
Violets
Pansy
Sweet William
Lavender
Bluebells
Primulas (white)
Dianthus (red)
Strawberries
Rosemary

Next door's cabbage trees have come down, the fence is put up and they've got a trampoline in their front yard now. I don't have any play equipment in my garden, I am considering a sandbox maybe, if raised beds are put in for veges. I think a cool thing to have would be a labyrinth or a maize maze, That would have to go in the back though. Or a swing set and tree house and hammock. I don't have a tree large enough for that. Those shepherd huts are cool but we have no sheep. Maybe a gazebo or an arbour? I can dream...can't I?

If I ever get a job or chance to go overseas it might be fun to have a working holiday in England in the National Trust gardens. But that's not likely. I need to be invited first, no point going where you're not wanted. :-(

Spring clean

Yesterday was busy rearranging my alcove/patio garden.

Dad removed my hanging gothic troughs from the verandah fence and they are now in my patio. Two are on the ground, one with strawberries and the other with spinach and chives. The other one is nestling up high with prostrate rosemary and sweet alyssum. I've put the hanging basket which has sweet peas and pansies there too, and rehung one of the wall mangers to the side.

I've relocated the frangipani there where it's sheltered and warm. It still has no leaves but there it will get the rain. I removed the two wooden seats from the corner and now have plants there too. I've got a hook to hang up my spade and a tea light and also my blessing windchime is at the entrance.

Fluffy's garden has also had a makeover. Fluffy now has a jacaranda tree which will grow to shade the area, I've moved the passionfruit vine to a pot to the side and enclosed the area surrounding the jasmine. I mulched everything with hay. Dragon's gold kowhai is doing well, and there will be butterfly gladioli coming up, along with lillies and other bulbs I've out there (that I've forgotten). There's peas and morning glory to grow up the chicken wire.
I've also  fixed the fence so that the chickens cannot escape through any gaps.

I put in some 'love daisies' - chrysanthemums next to the chinese toon so it will have a kind of chinese theme there. I've put in some more dianthus in my rock garden in the stone trough..I found a whole lot reduced to clear at Pak N' Save. The jacaranda also was only $9, at Mitre 10. That was half price. Mitre 10 are going to have a gardening evening next month so I'm keen to go to that. They also have ladies nights where you can win prizes and they do product demos. I don't think I'll be wielding a chainsaw anytime soon, but who knows, I could try out one of those ride on mowers.

It rained last night so everything is well watered in this morning although I was watering and feeding with Yate's Thrive just to boost the flowers. It's a big task to get everything watered so I want to do as less of it as possible, which is why I'm mulching heavily and getting everything in the ground before spring/summer season. I don't use the hose anymore just a watering can. Hoses are annoying and spray everywhere and then you have to turn them on and off. The sunflowers in pots have been requiring water everyday as they droop very quickly, I can't imagine how they'll survive a day in summer in clay pots. Next time I will just grow them in raised beds vege plots which one day hopefully I will have down the back, as its futile having anything else.

That's all for now...