Sunday 30 July 2017

Frosty reception

The frost hit last night and wilted the impatiens, taro, nasturtiums and some of the spider plants. But the potato bed is done for now! I know it's cold but I did put a few kitchen sack potatoes in that were budding just for an experiment. Some I had left in the ground that were growing in the raised bed I lifted to put in the new bed succumbed and their leaves are dead as doornails.

I've found another garden centre - Jack's in Henderson Valley. The guy at Central Landscaping Swanson directed me there as they didn't have any straw and only 25kg sacks of gypsum. I dumped my dead plants in the compost yard for $5.  I found gypsum at Jacks which is like a little boutique garden centre, a $2 sack of pony poo from the horses across the road, and then was directed to the Bird Barn for straw. I found straw for $9.95 a sack and bought two, and then was stuck in traffic so walked to Mitre 10 up the road and bought $2 sausage while waiting for traffic to clear.

I had to get home quick because the pony poo was starting to stink out my car. I am taking Funcargo to the car wash tomorrow. The pony poo is dumped on a pile of newspapers and covered in straw, which is my new potato patch. I also moved a rose, I believe it is Margaret Merril, from the back yard to the front along with a rosemary bush, and moved a flax and gotu kola in the back.

My washing was drying on the line and mum and dad had gone off to my brothers so spent the whole day doing homework. I watched a gardening video about Newby Hall (giant herbaceous borders, taking cuttings, and compartmentalised garden rooms) made a macaroni cheese, had dinner, folded all the clothes (including my fresh, clean garden uniform) then went to bed. The next day I woke to ice in the birdbath and my giant impatiens looking like a horror shop plant.

Clematis was on my mind and I don't think God will let me rest until I cover the wire fence with it. I found a few at Mitre 10 on special but will have to go there tomorrow to get them. Mum later wanted me to drive her to Pak n'Save to get groceries and food for dinner and I said well I will drop you off while I go to Mitre 10. I need some gardening tools. Mum said, no more garden plants. I countered, if you trying to stop me from buying plants I won't take you to Pak n'Save. So we ended up having leftovers.

I should not have said anything. If I don't get this clematis in  tomorrow, it will be too late to plant them in spring later because the soil is nice and cool now and they will be settled in growing roots ready for spring.

I'm not sure why I am planting all these flowers. Maybe it's a waste of time.  It's not as if am planning a wedding or anything. But since we can't really have a proper garden at church - it's just pebbles and weedmat which is not really my idea of a real flower garden - even raised beds were no go.  I think too bad - will just need to plant my own.

I saw this poem carved in stone at one of the retirement villages I worked in last week.

Kiss of the sun for pardon
 Song of the birds for mirth 
One is nearer to God's heart in a garden 
Than anywhere else on earth.