Day 65 of the 100 day project
Can you believe it? Day 65 and still going! The last three days have meant quite a bit of garden time, much of it with Ian working as well. It has been practical, functional gardening: clearing a raised bed, planting out beans and courgettes as well as planting out the cosmos seedlings and doing yet more of the endless weeding.
I am not a vegetable gardener. I like eating it but I don't like growing it. It is labour intensive and doesn't have any of the imagination and satisfaction I get from mixing plants together and trying to create something which moves me, and ideally other people too. I can sort of see that there can be a romance in vegetable gardening. I love a good allotment and I do very much like the sense of eating something where I know exactly where and how it was grown. But a few years ago we agreed that Ian would do veg and I would do flowers and that has suited me fine. But Ian has been very busy over the last few weeks and seedlings were queuing up in the little greenhouse waiting to be planted out. It must be some form of nurturing, but I don't like to see plants looking unhappy. When they get to that etiolated, skinny state where you can see that they are longing to be planted out or potted on, my fingers itch to give them a helping hand.
So I planted out the beans into the raised bed which had already been composted and two of the courgettes.
It all looked very lost when it went out but, assuming it does not get eaten, it will soon fill out and fill up the space. Then I cleared the lower raised bed of the grass and buttercup which take over here as soon as you turn your back.
The next day I planted out the cosmos which I had bought as small seedlings from Sarah Raven. Seven of these went into the cutting garden and another eight into the side garden. I had thought I had identified spaces for them but things grow so fast at this time of year that the spaces were gently being filled up by the foliage of all the perennials. You can barely see this one here for everything else around it! The great thing about cosmos is how floriferous it is (lovely word, I wonder if I have spelt it right?) so it is worth shoehorning it in because it will flower and flower, especially if you keep cutting it. I have saved five of the plants to give to my daughter in law who is making a new garden in a brand new house. I hope they will help to fill the gaps between the various lovely perennial things she has bought.
And today I weeded in the sunny bank, again. Bindweed has grown through here and without entirely digging it up and starting again (no chance!) it is simply a constant job to remove it. I try to take out every single bit, as you are supposed to but it is close to impossible in a densely planted area like this. I have found this bank a tricky one to plant up as it is very hot and sunny with soil that drains like a sieve and a lot of stone. Salvias seem to like it as do irises and sedums. I would love lots of it to be given over to erigeron, the little daisy that grows in cracks on walls and steps, but so far I have only a couple of clumps, not as much erigeron as bindweed.
In the side garden the hardy geraniums are flowering their socks off.
But as always at this time of year, the most beautiful thing in the garden is the view.
I am not a vegetable gardener. I like eating it but I don't like growing it. It is labour intensive and doesn't have any of the imagination and satisfaction I get from mixing plants together and trying to create something which moves me, and ideally other people too. I can sort of see that there can be a romance in vegetable gardening. I love a good allotment and I do very much like the sense of eating something where I know exactly where and how it was grown. But a few years ago we agreed that Ian would do veg and I would do flowers and that has suited me fine. But Ian has been very busy over the last few weeks and seedlings were queuing up in the little greenhouse waiting to be planted out. It must be some form of nurturing, but I don't like to see plants looking unhappy. When they get to that etiolated, skinny state where you can see that they are longing to be planted out or potted on, my fingers itch to give them a helping hand.
So I planted out the beans into the raised bed which had already been composted and two of the courgettes.
It all looked very lost when it went out but, assuming it does not get eaten, it will soon fill out and fill up the space. Then I cleared the lower raised bed of the grass and buttercup which take over here as soon as you turn your back.
The next day I planted out the cosmos which I had bought as small seedlings from Sarah Raven. Seven of these went into the cutting garden and another eight into the side garden. I had thought I had identified spaces for them but things grow so fast at this time of year that the spaces were gently being filled up by the foliage of all the perennials. You can barely see this one here for everything else around it! The great thing about cosmos is how floriferous it is (lovely word, I wonder if I have spelt it right?) so it is worth shoehorning it in because it will flower and flower, especially if you keep cutting it. I have saved five of the plants to give to my daughter in law who is making a new garden in a brand new house. I hope they will help to fill the gaps between the various lovely perennial things she has bought.
And today I weeded in the sunny bank, again. Bindweed has grown through here and without entirely digging it up and starting again (no chance!) it is simply a constant job to remove it. I try to take out every single bit, as you are supposed to but it is close to impossible in a densely planted area like this. I have found this bank a tricky one to plant up as it is very hot and sunny with soil that drains like a sieve and a lot of stone. Salvias seem to like it as do irises and sedums. I would love lots of it to be given over to erigeron, the little daisy that grows in cracks on walls and steps, but so far I have only a couple of clumps, not as much erigeron as bindweed.
In the side garden the hardy geraniums are flowering their socks off.
But as always at this time of year, the most beautiful thing in the garden is the view.
Lovely, coming into a mild winter here in South Oz, nice too so far.
ReplyDeleteHard to imagine winter with you ! We are finally having summer after a long cold winter and a delayed spring. Bring on the sun ☀!
DeleteI agree, I like the the creativity of flower gardens over vegetables. We have done the same as you with my Retired Man doing the veggies and me surrounded by color and blooms. For the past few years, though, I have been more involved with the food aspect because I work at a food bank and want to share our bounty.
DeleteYour flowers are so pretty and your view is outstanding.
Thank you! The food thing is interesting isn't it? I do like knowing the provenance of what I'm eating so that encourages me to take an interest in the vegetable growing and I do like the idea of being able to share it ! That's a good thing to do!!
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