Preparing for Spring

I’m sitting on the end of our bed looking out at the garden over the balcony.
G is just getting packed up and is in the process of coming indoors. I’ve been watching him cutting back the hedge at the end of the garden. He had to spend a considerable time strimming back bracken and brambles in order to actually reach the hedge. It’s one of the more onerous jobs that need doing each year but will look a lot better when it’s finished.

He has also been busy up by the house, strimming the bare patch opposite our neighbours’ house, and I’ve ordered 25 magenta Rosa rugosa slips to fill the space. They will soon spread and make a colourful thicket. The rose hips will please the birds in the autumn.

Together we pruned the Tulip Tree. It is so beautiful in leaf form and rich gold autumn colour, but I don’t know what possessed me to plant it in the middle of the view, and so near to the house. The pruned tree looks much tidier now; a small round shape. Now we will still be able to enjoy the beautiful foliage without it blocking the view. What a shame to have to stunt its natural form though.

I’ve been outside working since 9.00 am. And it’s now 4.00pm. I dug up a large clump of Michaelmas daisies and abandoned them in a hole near the hedge at the bottom of the garden. They may take – they have two chances. It’s unlike me to feel so ambivalent about anything that does so prolifically well in our wet or baked clay soil, but it is virtually impossible to curb their enthusiastic spread. I already felt virtuous in that I had used the first third of the clump down by the entrance gate. Even sandwiched together they filled an area 4 metres square. We’ve masses in the big perennial border near the pond, so I decided enough was enough. It seems incredible that we have got to the point of being so selective after years of scrounging plants from anywhere to fill gaps.

I spent some time mulching around all the shrubs in the borders near the house with a mixture of well rotted compost and chicken manure. While I was weeding I found a rose, with a worn out label, that had become overlooked. It is called ‘Greensleeves’ and the flowers are the palest fresh greens, creams and pale pink. We bought it at a rose nursery on a trip to Dorset years ago; before we even had this garden. It was a joy to rediscover it. It had become hidden in some bigger shrubs and forgotten. I have carefully dug it up, and hope, given it a second chance in the opposite border.

We are only indoors for a brief rest as we have promised ourselves to go out again at 6.00pm to have a bonfire to get rid of all the strimmed brambles. Rain is due at the end of the week and will last through the weekend. The garden will benefit from the rain. Although it’s a pleasure to dig at the moment, the soil is at that brief moment between waterlogged and rock hard. A couple of days’ showers will give the plants a well deserved drink. And speaking of which……