We have endured the hard winter and now into Spring than fast into summer.So we have to move fast to keep up with gardens and work hits us hard after resting all winter time. The brain work of design now to perform .
Weeding pruning chopping and clearing repairing and tool sharpening all takes its toll .Must be age but dont mention it .
Shifting boulders at 72 is pretty scary but somehow alone its either look at them or shift them.Drop one side on barrow against it wedged and slowly move the stone rolling into barrow. Then try and pull the barrow up from side with stone inside. Surprising how fit it keeps one .Or is it just me that thinks that.?
Wheel to the rockery and then ladder and roll the boulder up onto top. Sheer slavery but once in place wedged in all looks worth the sweat .Only four more to attack then nice cup of tea in my summer house.
Many roses to cut back .Die back must be cut right out as it is a killer . Winter damage. Only roses that never have to prune are Canadian John Davis and John Cabot climbers on my gazebo each side with benches for 8 people to rest at party time.
I bought more conifers and filled that gaps in my woodland garden. Shrubs too but need loads of rain now which never comes. Clay and sand soil with about two inch of top soil. Much effort in earning that I can tell you. More farm manures left two years in piles .We are using only now manures well rotted from two years back. Ill cancel the next years load as by then my mountains of dung will have to be gone on garden boards .Mixed with water as tea drink for plants .
Im delighted that my heated propagator produced enough Comfrey plants for making tea as plant food .Ill grow the 10 plants near my work site for grass cuttings to add to compost bins slowly. They grow big and wide so row them down East side but still in sunlight but not in danger from barrows full of grass cuttings. I made 4 bins for composting quicker . It will replace the five years of spending 50 euro now 85 euro a load of shit.if you will forgive the expression. He ,the farm tractor driver, said cow cake feed has gone up 100 % I said so had the price of shit it seems. Six ton at a time is helping the garden at a price. Once all trace has been used plan B is already growing .
My sweetpeas are looking good and could be planted now .Greedy feeders and we have the stuff they adore in the bed at base of trellis . This is divisional to garden room beyond is my conifer garden. Rose climbers and clematis later but will hold off with sweet peas as frost I can taste in the morning air. Can come juts as one plants up tenders and boosh all dead next morning. Took me two years before i began to face it this is not England . Sunny for a week then one morning at 6am wake to find one inch of frozen white killer frost covers the land like a blanket hugging the land . Once only then back to 77f at 6am 84 by luncheon time. Can reach 98 f by 5pm . One year it reached 112 f and sat on parade all day.Unbearable and shriveled all plants up. It is gardening on the hard side of all things holy .
Then when it settles like India the monsoons arrive and I love it rains .Now is the time we fill all ponds and tanks we have had empty .Rain for water lilies say in 4 inch of muddy water now up to the neck burst into amazing scented pink flowers floating happily on top of rising waters in the formal pond. From here on in summer is just perfect at 86 f tops from July to October its lovely .maybe odd day of rain from September on. Summers at best are perhaps the best in Europe .You can rely on it.
My need to make ready with grape vine roof over the oven I must build will herald the dawning of my first real garden party and entertaining a first in these gardens.
Watched many internet videos on brick oven build so having taken note designed my own my way. Im itching to start my build but many jobs still to do outstanding before hand I fear.
My Japanese flowering cherries are near opening their swelling buds to welcome late May early June blossoms at the waterfall room .
I have to trench in power for pumps and tall London street lights in the drive way.Also the folly needs power of electrics and the pergola roof lights too.
When complete if im not tired to death Ill kneel and thank God who held me upright and set in working so hard for so long. Its been a dream for so long and now its happening. More still to do but its no longer a maybe it is beginning to be what I wanted at first site I knew this flat land was able to aid my plan.
Rest for a day now as need too as I just do too much in a day. Im nearly there but the end game can wait a day or two. Five years of hard slog made a rough pasture into an English garden some 2000 miles from home.
I was told cant do it I said it was possible with hard work .Then I admit I had no idea of just h0w much hard work it needed . I am arranging photos for next weeks blog on my garden. Again its relying on other people with better camera that works and can be loaded onto blog. I seem to have lost the will as so many try and no win.
Yours always ,love Sir Kevin.
Copyright Kevin James Parr Bt2022
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