Slowly but surely the weeds in the bog garden have gradually been pulled out. I’ve been so busy weeding in the garden that time for blogging has had to take a back seat. These days I can only manage short bursts of weeding at any one time, but usually manage 3 or 4 sessions each day and its surprising how quickly a border changes completely when the plants aren’t competing for space with all the weeds.
The rhododendron was a retirement present from some of my students. Hostas and ferns make a winning combination.
Rodgersias just love all the moisture permanently in this border.
I’m awake at 5am, the birds are singing and for a long time now the sun has been shining, so I get myself a mug of tea, then I’m out in the garden joining the birds. My first session of weeding is done before breakfast. The second before morning coffee, the third before lunch and then depending on how the old body is feeling, I try to get another session done in the afternoon.
Candelabra primulas are starting to flower, these are always the first ones.
I have lost a few primulas over the winter, Primula Inverewe and Primula aurantiaca, so I will have to replace them as they were so beautiful. I also lost my beautiful big plant of Zantedeschia which had the most magnificent flowers each year, it obviously didn’t like all our frost and freezing temperatures over the winter. I’m very cross with myself as there were so many ferns growing next to it, I could so easily have cut a mound of fronds to place over it for protection over the winter. We learn by our mistakes!
Hostas in the border are doing really well, so far no holes, I wonder how long that will last?
Now we come to the pond area. This was looking absolutely dreadful as I haven’t been in there this year and I’m sure I didn’t go in there last year either. Brambles had taken over, there were ash tree seedlings, nature is very quick to reclaim any areas that aren’t gardened regularly. Neil, my gardener was sent in to battle with the brambles this morning and he has done a wonderful job, I can actually see the bench once more and the gravel beach to the pond.
My hosta at the far side of the pond is HUGE!
It will actually take him another couple of sessions, once round the edge of the pond and once in the pond, (I haven’t told him this yet!) to complete it all, but already it is looking so much better.
There is water in there somewhere!
We will find it one day!
Our long hot spell has come to an end, thank goodness, it has been too hot to garden in the sun, that is why all my shady borders always look far better than my sunny ones! At the moment it is pouring down, with thunder and lightning every few minutes. I have quite a lot of plants to get into the ground, so it needed to soften up, it had become very hard.
I have got a lot of satisfaction from all my weeding, my favourite tool is a little one called a daisy grubber, which is ideal for winkling weeds out from between precious plants. Do you have a favourite gardening tool?
Right now my sunny areas are much weedier than my shady ones too. I’ve been doing my gardening similar to yours, in short slow manageable bursts. I have a scuffle hoe that I’ve been using for areas that I redid this year that have sprouted little weeds, it’s useful for just grubbing out tiny weeds between the new plants. I too have a few areas that I ignored for a couple of years when I wasn’t feeling well, and now I’m reclaiming them.
It’s nice to know that someone else prefers to garden in the shade Alison, I have to do the sunny borders at 5 am, before the sun gets too high in the sky! I like the sound of your scuffle hoe, it sounds very useful.
I do admire you for going out so early Pauline. It is very sensible because it gets rather hot later in the day. I wake at that time too, but cannot drag myself out of bed. Your garden is looking wonderful as a result of all yours and Neil’s hard work.
When the sun is shining and the birds are singing, there is no way I can get back to sleep Anne, so I might as well be up and weeding! Neil is the young man who now helps me with the garden since my husband died last year, I couldn’t do it without him.
Isn’t the garden just the best place to be early in the morning? Love the way you have placed all the plants.
It certainly is Noelle, nowhere better! I’m so pleased you like the placement of the plants, I try to arrange a contrast with the foliage as that is with us for 6 months or more and then all the flowers are a bonus.
I had to look up “daisy grubber” and discovered it is the same thing I call a “fishtail weeder.” And I laughed, because we were definitely of the same mindset. My current post is about weeding, and I mentioned my fishtail weeder as my favorite. Your garden, newly weeded, looks lush and wonderful. Lots of rain, and lots of weeds, here, too!
We certainly think alike Debs, I will wait for your post to arrive here! I presume my “daisy grubber” was designed to get daisies out of the lawn, but mine has never been used for that. The bog garden never dries out, there is an underground stream which keeps it permanently moist, hence all the bog plants. Our storms seem to have passed, thank goodness, they caused a lot of damage in some areas.
Glad you are making such good progress with the weeding Pauline! My early ‘hour’ is spent in the greenhouse because later in the day it is just impossible to be in there.
Thanks Denise, I neglected the garden last year, but am now paying the price! I get far more done in the early morning than later in the day, too many things to do then, your greenhouse is a good place to be.
Your garden is looking wonderful! I know what you mean about weeding having taken priority over blogging, my own blog has been very neglected for the past month.
Personally I’m not an early person. I garden in the shade in the morning, take a long break in the middle of the day and hit the sunny spots in the evening when it’s cooler
The only problem here Susan, is that the midges come out in the evening, so early morning is the best part of the day for me, this is also when I weed the sunny borders.
Mostly I like to use my hands, but when it comes to tools I have a hoe with a tringular pointed head that’s very useful. I also have a long dandelion weeder that’s good for many weeds with taproots (and that lets me work without so much bending!).
I like the thought of your long handled weeder Jason, that would help my back!
Your garden is gorgeous as always, with or without weeds! My favorite garden tool is my ability to avert my eyes when passing weedy and overgrown areas in my garden. (That’s pretty much my whole space.)
It’s just as well you can’t see the half that has all the weeds Peter, I’m gradually winning the battle, but there is still a way to go. I think I approve of just looking away and not looking at the weeds, I wish I could control my eyes to do this!