Friday, 3 April 2020
I worked on the weeding of the north end of the west back garden bed. It was quite shocking how weedy part of it had gotten, almost solid creeping buttercups. I blame the month of rain during the winter time when I usually do some weeding. I know I lost a couple of small perennials during this clean up, one being a golden leaved nepeta that I bought two years ago at the Hardy Plant Study Weekend sale. It was a puny thing that never did size up and now has been consumed.
The ponds are covered with azolla. I have begun to scoop it out and throw it onto weeded areas nearby.
Befores and afters today:
It all looks quite tatty as the weeding progresses.
I have been doing a bit of weeding down the edges of the center bed as I go by it.
Allan kindly dumps my wheelbarrows of weeds for me. He had to make a corduroy road because of the soft lawn.
One more day on the west bed, one day (and I hope only one) on the center bed and I can turn my attention to the edges and the Bogsy Wood (if it is less Bogsy by then) and then….the glory of turning the compost bins.
In one of the side beds, it looks like this might be an Orlaya that I planted from seed last year. I’ve never grown it before so am not quite sure.
I got a reply from the port manager about last night’s garden query. We will be considered essential if we choose to go to the port gardens and do some weeding and clipping. I am relieved to know that we can do so if the gardens cry out for it.
Meanwhile, I got photos from a friend of the new fences in Long Beach’s Fifth Street Park. I could weep at seeing that several lily stalks and my sweet pea areas were broken and smashed. But the fence looks good and the garden is sort of holding its own other than that. But oh, the flattened lilies and narcissi….and the raking that needs doing, and we are not there to do it. I would have protectively staked my lilies under normal circumstances. Oops, I mean their lilies. As you know, I am shockingly territorial about “our” gardens.
Oh my lilies. Call the Waaahbulance.
As a Mainer, I have to admit I am fascinated by all the weeds you must deal with. My well-established gardens really don’t need that much weeding. A little, yes, but not to the extent that yours do. I’m wondering if it’s because we get snow and below freezing weather, which nips many things in the bud, and you get rain, which encourages those weeds to grow year round. Anyway, would love to hear your thoughts on this.
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I think it is because we have such a mild climate that the weeds grow year round and get very very strong. I thought I did not like snow and cold, but I might like it for fewer weeds. Usually I do some serious weeding In January, but this year the weather was too wet, and then we did a gravel path project that used up the nice staycation days.
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That’s what I thought. Holy cats! I suppose the mitigating factor is that if weeds grow like that then veg and herbs and other good things must grow well, too. Need I add that in Maine, there is no weeding in January? 😉
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I have wondered how jobbing gardeners survive there financially with such a long winter. There can’t be enough snow blowing to get them through winter.
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Privet was a little terrier not much bigger than Rhody. He used to run past me, turn around and run behind me, and then turn around to run past me again, as he literally ran circles around me. He seemed to enjoy it thoroughly, although it never made any sense to me. On a brief trip to check the level of one of the irrigation ponds, Privet sped past me and ‘almost’ out onto what seemed to be a small and perfectly flat mossy meadow. Well, the ‘meadow’ was really the pond covered with azolla. After a sloppy splash and a brief yelp of surprise, Privet emerged from the pond resembling a Chia Pet. Because I laughed at him, he got as close to me as he could before shaking it all off.
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Hilarious, what a funny little pooch!
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They all are, even though Privet tried to act so dignified most of the time.
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Yes indeed that is Orlaya-it will reseed too .A patch of blooming Orlaya is a splendid thing
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Thanks!
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Good news on the port gardens!
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It was good briefly and then turned out to not be true (not their fault).
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Sorry about the turnaround on the port gardens. 😦
I’ve heard the virus peak will be around the 3rd week down here in Oregon. We will see how that may change things go down this way.
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Yes, so I do not mind waiting to go back to work. Feeling safer at home.
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So sorry about your poor lilies. I like the fence, though.
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It is a fine fence and I have been known to break a lily, too.
Sent from my iPad
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