28 November: deep path

Monday, 28 November 2022

at home

Good weather inspired me to begin by moving two plants, one a move that has been planned but forgotten for two years, a purple pulsatilla that needs a place to show off better (now in a new bed on Willows Loop West). I should probably get that conifer, whose name I forget but I do know it doesn’t get very big, out of that pot.

In the course of moving the small perennial, I walked by and remembered a corokia that was getting swamped by a Grevillea ‘Canberra Gem’ that is getting delightfully bigger than I thought it would. Corokia x virgata ‘Sunsplash’ hadn’t even made it onto a to do list. This would be its second move, so I hope it doesn’t mind having been shifted today to the danger tree bed.

The deep path only had a little standing water. I was I inspired to dig vigorously and managed to extend the deep part westward by about five feet. I got down to the river sand, always a thrill. Beyond that, the path goes by two alder trees and the ground is too rooty to make the path deep. I also widened the forked east end of the deep path to make it walkable in summer. My back did not hurt, my knees felt fine and I wasn’t dizzy. What a glorious day.

I remembered how I once had a stack of chopped salmonberry and other short clippings stacked between the two alders to dry for kindling. It was a good look, like a “dead hedge” where gardeners stack woody debris to make a home for insects and, in the UK, hedgehogs. I might do it again to block a segment of view and add mystery and suspense. On the last episode of the Beechgrove winter specials, a dead hedge was featured and reminded me.

After my vigorous and aerobic digging session, Skooter and I walked around and admired the alder grove gardens.

I moved a fairy door…

…and I again pondered how to extend the deep path to meet up with the metal path. It would go across where my rollator is sitting. (Even when I am not dizzy, it is an excellent helper for carrying my tools and buckets.)

We would need a second bridge.

Some subtle autumn color remains.

In the last hour before dark, I did some edging, first by the rebuilt cat bench (after photo is from next day)…

…and then down the two sides of Rozanne Loop, just a few feet.

Allan took the sod away, three barrows full, to path some low spots in Alicia’s lawn next door.

We still have a blue wall.