The sun came out after days of rain but when I went into the garden I had one of those terrifying moments of Gardening Gloom. The sort where you look around and see everything that is flattened by the rain and the plants that need sunshine looking depressed, the weed seeds that have flourished and the grass looking moth eaten. The sun was shining brightly on the Shady Border which is currently awaiting renovation and is therefore known as the Dismal Border. And then, as though I was falling to my doom, all the other gardens I had ever visited flashed before my eyes in their manicured magnificence and I went back inside and made myself a cup of tea. Hard work and attention to detail will bring me the garden of my dreams but not today. I will start again tomorrow.
I have a Dismal Border too I have been working on it today - after pulling out all the ground elder there doesn't seem to anything else left - not a border I am particularly proud of.
ReplyDeleteA blank canvas! You can plant a whole hedge of Hydrangea!
DeleteFirstly, I can't imagine what it must be like to have *days* of rain. Maybe that used to happen here when I was a child, but certainly not for decades. We might have two days of rain, followed by a day of light showers, at the very most. I personally think you are lucky.
ReplyDeleteYou wish for a manicured garden? I hope it evolves for you and that your dreams come true. I am working hard to make my own garden wild, tangly, fey :-) To each her own. There are so many different kinds of beauty. I hope very much your garden recovers from the weather.
I am very good at wild, tangly and fey - now that I know this is an acceptable objective I am going to rebrand my garden but I would like to have slightly less bindweed.
DeleteI'm halfway, have two more dismal sides of the garden to plant.
ReplyDeleteI am sure that they are not dismal but areas of wild planting.
DeleteEvents have conspired against me this year and led to poor planning and some random annual planting so sadly late summer colour is seriously lacking. A few nicotiana have weathered the slug invasion and are looking good and I tell myself everything else is looking 'natural.' I am almost ready for the Great Autumn Clearance.
ReplyDeleteIf I tell you that none of my seeds germinated will it make you feel better? I am sure this was due to incompetence in the scattering technique so will study You-Tube videos next spring.
DeleteI believe knowing when to retreat to the teapot to think things over is an important part of any plant planning process.
ReplyDeleteIn this case the Gloom was so bad that the tea had to be taken while I lay on the sofa looking at bulb catalogues. It is surprising how restorative photos of drifts of narcissi can be.
DeleteIf I tell you that this Saturday is my birthday and it will, therefore, be sunny, will you please smile and get a move on in that garden?
ReplyDeleteSaturday! May it be sunny indeed and may there be cupcakes or something stronger for tea. I will report back in due course on my progress.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I am aiming for real cake not namby pamby American cupcakes, and some New Zealand Sauv. Blanc.
ReplyDelete