I worry about the piece of garden bordering the drive because it is supposed to look a little wild but not totally unkempt. Getting the balance right is troublesome. I weed out the nettles but leave the self sown forget-me-nots and red campion.
I heard on Radio 4 Gardeners Question Time that if you have a neat grass border people don’t notice the quality of the lawn or what’s around it.
With this in mind I sharpened up the lawn edge and this whole area looked a lot better. As Monty Don would say “green is colour in the garden” and there’s a variety of green here.
The tall dead shrub which I cut down last week has now been totally removed. I was prepared for a long struggle and gathered together a pick axe, chain saw, spade, and sledge hammer. After digging around the trunk and cutting through the thicker roots it seemed fairly immovable. Then I took the sledgehammer to it and within minutes I’d shaken it to it’s core and then pulled it over. See below:
I did buy a Viburnum on-line to replace this dead shrub however the Viburnum is quite small so I’ve decided to plant a Rhododendron into the hole. I’ve been nurturing the Rhododendron in a large pot on the patio for several years and I think it is large enough to survive going into the ground. More photos when that job has been done.
My biggest disappointment and point of anger/frustration at the moment has been my Cavolo Nero. When I planted the seedlings out I put a cover over them and I decided on Saturday that they were getting large enough for me to remove the mesh cover. Within 24 hours the wood pigeons have devastated every single plant. They’ve either pecked them to pieces or physically pulled them out of the ground. I like wildlife but the pigeons are vandals and if I had an air rifle… no I wouldn’t shoot them but I did swear for several minutes about them. According to today’s R4 Woman’s Hour swearing is good for your mental health. F**king Wood Pigeons!!!
