An Ancient Mariner’s Garden

Posted on Dec 23, 2019 by TanGental

November wasn’t soooo bad

but this December has been a case of water water everywhere….

Of course that was inevitable, wasn’t it? Because the Textiliste and I decided that we’d do some reorganisation.

We have one very long bed, always known as the ‘Hot Bed’ for its raging colours that we’ve decided to completely redo.

It comprises roses, peonies, crocosmias, irises and daisies with a sprinkling of poppies. All would be dug up and the roses and peonies replanted. These are ancient. We’ve been here thirty years and they were old then. So that would needed care.

However the Lad, our knowledgeable garden guru has done this in other places successfully so we deferred to his undoubted skillset.

The daisies and crocosmia would be spread about bringing colour elsewhere.

If all goes well the bed will be converted into a meadowed area of fruit trees making it slightly less intensive so far as future management is concerned.

But to reach that point, which we are aiming at 2021 to finalise, meant the digging out of everything. And that meant me…

I do love a good dig. I plug in my earpieces, put on some podcast or audible book and off I go. I decided to dig up everything other than the peonies and roses and leave those for the Lad. There was a yukka tree that needed heaving out too. Getting out all the crocosmia cormes wasn’t easy either. This is partly why we have decided on 2021 for the planting of the fruit trees and meadow grass; it gives us a season to see what grows back and dig it up. They’ll be some weeds too – not many in this bed happily. I think!

All in all this went pretty well and the peonies and roses were successfully replanted by the beginning of December. They seem to have stabilised quickly.

But…

Why is there always a but…?

This led to ‘discussions’. These are terrifying situations for the Labourer, viz me. They involve the Textiliste and the Lad sharing a coffee and seemingly staring at a part of the garden that wasn’t scheduled to be given the ‘Discussion’ treatment.

In this case the triangular bed adjacent to the Hot Bed, full of roses and poppies and geraniums.

‘Why don’t we move those roses too? And extend the new stretch?’

Why indeed not? But this bed, until recently the home also of an ailing cherry tree is full of bind weed and those pseudo-strawberry plants with long brittle roots…

So I dug that too. In the rain. As the earth became stickier. And I took down the now redundant and dilapidated arch…

And in one way I was fortunate that the real rain is only now setting in and flowing the garden.

I’m off to yoga… oh and here’s a year of the Dog…

About TanGental

My name is Geoff Le Pard. Once I was a lawyer; now I am a writer. I've published several books: a four book series following Harry Spittle as he grows from hapless student to hapless partner in a London law firm; four others in different genres; a book of poetry; four anthologies of short fiction; and a memoir of my mother. I have several more in the pipeline. I have been blogging regularly since 2014, on topic as diverse as: poetry based on famous poems; memories from my life; my garden; my dog; a whole variety of short fiction; my attempts at baking and food; travel and the consequent disasters; theatre, film and book reviews; and the occasional thought piece. Mostly it is whatever takes my fancy. I avoid politics, mostly, and religion, always. I don't mean to upset anyone but if I do, well, sorry and I suggest you go elsewhere. These are my thoughts and no one else is to blame. If you want to nab anything I post, please acknowledge where it came from.
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19 Responses to An Ancient Mariner’s Garden

  1. Chelsea Owens says:
    Dec 23, 2019 at 1:43 am

    It’ll be lovely and you know it.

    Liked by 2 people

  2. derrickjknight says:
    Dec 23, 2019 at 11:18 am

    What a splendid garden – and what spectacular irrigation. Next year will be wonderful.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Mary Smith says:
    Dec 23, 2019 at 4:22 pm

    I’m sure it will all work out just fine. Love the pics of Dog.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. pensitivity101 says:
    Dec 23, 2019 at 9:00 pm

    Good luck with the roses! Bet it will all be a picture next year.
    We’re hoping our ancient mariner will revive now that we’ve taken it and our other roses out of the pots and put them back in the ground.
    Merry Christmas Geoff.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Widdershins says:
    Dec 24, 2019 at 3:16 am

    Nothing like digging in the rain. 🙂 … did Dog offer to assist? … what is that bizarre creature featured in the first and third pics in the collage at the top of the post. I suspect aliens! 😀
    Marry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and all you hold dear. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  6. willowdot21 says:
    Dec 24, 2019 at 11:42 am

    Geoff apart from the digging let the grown ups (the Lad and the Textilist) get on with the planning. You and dog have much more fun 💜💜
    I have said but will say again, to you and yours we wish you a very Happy Christmas and a healthy New Year 💜💜💜

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Gary A Wilson says:
    Dec 24, 2019 at 3:39 pm

    Life is not fair. It does not even pretend to try and be fair.
    We get the choice of digging in the rain or paying for someone to do it for us.
    Dog, who clearly lives on life’s most-favored-of-all list, gets to wander about justifying his very existence simply by being cute, and often has to chose between naps and eating.
    Good dog – good boy.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. insearchofitall says:
    Dec 25, 2019 at 11:32 pm

    Love your dogs Christmas coat. That’s a LOT of water. Just be glad it isn’t snow and needs to be shoveled. I’m always looking for the silver lining. Hope you are having a happy Christmas holiday.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. trifflepudling says:
    Dec 27, 2019 at 11:13 am

    I don’t know if you remember but that fungus used to grow out of the ceiling of our freezing loo, otherwise known as the Beardmore Glacier (with thanks to Nancy Mitford)!

    Liked by 1 person

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