A tidy farm

terrace sunsetI sat at the top of the terrace in the early evening admiring the handiwork and more importantly the view.

Mountains are magnificent in this early September season.

It was way too hot today to strim, but I have finished the huge top terrace.

That means the terraces are all strimmed from top to bottom

If you look carefully you can see that I haven’t raked any of the grass.  But just knowng I have tamed the brambles and the broom feels great.

I worked until noon and then actually fell asleep just after lunch. I didn’t snooze for long as a fly woke me up but I was refreshed. I’ve never done siestas before.  But strimming uphill in the heat is a trial. not quite mulched

Next up was to chip the branches from last night’s haul.  I wanted to get the entire shade garden bed covered in a thick mulch of chipped chestnut, oak and elderflower branches.

But I came up short. If I can get everything done by Friday, I might get the last bit done. It’s only about three square metres left, but that means plodding down to the lower terraces and hauling branches before chipping.  It will take me a few hours to get it all done.

last flowers 1And time is suddenly slipping away.

Tomorrow is going to be my last market day for a few weeks. So I have put my best into the flowers.

Three large bunches of the sunflowers for Manu, Isabelle and Madame Mauricette.  And half a dozen for other friends.

I have also prepared one vase for the mairie where I need to go tomorrow to register for next year’s mayoral elections.  Lots of cosmos, dahlias, asparagus fronds, pannicum flowers, chestnut leaves and a few of the last zinnias. And sedums.  DSC00387

The Autumn Joy sedums are showing a faint blush of pink.

I want to propagate as many as I can this autumn and next spring. I do think they look best in drifts.

Drifts of brassicas is something I’m not lacking at the moment. My potting shed is bursting with plants.

That is going to be a Friday decision. Do I leave them in situ and hope the cooler weather will help save them from drying out? Elodie will come and water a bit.  But I know I’m going to have to move the seedlings to the calabert. It’s cooler there and the slugs can’t reach them.

potting shed plants septI learned my lesson earlier in the year.  The shade of the potting shed and the proximity of a bit of water  makes it slug heaven. The kangaroo paws are fine, as are the scented pelargoniums. But the juicy brassicas have to stay firmly indoors.