Half day heroics

Forty two. Not the world’s biggest haul of grasses planted on the bank but at least I have made a start. This is the hardest gardening I have done. The distances were already measured, so you could say that all I needed to do was put the little pennisetum Hamelin’s in. But there are roots and brambles and dead chestnut burrs and leaves in the way. And all on a slope. There were a few times when I actually decided to keep the long bramble strands in place as they were the only thing to hold on to when I crept up the bank. I placed some of the excess boards along the planted rows just to hold the soil if we get a downpour over the next few weeks. Please grow little grasses, you are all that is going to save us from massive erosion.

Tomorrow I will do more. Promise. And to finish the day (dinner party tonight) I placed little crash barriers up along the edges of the mini meadows. This will hopefully slow the wildflower seeds from oozing over the edge and ending up on the terrace below. There is no such thing as static planting here. One big downpour (you get the theme) and we won’t have a design. Eventually I will replace these boring planks with thin chestnut poles to make the look more rustic.  I’m surprised that the sand hasn’t been disturbed by local wildlife (and Arthur the neighbour’s cat) but it’s early days.

Oh yes, and I put more ornamental grasses in the future gravel garden in the courtyard. There is one stipa gigantea in already. And now to keep it company there are two Miscanthus sinensis and a Calamagrostis Karl Foerster.