More mulching with leaves

Hides all sins. It almost hid the cat when he refused to move as I was tipping yet more bags of leaves over the weeded pool bank area. My, he was cross.

He seemed to think my weeding mat was his new perch. We had been battling for possession all day. Every time I got up to drag away yet another sack of weeds to the compost bin he would leap on and refuse to yield.

I tell you, there were many moments when I wished he would go back to the potting shed and dig himself into his box.

That’s the death stare by the way. The glaring eyes. The leave me be. And most importantly, leave this kneeling mat to me.

Sigh.

Back to the garden project. Here it is. I think it’s 17 metres long. I was pacing it out today and almost did the splits when I slipped on the wet slick wooden decking boards.

So let’s agree it’s long. A long narrow bed. Above all the eragrostis curvula grasses are well established. And I need to plant a few more this sping to complete the design.

There are the grasses in there which I planted in summer. All alive, and mostly thriving. Except this bed is riddled with nettles and wild mint and brambles right in front of the stone wall.

So out they came. (I cheated and asked Nicolas to do the first weeding pass when I had sciatica last month.)

And I decided to remove all the temporary mulch I had placed there over the summer. Grass cuttings are just asking to sprout all sorts of nasties in this mild weather. I prefer the smothering effect of just leaves.  It will mean a few oak seedlings and chestnut seeds will try and get established.

But they are easier to yank out than a handful of lush grass with nettles attached.

I had the whole bed weeded in a twinkle. Well a morning.  And then it was more raking and mulching and hissing at the cat.

I had enough leaves left to do a thorough mulching of the shade garden as well.

It took a bit of delicate work to get the thick mulch down around all the snowdrops which are sprouting. And the honesty plants which are coming into strong growth.  There are narcissus bridal crowns peeping up as well.

I had that feeling of phew, made it just in time.

And it looks tidy and neat.

I can’t think why I am boasting about this; but I guess it’s rare I am ever ahead of schedule.  And it will all end in tears in a few months from now when I learn that this thick blanket of leaves will not prevent the germination of pernicious weeds.

Come Apil I will be wailing about all the work I need to do in the weeding department. But for now let me bathe in the brown delight of tucked up garden beds.