Apple orchard part two
First task of the day (well, apart from load number four of laundry) was to admire the discovery of yet another apple tree on our property. Just above the first floor of the guest house on the other side of the road. I was gazing in awe at it so much in fact (just one fruit which I fancied plucking) that I stepped into a patch of nettles. Ouch. It tingles as I type and that’s three hours later.
Had to go to town this morning, and as I was just passing the garden centre, and just happened to see another couple with a few fruit trees in their car, I was tempted to do the same. Who says there is no power of persuasion when it comes to retail? I bought a replacement Melrose apple tree. The deer had definitely won round one of the apple wars with our lovely tree from the Welsteads. I have been prodding it and pleading with it for a few months now. But it is definitely dead. Ring barked by the look of it. And it looked so forlorn doing sentry duty as a stick at the edge of the lawn that I couldn’t resist getting the replacement.
Friendly people at Gamm Vert. They were full of commiserations about the damage, had helpful suggestions about protecting this new one. And even gave me a dozen strawberry plants as a gift.
It’s too hot to plant the tree just yet, so to escape the heat of the day I spent happy hours sowing seeds collected from Ailefroide and Valence TGV. The stipas are up and just poking their heads above the compost. I have tucked them out in the shade of the potting shed. And I hope the next 11 days will be kind to them. Or I can get Nicolas to help out with watering. I also planted up dozens of exotic salad seedlings. Oriental leaves I think the packet said. I may give some to Nicolas if they thrive. He has been busy this past week with food for a three day festival at St Jean Chambre and I doubt he has given a thought to the winter season. Plenty of winter lettuce potted up as well.
I need to order more Agastache Liquorice Blue. Best of all the perennials in the trail bed. Watered some of the grasses I planted in the next terrace down from the potting shed. No sign of thriving, but at least they haven’t died.
Planted the apple tree and draped it rather ungraciously with netting. Anything to deter Daisy from attack. Even ate the one apple that was on the tree at already. Tart but rather tasty.
Lawn mowing. Picked four plump eggplant for dinner. Plus four peppers. And even ate a tomato. It’s a few days off ripe, but I am impatient. And by the shorthand you can tell that time is short and the day is at an end.