Edging around the hedge

It is done. I have worked my way around the entire perimeter of this long hedge.   And the vertical was much easier than the horizontal. There were less established weeds here; and I had the carpets of marjoram already taking hold and taking up a lot of potential weed space.

And I made a discovery. Sitting proudly on an outcrop of dirt is one lovely oriental poppy. Goodness only knows how it turned up there. I’ve never had any seeds or plants.   But I’m delighted.   It is much smaller than the one I planted from Teo’s box of delights (his cold frame), but long may it survive and self sow.

I thought that I wouldn’t have time to do this before guests arrived and chores were done, so it felt like a stolen hour of delight.

It’s impossible to photograph; unless I climbed a tree and took an aerial one. So you will have to just believe me that all 30 something trees are looking well and healthy.

I did have two left over trees – an acer campestre and an acer ginala.   They have been in pots for months.   Time to get them out and into the ground.   One was easy to position, but I have had to destroy my artistic sensibilities and plant an acer campestre next to a ginala in the hedge. Ah well.   In about ten years time I’ll regret it, but right now I’m just delighted to have taken more plants out of their pots and put them into the earth.

And then with a quick furtive look at the clock, I snuck in an extra twenty minutes of weeding.   The terraces are a mass of plants. Calamagrositis grasses, clary sages, one teasel, verbena bonariensis, cornflowers, nigella, salvias and much more.

But also brambles, wildflowers (which are actually weeds) and rogue grasses.   It isn’t quite artistic yet.   But with less weeds and unwanted plants it almost feels like I am in control.

Hah! But you can pretend.