Putting off the landscaping

lavender cuttingsI just couldn’t launch myself into the landscaping today. Late yesterday afternoon I was looking at my little cuttings, and realised I was a few lavenders short. You always need to take heaps in the hope that some of the little plants survive.

So I set out with my secateurs and plastic bags and nipped about the garden snipping suitable candidates.

I noticed, too, that there were quite a few euphorbia wulfennii seedlings popping up in the wrong spot. They aren’t easy to transplant as they have quite a deep tap root. But if I can get them early, they might be good to put in the shade garden.euphorbia transplants

I’m completely confused about the look of the shade garden. Half the time I want to rip everything out and start again. But I don’t have enough of any one plant to get the effect I like.   So things will have to stay.

sept gertie jeykllThen there was no putting it off… well I did pop around and dead head the roses. I can’t believe I have a new Gertie Jeykll at the bad end of September. It’s hot and dry and roses really shouldn’t be blooming. But I’m delighted this one is out. The scent is delicious.

So here’s the rest of the day’s work.   Moving soil. I’m slowly exposing the lovely granite boulder. It’s at least 5 metres wide. And the entire length of what I now have to call the plum garden (rather than olive orchard) is 17 metres. So you can imagine how tedious it is.   But I was consoling myself with the thought that it’s good sandy soil so easy peasy to move. granite boulder

looking onto bankBut where to move it? I can’t put in on the area right in front of the wall as I have spotted too many brambles there. They need weeding out.   So I’ve decided to stockpile the soil in bags and buckets and then have a brain wave.

One thing I have realised is that as I weed, and boy does it need weeding, I’m taking away the shape of the slope.   It’s now too steep.

So I think I’ll need to make a little terrace using some chestnut sticks and pickets.   I have plenty left over from the potager building. The sticks are wonky, but I think I’ll put in an initial barrier, and then try and pretty it up with some of my new lovely forest sticks. Fresh and straight.weeded bank friday

weeded bank detailAnd that way I can build up the spare soil in a bed at the top.   It’s hard to explain and even harder to photograph. My glasses are covered in a fine layer of soil.

But by the end of the day I can happily say I’ve broken the back of it. Plenty of exposed granite boulder as a feature, and plenty of soil to turn into a garden.

Spiffing sunset tonight. It makes a change from dull old dirt. sunset 1