Rat taupier one

Gardener Zero.  Have you ever seen a picture of a rat taupier? Type the words into Google images and be prepared to reel in horror.  A mole rat. I don’t think we have the naked ones, but we do have the ones with huge front teeth.

I have one at least in the garden and he has taken a liking to the aquilegias in the shade garden.

It managed to fell not one, but two plants just today. So I thought I’d best take photos of the lovely tall plants now, because at the rate this rat is munching, he’ll be through them all in no time.

I put up with moles. But to have these vile mole rats usurping the mole runs is a bit much.  Two annoying critters for the price of one.

I wonder what other roots it is going to chew through – I’ve already lost the huge parsley plant in the potager.  That’s annoying as that plant has survived three cold winters and I was making great use of the plant for my herb bouquets.  I guess the roots are juicy.

But I just don’t have time to worry about these annoying vile critters, I’m on the clock.

I started the day removing spent tulips from all the beds at the entrance to the house.  That was two wheelbarrow loads of greenery to add to the compost.

And I had a quick tiday of the wisteria branches.  It looks quite fetching and strange to be in flower at the same time as the roses.

Yes, the roses are starting to come out at long, long last. That is what glorious sunshine and warmth will do.

I didn’t take pictures of them as they will start to emerge now and look better and better. Besides, I’ve not yet managed to sort out the under storey. Will I leave it plain with just pebbles? Or add my bedding plants? I can’t decide.  I’ll wait for the weekend, I think. It’s too warm to plant out delicate little plants right now.

More of a weeding day.  And Leslie came to help out and got stuck into pruning all the annoying growth from the trunk of the unattractive apple tree that looms over the barn garden. It looks a dream now.

Well, it looks like a normal tree. We need some serious work on the main canopy this winter if we’re to keep it.  The apples this poor tree produces are truly vile. Mealy and soft even when fresh off the tree.  Even the horses aren’t keen.

We did lots of weeding and then moved on to creating a pallisade fencing to protect my crops from deer.  I had enough sticks for Leslie to weave a simple fence from the compost bins, over the lavender beds and down to the plum tree.

It’s temporary and I can hopefully be able to fold it back each day.  It’s still a work in progress.

And I’ve finally cleaned up around the huge white cube in the compost corner. The first time in years I’ve ever done  a proper sorting out of that part of the garden. So that’s very pleasing.

Watering, weeding and working till 8.  A busy day, and yet more tomorrow. I’ve drawn up an ambitious list.