Week 8

I weeded and cut back and cleaned up about 2 hours per day for about 5 days (All the sun we had) I cut one whole trunk of the pink tea tree. I am mostly done, and ready to order big from Annies. I found some plants; some doing well, and some died. Mostly I'm ordering things that did well and flowered a lot before.
There is still some clean up to do, but I can do it as time goes along. If we get a break in the weather, I'll dig a few plants for the GPGC.
Mostly the stakes are waiting for me to put then in again. The area beneath the bird feeder has the best compost , that should be gathered into a bucket and then respread. It'll be good to sweep the paths too. It's so good to be able to walk down there. There is now space for lots of plants!
The snails I'm getting are mostly small.
I picked more Clematis, and Hardenbergia (at it's peak). There are a few Tiarella, and heliotrope. One gazania.
There will be less shade in the way back, under the pink tea treee.

Week 7

I'm back from New Zealand. It's raining and cold here- pretty much every day. So I have a lot of anxiety and depression.
I had to cut the leptospermum almost all the way- this is the one we made new holes in the bottom, and cut off the root going into the ground. I took out the osteospermum too.
I hope the rose doesn't do that. The roses are really dormant now, though. The Jasmine has lots of buds.
I went out in the rain and fixed the big water line that feeds into the barell (there is a lot there that needs to be pruned (in good weather) Then I got the barrells to work together. I'll save up a lot of water this week. Maybe there won't be rationing after all.
I spent three or 4 hours in the back weeding and pulling out the japanese anenome that had escaped. I hadn't done it before and there was a lot of it. And it was hard to tell the difference between that and the astrantia and the delphinium, and the coral bells. I hope I got it right. The middle bed looks ready to put new things into. I did some of the bed near the fence too.
the daffodils are coming up and the lilies too.
The cyclamen pot in the front has standing water. I think the granite gravel in the bottom get packed too tight and is like concrete. I can'twon't do that again.
For arrangements, I picked a pink verbascum, pink lenten rose, a few white clematis armondii, some hardenbergia, and a few lady Banks roses.
I killed a few snails while weeding. I'd kill more, but it's raining.
There is still a lot to remove. I've spent a lot of time with Annie's catalog, and need to do more. my plant budget, and water is slashed this year. So I'll order and have them come by mail, and won't be temped by going there.