Dear Garden
Have I really not written to you since January? Where has the year gone? I am sure there was lots of it left when I last looked but now it feels like it is almost over.
I needed to let you know how much I like this time of year. Yes it is has been very rainy recently and you are quite sodden. This does make getting any meaningful work completed difficult. But it is also the time of year when I look out of the upstairs windows and love the autumn colour. The Carol Klein Acer is looking very good this year. This sheltered part of the garden suits her just fine.
I managed to get outside when it was not raining and I was entranced by the light shining through her leaves.
I love the Wild Garden this time of year. The trees are turning and the leaves falling. We are in pre-Winter.
The Liriodendron tulipifera is one of my favourite trees. It is really looking good at the moment and this pleases me as this tree had a bit of a false start. The top was broken off when very young and I thought it would not survive so bought another. The tree decided it was not time to go yet and has grown strongly. I think this is your spirit dear garden, you do not give up easily. You cannot really see the slight kink where the new lead shoot took over from the original. It is now a fine tree and getting quite tall.
The Aldi Acer has had a fine year too. This is such a great tree.
This much smaller acer, no more than 30 cm high at the moment, is also doing well. It was one of those bought as a cheap seedling purchases and it lived in a pot for a year or two. I planted it out last year and it is now growing better. I just have to be very careful not to tread on it!
Dear garden, I think this year has been better than last. I think I have looked after you better and been more attentive. I know that the recent poor weather has been I have not been able to get outside as much as I would like, but I have done what I can and the lawn will get mowed soon - when it dries out - if it is ever dries out - promise.
I have not bought any bulbs yet this year. This is not like me and I cannot even tell you a good reason why. It just has not happened. Maybe it is because I cannot think where I want to plant them, so take this as a positive thing. You are not going to be plagued with randomly planted bulbs without proper thought this year. It had to happen one year!
The pond is now almost full again, this is a very good thing and I am sure you are feeling as relieved as I am. Last winter it did not fully refill but thankfully my worries about a summer drought did not come to be. I looked back to the letter I wrote you last November and the pond was no where near this full. A full pond at the start of the year is a happy pond. Now, dear pond, dear garden, I just need to clear the plant of some plants as it is a bit overwhelmed.
I do not feel the need to make the promises I had to last year as this year I feel we are back on track. There is lots of to be doing over the autumn and winter months. There will be pruning, there will be sorting and there is always always weeding to be done. The newspapers are saying it will be a very hard winter. I hope not as I will be suffer greatly from edgeworthia anxiety, but that is for another day. There is no point in worrying about what might never be.
I shall promise to try and write more often.....
