Dear Garden,
As usual it gets to this time of the year and I am apologising for not writing lately. I last wrote to you in May and I was apologising then that you were a bit weed-ridden, well you are not much better now. We had that early summer heatwave and that kept things in check for a while, but for the last month it has rained a lot. It has not been cold, but it has been rainy and often rainy at weekends.
As I only realistically have weekends when I can garden, so my dear garden, it feels like you are really getting beyond control. So I have to pause and breathe for a moment. Stop taking the 'overall panic' view and focus on what really needs to be done. This helps keep it more in perspective.
A job that is high on the list to tackle is the hedgetrimming. I would not have looked to do this before now anyway because of the amount of birds that nest in my garden. I always leave it until August but then it does really look quite mess. I can stand this knowing it is right not to disturb the birds. I also know that once I get this task completed the garden will immediately look a lot better.
I think I need a few 'cutting back' weekends. The side boundary hedge has not had a good prune in a few years, this means it has got big and is reaching quite a way into the garden places. I know that once I deal with this the garden will feel more open and more light. I look at the light in some areas quite a bit at the moment. Trees I planted as twigs 15 years ago are now developing into goodly sized trees. This is changing how the garden looks and generally this is all fine. I knew when I planted the trees that they would grow (obvs) and I tried to think about where they were in relation to the sun and how it might impact on shade and where. I still keep in mind though that I need to assess how they are growing, are they getting too big for the space and ensuring I am keeping up with pruning and shaping.
We need a chat at somepoint about the Prairie Borders. Out of the original three, the middle one is now the Butterfly Border and is working well. The large side border is doing ok, a bit weedy but nothing too bad; but the largest border is a disaster area of couch grass invasion. I think it needs digging out and starting again. I am eyeing up the black plastic I used on the veg border when that needed resetting and thinking it will be in use again soon. I am cross with myself that I have let this border get in such a state, but I just have to deal with it and sort it out.
What else do I need to do? Oh, I need to start playing with the natural dyes I have been growing. I recently went on a natural dyeing workshop. This was fabulous. I learned so much and now I am feeling like I need to get on with it and have a go. I shall update soon.
So thank you for your patience garden, you have run amok a little but I think some good concentrated garden time will help restore things.
Speak soon
Your loving gardener xx
Take care and be kind
