Friday, September 30, 2011

living in a garden paradise

Last Saturday my back yard was transformed.......what was once dirt and weeds is now paths, garden beds with plants......and 12 cubic meters of mulch was moved from the nature strip on to the beds.

A big thank you to the gardening guru (aka chook whisperer) and a veritable army of helpers.
I didn't do a single thing to assist on the day.

Now I just have the challenge of keeping the plants alive (only one plant looking crook so far). Thankfully it has rained on and off since Saturday so the plants are all getting a good soaking in. I have been a proverbial black thumb in the past so I keep touching the gardening guru's thumb.

After we moved in the house G and I had a garden plan drawn up by a professional landscaper. Over the first year we had the hard landscaping done and we were about to embark on planting etc when G died.
While I am being guided by the plan I am not sticking to it rigidly.....for one thing some of the hard landscaping is not according to the plan....secondly some of the plan has become impractical with only one adult (I'm not going to be espaliering plants - G would have taken pleasure in some of that fiddly stuff), thirdly some of the suggested plants are unavailable, and fourthly I now feel the need to plant some plants that will link back to G....ie a climbing rose "Titian" that he carefully nurtured at our previous house, and maybe some South African plants.

I also stumbled across a garden sculpture/pot plant stand of a bike that is now in pride of place next to the paved outdoor eating area.

I am also now free to plant whatever I like without reference to G....but even if I wanted to I still feel bound not to plant things I know he would hate - so there will be no photinias, nandinas or pittosperums in this garden. I guess it is just another example of where I am no longer bound by G's tastes or wishes but still want it to be something that reflects the man who once lived here.