Ooh la la, today we cracked it! I had to be patient and wait till Luke could put his manpower behind the spade and pick to remove the metpost , the metal spike used to secure a wooden fence post. This one has been annoying me for weeks, since we unearthed it when erecting the new fence. Until that was removed I couldn't get to properly turn the soil over around it. Having used the met post as a base for our rotary washing line Luke has now got time to hack away at the concrete around the metal. Bits of concrete flew dangerously close to our faces as Luke wielded the pick. Whilst he sweated I added another fleece (four layers in all) because it was pretty cold outside. I worked the other end of the bed to incorporate the sand and peat free compost that Luke had bought yesterday. Nine bags of sand and four huge bags of compost needed to be added to the ground to ensure we gave our new plants half a chance of happiness.
I was pleased to see that signs of life have already moved in to that solid, waterlogged, rocky ground that I'd first dug over as Luke erected the fence. Three weeks ago we had those nasty flat worms, bindweed root by the metre and enough stones to create several large rockeries in the soil along with a smell of filthy pond water but already, having cleared it all and incorporating some air into those great slabs of dirt, we have earth worms wriggling through this new patch.
I'd asked if we could have a speedy visit to the garden centre as I'd got my rose catalogue on Friday and I'd spent hours Googling the images of the roses I wanted. Realising that the cost was escalating I decided maybe I would take cuttings at the end of this year to double up my numbers of roses. The one I was really interested in though, a climbing rose named Sombreuil, is one I don't currently have (I may move my favourite, a rich velvety crimson rose called Munstead Wood, to run up the corner of the shed). Luke and I can't agree on the colour of the climbing roses that I want to soften the expanse of fence. He doesn't really like the peach, apricot, orange tones I want to catch the last rays of sunlight. I imagine them glowing in the sunset. Luke would rather have a pink rose that would look nice against the willow green paint but until I can decide which would be best I have plumped for a creamy white rose (Sombreuil) that will work with either colour.
I wanted to use my gardening vouchers from Luke's Mum for something in particular so I could associate it with the generous gift. Normally I would go for a plant but the garden centre have been selling half barrels that we could imagine planted up with a mass of drooping heads of Cerinthes.
They need to be high up as chickens adore eating them but these will be positioned at the bottom of the steps up to the front door so should be safe from hungry beaks.
As Luke worked on getting the fence post out I hit something that felt like a huge rock.
Digging down I was fed up to see it was a broken met post and instead of
being able to bury it again Luke said it would have to come out. I know
he is right but what a hassle. Within twenty minutes my resident
superman had removed it though and suddenly we had to just dig in the
sand and compost and then, hooray, it would be ready for planting up.
How exciting to have a big stretch of unloved garden to put our stamp on.
Warmed up with hard work I lose a fleece.
We have decided to try wild flowers for this first year so I planted up my climbing rose (I'd also wanted a flowering crab apple but at fifty pounds I couldn't justify it.) I may just be fortunate in a month or so's time and get one, after it's flowered and is not so desirable, to buy at a reduced price but I shan't bank on it.
For now I've got to work with what I've got which is a pot of yellow hollyhocks, one Camelot White foxglove and a (hopefully because the colour tags blew off) yellow tree paeony. Staring with my new rose I then staggered the other plants around. I've used one of the obelisks that Mum bought me for my birthday as a focal point that I will climb sweet peas up. I got three small plants from my one hollyhock plant. I then mixed up all the wild flower seeds we chose and sprinkled them finely on the soil. We went for particular seeds. We choose a palette of red, pink and blue by choosing Ragged Robin, Viper's Bugloss, Red Campion, Bladder Campion, Cornflower and Corn Marigold. I can't find the mixed wild flowers and grass seed that I should have used to make it look more like a mini wild flower meadow so I just used the seeds I had and then Luke watered them lightly.
We'll also plant up the second part of the area with veg to break up the soil a little more.
What I haven't mentioned is that our favourite chicken Shakira is poorly. We're both hoping that the antibiotics she's had in her drinking water will halt any infection. Till we can get a sample of her droppings to the vets we won't know what it is and how best to treat it and tonight we are hoping will see her on the road to recovery but it's not very hopeful. She's our best loved chicken. That sounds daft as who'd've thought hens would have characters but they definitely do and whilst she is bossy, greedy and cheeky these are the characteristics we love her for. Tomorrow will give us some indication of whether she will live. Let's hope so.
