Monday Wut Wut: Into the Garden

[CatInASuit]

I have a new enemy in the garden. It used to be Ivy, but after a couple of years guerilla warfare it has been driven back into the dark recesses behind the hedge. The new plant to step forwad and try to overgrow everything is the plant I know as Goosegrass. Over the last few weeks in between the incessant rain and the bursts of sunshine it had invaded the end of the garden and had wrapped itself around and over a lot of plants.

This weekend was operation cleanup and so off I set to try and get rid of it. The good news for me was that it was easier enough to remove than I thought and underneath I found several strawberry and blackberry plants, which now look a lot happier. The bad news was that I found several nettles hidden in it. It's been a while since I last played in nettles and got stung, and I remember it being much worse. Did anyone else use dock leaves when they were stung? This time around, it wasn't too bad. Despite being stung several times, I found I could ignore it. I've been waiting years to be able to do that.

Of course, the garden took its final revenge and I have now have several very annoying gnat bites that are lot harder to ignore and I am frantically trying not to scratch them. I just wish the robin that was watching me as I cleared had got to them first. Instead it seemed more interested in waiting for me to leave before descending on each cleared patch of ground and grabbing any food that had been turned over.

But despite the inconveniences, it was worth it.

[The Original An Gadaí]

We were gardening yesterday, ie attacking ivy and removing a quarter century's assorted detritus from various nooks and crannies around the property. We filled two skip bags. There was loads of scrap metal from the previous owner but no pickaroonies came along asking so it was pitched too. Yesterday was warm but cloudy, today is sunny. Finally a summerish day after months of miserable weather. Bonus from yesterday's work is loads of firewood.

[Sarahfeena]

I feel you on the aggressive weeds...our yard was overrun with Ailanthus trees when we moved in, and we had to dig up pretty much every square inch of the yard to get all the roots out. God what a nightmare that was!

[The Original An Gadaí]

Begob but we're getting some fine weather this week.

[Rube E. Tewesday]

We're headed for a record high, here.

[Zuul]

I've been gardening like mad here. I have horseshoe shaped mound that I planted sunflowers, peas and beans on. The idea is to train the vines up the sunflowers and eventually to bend them inwards so that it forms a little alcove underneath inside the mound. We'll see if it actually works!

I've got herbs, onions, shallots and flowers intermixed in a few beds, with the idea that the onion family and the marigolds will help ward off pests to protect my herbs. Again: We'll see if it actually works.

Lots of rain so far, but it's been cool the past two weeks since I got home. There was even a frost the night after I put most of my plants in the ground. They're still alive, but I hope it warms up a bit and gives them a better chance.