Tuesday 14 June 2011

Border Patrol



My job for yesterday afternoon was to finish snipping off the seed heads of Aquilegia and Sweet Rocket before they become too invasive.  If I let them all seed I would have no room left for anything else.  As it is the wind had flattened most of the Sweet Rocket plants and they were covering more precious plants, so it was a good job done.  Unfortunately, there are now big gaps in the borders and I don't have enough plants-in-waiting to fill them.  What to do?

My job for this afternoon is to try and weed out the chickweed that has sprung up everywhere, I can't seem to get rid of it no matter how I try.  It is a bloomin' nuisance and makes the veg beds look so messy.  When I kept chickens I gave the chickweed to them to pick through - alas, I no longer keep chickens so it will all go in to the compost bin.  I have the same problem with the allotment garden - you hoe it all off, but back it comes.  I think the roots go deeper than you realise and hoeing just seems to encourage it to grow.  This winter I may cover spare areas with black polythene and hope it dies back.

The rain over the last few days followed by sun has encouraged all the veg to take off - at last the courgettes are making growth, the potatoes are beginning to flower and hopefully I will soon be doing a bit of harvesting.
Pictured above:  The rose with no name - but with a beautiful fragrance.

3 comments:

  1. I'm not sure I know what chickweed is, must look it up. Bane of my plot is the cotoneaster (deep roots, keeps coming back), sticky willy (a huge hit with the kids) and the ivy! Beautiful rose - I love the smelly ones and unashamedly walk around sniffing roses in other peoples front gardens!

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  2. I can't really see the point of a rose if you can't bury your nose in it.

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  3. I have one of those too. A yellow rose, no idea of it's name but it's my favourite.

    I saw a rose at Tatton last year, Nostalgia. I want it!!

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