Monday, September 26, 2011


September 26th, 2011

"A late summer garden has a tranquility found no other time of the year".   Wm. Longgood



Well, I am busy trying to beat the clock and the calendar.   Up early, once again filled with Monday morning zip!

Breakfast over and the bread machine busy making its own peculiar noises as it kneads the bread, I leave it to its own devices and am off up the hill.  The SUV is stuffed with odd pails and pots and plastic boxes.  Overhead dark clouds loom ominously (have you ever know dark clouds to loom any other way?), a west wind blows, and I am aware that this is going to be a fast trip if I am to beat the the storm home.

I make my way through the overgrown garden, coming first to the Oriental peony. which is surrounded by ranunculus running rampant through the iris.



 A delight to dig the peony, - the soil is moist and crumbly and I find about a dozen lovely brown tubers that look like small sweet potatoes.  I will be able to make a whole row of Oriental poppies, I think to myself.  With great enthusiasm.  Until I remember the scope of this new garden and my determination to keep it within bounds.  It is such a lovely plant, and has a history of being moved, - first from David's garden, then to the old lost garden, - from there up to the hillside and now it will flourish as a townie.


Not too far away is the red Bleeding heart, that looks like a real push-over with all its stems cut back in preparation for the move.  It comes out nicely, as does the bergamot....the wind comes up a little, but I ignore it and go to tackle the big peony plants, which I suspect may request more brawn than I have......




But I persevere and eventually I have two large clumps of peony tubers in my plastic pot. and I heave it into the back of the SUV.  I like that word 'heave' - I did literally heave it, as it was much too heavy to lift.

Now to find that beautiful rust and gold iris that I posted a couple of weeks ago.  I know which bed it is in, - but which particular tuber might it be????  I dig up the one I think it is, and two surrounding it, and hope that if I am wrong whoever cares for the garden next year will be generous.....

The clouds are lowering and looking rather mean, so I quickly dig up a small shrub we planted for our anniversary last year, - pop it into a pot, and just then I feel the first drops of rain.  Off down the hill, - I arrive just as Charles is disappearing into the garage and closing the door!!!!!  Nevertheless, I quickly unload and hope I waken with the same cheerful, energetic spirit tomorrow morning, so everything can get replanted!

"Spring flowers are long since gone.  Summer's bloom hangs limp on every terrace.  The gardener's feet drag a bit on the dusty path and the hinge in his back is full of creaks".   Louis Seymour Jones




4 comments:

Penny said...

You are getting far more done than I am, and I am not nearly your age, although this wretched polymayalga is slowing me down. Oh to be able to grow paeonies, but not here unfortunately. I hope you get all the right plants, it is always a worry that one you really wanted was overlooked.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Boundless energy here Hildred. Keep it up until all is planted.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I knew you'd do it!!! (It was fun reading this post and the earlier one on the same day although I usually hate to get behind on reading.) Those are beautiful flowers -- and I'm a bit envious, as always. Choices.

I'm laughing about the ominous clouds! Yup. At least you know when you use cliches -- I usually notice how many I use (and how many words I repeat) a few days after I post.

Barb said...

In my imagination, I see your raised bed taking shape and color, Hildred. What a lot you accomplished! I hope they're all tucked into their new bed now.