Mum was right

...but that is not so surprising...mothers are usually right!

She said, 'Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me.'  I know, it wasn't her own thought, but when she first told me, I was very impressed.  Mind you, it didn't stop me from calling people names, but I didn't take up throwing sticks or stones either...I just stored the saying away, for about half a century, so I could write this blog post!

What's is wrong with is picture?

Nothing? Exactly! The path is nicely raked, the mulch is in place, the little plants are settling in.

But just add a few scratchy chooks, enjoying a forage in the mulch, kicking it onto the gravel on the path, uprooting the plants, and generally making a horrible mess.  

This scenario equals one very unhappy gardener! And boy, did I call those girls some names!

Names which may have had Mum brandishing the soap in the direction of my mouth, if she had heard me!

You saw the 'stone' solution for the inner garden.  

It worked a treat!  All the plants have stayed firmly rooted where I planted them and are growing.

That did not solve the problem of the mulch on the path...

but the sticks have!

Maybe it isn't pretty, but it sure is practical!  Once the plants grow and form a hedge, the chickens won't be able to do much damage...but until then, there won't be so much blue language floating over the neighbour's fence!

I like this picture.  It shows the sneak path from the grey garden across to the drive...just to the left of that pot on a stand.

Catering

Have you been well catered for over Christmas?

Did others cater for you or were you the one doing all the catering?

Are you the sort of gardener who caters?

Most of you probably have one of these in the garden.

Some of you will put food out for the birds too, I bet.

Like me you may have bird or mammal boxes to cater for the accommodation needs of our feathered and furred friends. You may have chosen plants to attract birds and butterflies. Lots of you, I know, have flowers in the veggie patch to bring the pollinators.

In your gardening do you ever consider the needs of our other four, six, eight or more legged visitors?  Or even our legless ones?

Butterflies like a shallow watering place with somewhere to land on.  They can slip their proboscus between stones to reach the water.  Other insects and lizards like a low water source too.

The chooks were digging up the plants in the grey garden, so my sister helped me to collect and spread these stones and small rocks.  This micro-pond was formed by digging a hole and lining it with a plastic bag disguised with rocks and gravel.

This one is an old bowl from the kitchen with rocks and stones.

They fill when I put the sprinklers on.

Now I am off to cater for myself, as The Cook is absent.

Mmmm! I think I can feel a smooth, green soup coming up...with a chicken broth as its base.

Don't worry, I will use stock cubes!

Old, grey and crazy

No, not me!  Well...maybe.

But I am really talking about a new garden.

I decided to use the old concrete for crazy paving,

in the circle around the silver birch with a grey plants.

It is called the Ednas' garden in honour of The Cook's mother, and mine...both named Edna. 

The garden between the path and the new area has guava and midyiam berries (I haven't heard of them, but Diggers were selling them).  These will create a hedge and a visual barrier between the two spaces.

Around the outer edge of the circle is a planting of various grey plants: lavenders, curry plants, artemis, daisies and others whose names I have already forgotten!

This is the path in.  I replaced the wooden slats with more bits of concrete to keep it uniform.

To the right of the path is a silver buddliea.  I hope it will grow up and droop over the path, creating an entrance...as well as attracting butterflies.

I am trying to decide whether to go with pale grey stones, or blue metal between the bits of concrete.

Most of the plantings inside the circle are low growing. I love the blue grass against the silver birch.  Both native poa, the really blue one is called, snow grass.

This is called, silver cloud.  It grows into a round bush about 30 - 40 cms tall.

Here is a close up of the buddliea. 

No silver themed garden would be complete without lambs' ears.

 One of the plants forming the outer circle.  I love the foliage.

 

And this spreading/trailing ground cover is a dicondra.

It all looks a bit, bitsy at the moment but it will mature beautifully

and I know it will become a favourite place to visit, sit, and contemplate.