Sunday, March 18, 2012
Mark and Gaz
My mind is buzzing with lots of creative ideas now that it's spring. But before I get very creative we must clean up the garden first.
Cleaning up the garden means spring tidying up of course. We're about a month behind, usually most of the tidying have been done by now but because we have been concentrating on the new garden and pond we have pretty much left tidying up until recently. But now that spring is fast approaching, plants are waking up from their winter dormancy, and lots of new growth is becoming more visible we could not delay this yearly ritual any longer.
Lots of hacking away old dead growth needs to be done as well as clearing away fallen leaves and other debris that has accumulated in the past few months, all in preparation for the arrival of new growth in the spring and summer. It's very satisfying once you start getting stuck in tidying up and seeing the old, dead growth removed and the garden starts to look much neater again.
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| The jungle get tidied up! Clump of Arundo donax 'Variegata' gets its annual trim |
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| A leaf blower is indispensable in our garden |
It is a gradual process that will preoccupy us for days, even a few weeks depending of how much time we are able to spend on this activity. It's very enjoyable, therapeutic and calming and you also get a chance to inspect individual plants and areas of the garden much more closely than the usual.
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| Podophyllum 'Kaleidoscope' is waking up from its winter slumber |
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| I didn't even notice until today that this Trachycarpus fortunei has set seed |
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| Cardiocrinum giganteum is always one of the first ones to comes back in our garden |
And you get a better perspective of the garden. The more mess that gets cleared away, the more conducive it is to be creative, which I'm really looking forward to. But before that we better get cutting, pruning, sweeping, and trimming!
Mark
This gardening blog follows our journey as we create our Tropical and Exotic themed garden. We hope you'll enjoy the journey as much as we do. We started our Exotic Garden in 2005 and this site will show its development, as well as our travels, both abroad and within the UK to gardens, nurseries and friends.
Great way to start the new season. Because our garden never really has down time we are always playing catch-up.
ReplyDeleteBTW. What's the golden stem bamboo behind the Trachycarpus fortunei? Very nice.
I think I'd enjoy spring cleaning much more if I had your garden :-).
ReplyDeleteI did a goodly amount of leaf removal last weekend but the high winds we've had this week brought more leaves. I swear, all our neighbors' leaves always end up on our property!
Gerhard
:: Bamboo and More ::
I did not have the distraction of building a giant goldfish bowl so all my Spring tidying got done months ago. But for a couple of weeks when it was really cold I've managed to do a bit each day so now everything looks just a bit too clean and tidy. Most proud of myself really and resisted the temptation to get a Man in.
ReplyDeleteI still have a large amount of clean-up to do in my garden; raking all of the dead leaves is the biggest chore I have to do each year. Once it is done and a fresh layer of pine straw is applied in the appropriate places, my garden is ready for spring. But spring came and went so fast the new leaves haven't all had a chance to open before hot, humid days arrived tis week. Already, it feels like summer, so I am way behind!!
ReplyDeleteIn the midst of cleaning myself. It's a great time of year to check everything out, there's so much spring growth, welcome signs of whats to come. This is going to be an incredible year of gardening.
ReplyDeleteThanks Missy, normally we're on top of things, it's just while we're still doing the new garden/pond it's taking priority. But once that's done we should be back to our normal rhythm :) The bamboo is Phyllostachys vivax 'Aureocaulis'.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gerhard! Isn't that always the case, once you tidy up more mess comes up! It's an ongoing process throughout the year. Little and often is better big bursts so it's not as daunting :)
Hey Don :) We're managing so far, normally we're on top of things but the pond built is taking priority for now. Once that's done we should be able to keep on top of things again.
Hi Debs, it's a large garden you have there and I can imagine there are lots of tidy up after winter. You'll get there eventually :)
Hi Nat, that's one of the bonuses of cleaning up, you get to inspect plants more closely and see how they are doing. It's going to be an incredible gardening year indeed :)
It is always nice to get all the cleanup work done. And of course you would have a lot having exotics. I'm doing some also and it's already time to mow.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
Hi Mark, I totally agree with you that spring cleaning is a very satisfying and therapeutic chore to do in the garden! Sounds like in your green paradise it means that you really have your hands full, though :-)! I am looking forward to seeing your jungle coming back to live this year. By the way, the blue seeds on Trachycarpus fortunei are really cool.
ReplyDeleteChristina
Love the red trellis - such a good contrast with green foliage! Well I love bright colours! I did a courtyard at the Uni with bright red benches - similar effect!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the part about spring cleaning that you mentioned - seeing every inch of the garden. Always good for reflection, and making changes.
ReplyDeleteHi Cher, spring is here and plants are starting to grow quick too. Not surprised it's time to mow your lawn again :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Christina! There's normally a spring rush of activities in the garden then it calms down later and we get more free time to just relax and enjoy the garden. I agree, those seeds looks cool with it's dark blue hue.
Hi Ian! Red is my favourite colour and love incorporating this bright colour in the garden. Also gives an exotic feel. And good feng shui too!
Hi Holley, that's true, it's quite a calming activity taking the time to look at your plants closely :)
I love the total jungle effect your garden has. I really wish I could 'jungle' all my garden but the plants would just not survive! So my patio will have to suffice. It has its own micro climate and everyone comments on this!
ReplyDeleteI am glad to see your Arundo donax 'Variegata' is pot grown too.
Thanks Libby! Your patio is lovely and you can utilise this microclimate to grow more tender plants. The variegated Arundo is grown on the ground, just used a pot to collect the trimmings :)
ReplyDeleteYou already have lots of big plants, i love the seeds of that palm. Your garden doesn't look like you have winter unless you show the snow, as it is now it really looks tropical. Happy cleaning and show us the progress of the pond, lol.
ReplyDelete