I’ve got lists and lists of stuff that needs doing at work, in the apartment and in the summerhouse, but here I will just give you the list that’s relevant for the garden:
- Finish removing the lawn for the semi-circular flower bed at the South-West end of the house. This will contain clematis and perennial sweet-peas against the patio and tulips and annuals in front, perhaps with a few structural perennials added here and there to give some interest once the annuals die away.
- Mow the lawn for the last time this year. This should have been done the last time I was up there, but I just didn’t get around to it. (The lawn is rather an unwanted step-child in our garden, at least as far as I’m concerned, hence the desire to carve out flower beds here and there and as much as possible!)
- Plant the perennials from my parents’ old garden – this might initially be in a temporary location in the semi-circular bed, just because that’s where I have room for them right now. I can work on creating a more permanent bed for them over the winter and then move them in spring.
- Lift lily and gladiolus corms and dahlia tubers and pack them up in newspapers for the winter. I’m not sure where to store them, but I think they might come back to the city with me and be stored in our attic box room; it’s neither heated nor insulated, but I would think the heat of the five stories beneath should keep it frost-free.
- Cut down the bean stalks and pea plants in the vegetable garden mix them with compost before spreading it in the vegetable beds. Also, some compost will be worked into the semi-circular bed, so combined with a digging loosening up the soil, this should make for a nice “fluffy” soil to plant in.
- Weed the Ambitious Border and mulch it for the winter.
- Sweep up leaves etc. to mix with compost to CREATE mulch for the Ambitious Border…
- Collect fir cones, random twigs of interesting shapes, seed stands etc. that might be used for Christmas decorations. Let’s face it, I’ve got a large apartment to decorate this year, and my husband has requested that I go all in with the Christmas this year since my mother-in-law will be spending Christmas with us (as will her brother and his girlfriend), and perhaps also my parents if my dad’s fit to travel.
Now, don’t worry; I’m not intending to get through the list this weekend! I just want to make a dent in it, and especially concerning the things that needs urgent attention. Getting the semi-circular bed dug out and dug through so the perennials from my parent’s garden can get into the ground, rather than living in plastic bags in a suitcase in the attic room is definitely the main issue.
I promise, after next weekend I will try to make a post with some pictures – perhaps even of what I’ve gotten done so I can use that as a motivational prospective Saturday and Sunday.
