Spring... a time of bird song, warm days, pretty flowers... oh and rampant weed growth. Here's just one of the problem areas I've been tackling recently:
Mint, mixed in with bulbs, a large fern, and something unidentified growing from a dense mass of white rhizomes. I'm hoping to get all this cleared out and plant the small garden with some heuchera.
Actually, this was just a small patch of weeding to ease me into it (I thought, 4 weeks ago, that it would be done in a weekend). There's also convolvulus going rampant in 2 different corners, plus a huge infestation of oxalis in the future potager. So. Plenty of weedbusting to be done. Does anyone have any tips for dealing with oxalis or convulvulus (bindweed)?
Things are going well in the vege patch though. My silver beet is going to seed, but according to Lynda Hallinan (editor of NZ Gardener), this tends to happen to silver beet in the middle of October, regardless of when it was planted.
The Carouby (sugar snap) peas are growing tall and beautiful in the background. In front of them are leeks, purple cauliflower, borage and violas. I'm starting to thing I might have planted things a teensy bit close together.
They have such gorgeous flowers, just like a sweet pea, but unscented.
The pods develop super-quick - don't let them get any bigger, or they'll be stringy!
A radiant patch of golden marjoram. Next to it, my nemesis pokes one of its many heads through. I hate convolvulus.
Aquilegia, next to a pretty scallop-edged mirror.
A blush-pink rhododendron... the flower of spring.
Mint, mixed in with bulbs, a large fern, and something unidentified growing from a dense mass of white rhizomes. I'm hoping to get all this cleared out and plant the small garden with some heuchera.Actually, this was just a small patch of weeding to ease me into it (I thought, 4 weeks ago, that it would be done in a weekend). There's also convolvulus going rampant in 2 different corners, plus a huge infestation of oxalis in the future potager. So. Plenty of weedbusting to be done. Does anyone have any tips for dealing with oxalis or convulvulus (bindweed)?
Things are going well in the vege patch though. My silver beet is going to seed, but according to Lynda Hallinan (editor of NZ Gardener), this tends to happen to silver beet in the middle of October, regardless of when it was planted.
The Carouby (sugar snap) peas are growing tall and beautiful in the background. In front of them are leeks, purple cauliflower, borage and violas. I'm starting to thing I might have planted things a teensy bit close together.
They have such gorgeous flowers, just like a sweet pea, but unscented.
The pods develop super-quick - don't let them get any bigger, or they'll be stringy!
A radiant patch of golden marjoram. Next to it, my nemesis pokes one of its many heads through. I hate convolvulus.
Aquilegia, next to a pretty scallop-edged mirror.
A blush-pink rhododendron... the flower of spring.