Sunday 12 May 2013

Not only but also ...


You will be astounded to know, but there are other things going on in addition to our all-consuming veggie patch. So I will spend a couple of posts looking elsewhere ...


The front yard faces essentially north, with absolutely glorious morning sunshine in winter, and probably overwhelming heat in summer. Here are three views of the front. Let me talk about hedges. We have three of them in the front, the one not shown is a neat hedge of Murraya beneatb the living room window. More about this living room in another post. The Murraya hedge is under control and 'fleshing out' having had a cat land in the middle of it and break the continuity of growth!

Along the front - the verge - there is a hedge of Lili-pili, however that is spelt. It is a plant, and a hedge, that I am coming to terms with. The limp pink 'flowers' don't do a lot for me, but I am keeping the hedge trim'n'taut to encourage thickness. The cats like it as it affords both shade and protection from passing dogs. This hedge is easily managed, as is the Murraya. However, the third hedge, the one to the west of the front garden, is an abomination. It is about 20 feet high, and totally incapable of being trimmed unless one is a professional. It also occupies about a metre [excuse the mixed measures!] of garden AND blocks sun and light from 2pm onwards which is crucial at this time of year.

So ... we have determined that it must go. Once the veggie patch is structurally complete, the next garden project [there is a list of projects as long as Darren's arm, which he tries not to think about too much, but put head down and tackle one at a time!] is to totally remove this hedge, reclaim the fence, move the garbage bins to that side, and FINALLY, be able to brings the cars down the driveway without scratching the duco.

Forgot to mention that this hedge is a hodge-podge of wonderful plants that have been destroyed as individual specimens: Camelia Sasanquas, Azaleas, Wisteria, and that blue honeysuckle whose name I can never remember.


3 comments:

head in the sun said...

Plumbago?
We hacked back the hedge along our new drive way yesterday.
It's a mental-case Banksia Rose and some sort of ivy about 12-15 feet high. We still can't get the cars down the drive way.

Poor Darren.
He must be soooo pleased to have a garden now!

Julie said...

Yes, yes ... plumbago.

This weekend was a joy. Lots of work, but not just the same task ad infinitum. This weekend Darren actually put in the concrete edge for the front lawn, AND I had a respite from raking, and weeded and fertilised the garden beds. I expect the raking to ease until the oak drops its bundle.

Darren, I think, quite enjoys the challenge of being a computer network boffin during the week, and a concreter/plumber/landscaper at the weekend. And in between is the Italian cycling thingo ...

Joan Elizabeth said...

Hedges ... I am going to run some of them on the current walk on BMJ. I would run a mile from hedges of any kind, I just don't have the discipline to keep them neat.