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02 July 2017

WILD GARDEN

view from kitchen window, the rest of the garden is behind those big shrubs at the end
I have shown pictures of my HUGE garden before but they were taken when everything in the garden was lovely. The time came, though, when neither Joe nor I could manage the upkeep so, after a lot of thought, we let it run riot. Well, maybe not all of it, just the bottom part that is out of view from the house. Every day I would go down there with birdseed and just toss it on the ground. What the heck, I thought, I can’t see it. We did have one bird table but it wasn’t in good condition. Now there are two tables but it’s a stroke of luck if the birds ever get the food I put out. Why? Because the squirrels get there first.

We did eventually get a gardener but he only came once a fortnight and although he did a good job on the lawn he never bothered with the bottom end. Now I have the services of a father/son company who also come once a fortnight but they have superior equipment and get the job done, including the bottom end, in no time at all.

Now that the garden is beginning to look respectable I have been looking round at the surrounding areas where nature has been allowed in. Those areas where once upon a time were filled with trees and tidy shrubs. The trees and shrubs are still there along with a new growth of wild flowers. Some may think it looks untidy but I love it.

Every day I wander round and thank God for nature having the ability to plant what IT wants. I should have taken pictures when the first blooms came in the Spring but I’ve got a bit lazy about taking photographs – especially since the camera on the new phone isn’t as good as the old one. Still, there’s always the internet where pictures are available without much effort on my part. I have another camera but, honestly, it’s too heavy and too complicated for me to bother with.

Apologies, I am getting away from the topic of gardens.

To resume.

Some days I think of all the work people do to get their gardens looking pretty and there’s me, who does nothing but still gets flowers to delight the senses. Weigela, flowering current, mahonia, rhododendrons, philadelphus, viburnum,
mock orange, deutzia, camellia, wild roses, lilacs, azalea, rhododendron, spirea, and more, all have a place in the garden and in my heart. Bluebells and daffodils bring on the spring, then there’s the lily of the valley, and violets that creep up from cracks in the path, foxgloves that tower over low lying plants, and wild roses that hitch onto fences. There are plenty more with names that elude me … thank goodness the flowers don’t.

I have all that yet don’t lift a finger to provide it … and no hard work either. How lucky can a girl get?

Some may notice that I made no mention of the fish pond and that’s because it has been thoroughly neglected and is now home to a variety of weeds. The system was there when we moved into the house and for many years I tended to it and the Koi carp that swam there. The water was refreshed frequently but as the years went by the system faltered and so did I. I keep wondering about calling in the professionals but if I do that it will still mean lots of work for me, not to mention the cost. There’s always a downside, isn’t there? But still, for what time I have left I still have the flowers and birds to keep me satisfied, and the pond is enclosed by shrubs so is only noticeable to those who know it’s there. It is easy to forget about whilst rejoicing in everything else in the garden and I still say I am lucky to have had the pleasure of it for so long.

20 comments:

  1. God has a pretty good eye!

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  2. I love your outlook on your garden and nature, the Good Lord does provide us with beauty and it sure sounds like you have been blessed.

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  3. The flowers are so pretty and always such a delight. I worry about how much longer we'll be able to take care of our yard, it's almost an acre and it's so hot here in the summer.

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  4. Jimmy, with so much beauty around, isn't it awful that so many on this earth are dead set on destroying it?

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  5. Janet, you will probably find someone who will help you out. Apart from the paid gardener, I have Luke, the odd job lad. He was here just now, gathering leaves and killing the weeds in the paths. I have booked him to come and trim the bushes in a couple of weeks.

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  6. Valerie, you wild garden looks absolutely beautiful! And it must give you much joy and pleasure to look out your windows and see it every day.

    "Some may think it looks untidy but I love it. Every day I wander round and thank God for nature having the ability to plant what IT wants."

    Amen...and I agree! That's why I enjoy taking walks out in natural, wooded areas because it's what nature intended.

    Thanks so much for sharing the beauty, my fried. Hope you're having a lovely Sunday!

    X

    P.S. Please tell Charlie I said, Meow!

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  7. Hi Ron. The garden is soothing, if you know what I mean. I love it. And I love that the lounge and kitchen look out on it. The only problem is the destructive squirrel but that comes in another post. As for Charlie... he has settled in and has lots of hiding places where he can watch the birds. Fortunately he doesn't chase them. I think he is happy here! It has been a lovely sunny day, just right for relaxing outside.

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  8. I think a somewhat wild yard is very pretty, when flowers go where they want and overshine the weeds.

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  9. kden, some people would class some of my flowers as weeds but I think of the old sayiing that weeds are just flowers people don't want. Those words make me feel better.

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  10. Your garden sounds like my kind of garden Valerie. It's hard to do all the yard work now and we have a team who comes in and mows it for us but do not weed. We need a big tidy-up soon. Never stops does it? :)

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  11. Denise, I stopped worrying about areas the gardener didn't touch when I realised the garden had a mind of its own - one that organised itself better than I could.

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  12. When we lived in VA, there was a large area in the back yard where we throw wildflower seed packs and we called it a wildflower meadow. it was manageable for awhile, but then quickly became overgrown with invasive type plants. So it was mowed over and now there is lawn area in its place.

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  13. Beatrice, I hadn't thought of tossing wildflower seed on the area, I just left it to nature. If I get any more patches that need help I'll buy some proper seed.

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  14. That's a beautiful garden you have there. Believe me, if it weren't for my wife, we would not have a garden! :-)

    Greetings from London.

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  15. We had a pond but now it's full of weeds and I've wondered about fixing it but I may just plant it out and make it into a flower bed. We have 13 acres and keeping that under control is a full time job that no one does!

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  16. Hi Cuban. That's a shame, I take it you don't like gardening?

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  17. Hi Joe, I wondered about redesigning the pond area but it's too late now. 13 acres is a lot of work, although I don't know how big 13 acres is. Wondering now how to measure up.

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  18. Amazing your have many of the wildflowers an shrubs we do. My strategy is similar. No more pond and let the native wildflower do there own thing. Each summer there is less lawn to mow as I gradually shrink that down...:)

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  19. Fancy us having the same birthday Valerie. Happy Birthday to you too :)))))

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