On Sat, 28 Apr 2007 00:20:20 +0100, Janet Baraclough
wrote:


Got up at 6am . made tea and wandered round the garden in dressing
gown with mug of tea. Another clear sunny day. The rubbish-tip
rhododendron had just opened it's first flower. I found this 4ft high
plant 2 years ago on the rubbish tip at my volunteer job, waiting to
be burned, and brought it home, not sure it would survive; there wasn't
much root and after planting I had to weigh them down with boulders to
make sure it didn't blow away. This is its first flowering, the flowers
are large, flared, white, deliciously and strongly scented of lemony
honey. It must have been a left over or reject from a reclaimed
woodland area called the "secret scented garden". which we cleared and
planted with scented rhodos some years back.

This afternoon when I got home I put on my new sunhat and finished
weeding the big triangle bed while John spread out the cow manure mulch
on it; then I covered the cow manure layer with a thick layer (5") of
grassclippings. While weeding found two self- seedlings of the
cotoneaster boundary hedge, and planted them into its gaps. Dumped weeds
in compost heap. One neighbour had left a sack of grass clippimgs and
another brought a sack of shredded paper; more food for compost heap.

Golden hop (humulus lupus aurea) is rampaging up the black trellis which
screens the oil tank; I wove in some escaped tendrils and layered a few
into pots for the open-gardens plant sale at midsummer. Planted out
half a dozen golden rush plants (forgot name) in front of some very
black phormiums Sat on the cliff-view seat with tea (again) husband cat
and dog, enjoying the sun; the sea was blue with small white caps.


Janet (Isle of Arran, Scotland).

Damn, that .sig makes me yearn! I LOVED Arran when I drove (and
ferried) around Scotland, mainly the Highlands, a few years ago!
Stayed with local hosts through a hospitality network. They couldn't
have been more cordial.

Driving on wrong side of the road in a non-automatic car with the
wheel on the wrong side, maneuvering through those infamous
roundabouts WAS a bit of a challenge, but I returned intact, with such
fabulous memories of the trip!

Persephone