A little planting between the partying

Well it wasn’t all play on Labour Weekend, there was a little work too – though planting seedlings in the garden hardly felt like real ‘work’ – more like therapy. Dan took the girls out again on Sunday ‘avo (after a morning together of Pirate Ship mini-golf and swimming at the wave pool in Porirua).

They headed off to the museum (returning later with various leaflets on preparing for an Earthquake – I’m really trying to bury my head in the sand on this subject, as the various scenarios of what we’d do, depending on where we all might be, should a ‘big one’ hit do nothing to aid my sleep!).

In their absence, I got stuck into planting various goodies in the hope of some appetizing delights come Christmas time. It was a bitterly, cold, Spring day and not quite what I’d envisaged, but nevertheless I was doggedly determined to complete what I’d planned to do this Labour Weekend (last year was quite different – with Charli choreographing a ‘hail the pea-pod’ dance as we lovingly sowed our seeds).

With my herb bed by the kitchen already quite heavily planted and being taken over by mint, purple sage, celery, lemon balm, lavender, rosemary and thyme, I’ve utilized the wasted space on our driveway with some large, planter boxes.

The herb bed by the kitchen:

The garden is really coming alive with colour this Spring and it’s wonderful to see how far it has developed in the couple of year’s since we moved into this property. It’s been a joy to see a barren, newly developed property, with a clay-based soil, cultivated with richer soil and planted with natives (and a lovely silver birch, which never fails to remind me of home when I open the landing curtains each morning).

We have so many more visitors to the garden now, including hedgehogs! Tui call out their wonderful song from the top of the Norfolk Pine and enjoy the nectar from the flax flowers, fan-tails flutter around the trees and black-birds, starlings and sparrows are more cheeky and ever ready to eat up the bread crumbs and seeds dangling from the bird-feeders under our Pohutukawa tree. I even had to rescue a black-bird that flew in through the back-door the other day – he’s been extremely daring of late and has a taste for cat biscuits!

Anyway… back to the planting! This summer we’re hoping for a good crop of cherry-tomatoes and peas. Last year we did pretty well for a first attempt and we’re hoping to build on that.

In the planter boxes I have tried to companion plant – with basil, parsley and spring onions planted alongside the tomatoes. With the peas I’ve planted lettuces, strawberries and sunflower seeds (taken from last year’s best sunflower) and I’m hoping the sunflowers will grow well to provide a natural support for the peas.

I’m also growing more cape-gooseberries (as Charli LOVES them) and have planted a ‘Swan Plant’ at Charli’s request to attract more Monarch butterflies (which seem to have increased in numbers over the past few years). Over by the girls little den we have a newly planted fernery and the girls planted some instant colour the other week, which will no doubt attract lots of fairies!

So now… we hope for sunshine, a little rain and work on being observant in the garden for various pests. Love, nurture and, hopefully, enjoy!

And my darling hubbie could do with a little nurturing after all his awesome entertaining of the girls this weekend! I hear on the grape vine he has scheduled in a game of golf (looks like the Pirate Ship mini-golf has spurred him on… he was most put out with my hole in one on the 18th!). xx