vintage gardening

“We plant, upon the sunny lea,
A shadow for the noontide hour,
A shelter from the summer shower,
When we plant the apple-tree.”

william cullen bryant

it was hot today - too hot for gardening,really, but I spent a little time in my garden anyway.Down the side of our home, near ms*sophies room we have a gorgeous little path lined with perfumed plants - daphne, roses, gardenia and luculia. When we first moved in, this was a wild area full of honeysuckle, privet and raspberries. After months and months of work, we eventually got rid of all the privet and honeysuckle but the romantic gardener in me wanted to keep the raspberries - but what a mistake that was - for all the trouble of growing them, I get two berries. so I decided to cut them out - what an awful job, they are so spiky and difficult to dig out the root ball, but eventually that was done. I tied up my Zephirine Drouhin rose - along the window of ms*sophies study. It will look gorgeous when it is out in flower - the perfume of that rose is divine. then I decided to 'heal' my apple tree - my poor old apple tree has borer - it is over 80 years old - being the only survivor of the apple orchard that stood here originally. I have tried sticking wire up into the holes and squirting metho into it but the tree is quite big and these methods are just too time consuming. I have also tried companion planting with queen anne's lace,nasturtium and alyssum but obviously the borers don't know that this is supposed to repel them. So they continue worming their way through and depositing little piles of sawdust all around. So I am taking a leaf out of Prince Charles book and talking to the tree. I know I sound completely demented but I just have to do something - if this tree dies, I will be so sad. It is gorgeous. I have an old park bench under this tree, where I sit, often & have my cup of tea So, I mulched and fertilized and then I lit a sage smudge stick and walked all around the tree - praying to the nature spirits and St. Dorothy * the patron saint of fruit tree growers and orchards, that they come and help heal my tree. I am sure if the neighbours were looking out the window they would have thought I was a complete nutter. But I truly believe in things like this. Ancient civilisation, the american indians and aborginals can't be wrong, can they? So I smudged and prayed. Then I got some frankincense incense and lit a few sticks and put them round the tree. That was for cleansing. Then I told the tree I loved it so much and wanted it to heal itself - so that it could bring happiness to our family for many more years. I am sure you are thinking that ms*robyn has forgotten to take her HRT again, but no, I promise, I have been taking it like a good gal- this is just another part of my authentic self