Friday, May 15, 2009

Lavender redux

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted. Especially since I am always thinking about my garden and considering what to do next. The last time I was at the house (last weekend) we had friends visiting, and there was no time to do any gardening between showing them around the region and running after the little ones. I wish I could say that we could just let the kiddos loose in the garden, but it's full of stingweed, which - as you may guess from the name - leaves a very unpleasant stinging sensation when it brushes against your bare skin. We had expected for the grass to have been cut before our visit, but the people we'd hired told us that the machine broke down practically right at the start of the job. This is not surprising to me as the weeds in our garden often grow to some six feet tall and a couple inches thick. Seriously, it can be like a jungle and you need appropriate jungle-hacking equipment to tame our yard.

But advancements have been made in small ways. With the help of our friend, Dawg finished assembling our compost bin. It seemed quite a laborious task, but I think it looks great! And the compost itself is beginning to become a dark and earthy mix; finally not just a heap of twigs and organic trash. Here's a pic of the bin hanging out behind our barn:

I've also made some decisions about my balcony lavender plant. After seeing a very healthy, green and not-at-all woody lavender plant on the balcony of a friend, I figured my poor plant would probably never recover. But my friend, who studied lanscaping, suggested that I basically make a cutting of the whole plant,but instead of putting on our balcony, plant it directly in our garden. She said it should thrive well directly in the earth. Good idea!

Now if I could ever find a moment to actually spend in the garden! Except for a brief stint this weekend to decide upon the color of the house(have you ever had to make this decision - it's so scary), we won't be back until the first full weekend in June. On the bright side, we'll be bring Dawg's parents with us. Dawg's dad is a fabulous gardener, so I'm sure he'll have all kinds of tips for us.

6 comments:

  1. Great to hear from you! Yes, many plants strive better on ground. Yeah, that's a good idea. Take things one thing at a time. I am sure your garden will be a perfect one in time to come. Meanwhile, enjoy the company of the people around you. That's far more important :-) Have a great week!

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  2. On weekends, I take the urchin to the farmer's market in town. There are fruit and vegetable vendors. Crafts and potted plants are also sold. Someone was selling Lavender, which reminded me that I should plant my seeds. I was encouraged that the plants are sold here.

    Is "the house" a country house? Where do you live when you're away?

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  3. Hi Stephanie & Prospero!

    Stephanie - Thanks...I'm so impatient to have a nice garden. I've been dreaming about it for years! But you're right - for the time being, I should focus on the people around me and take pleasure in the fact that we can finally enjoy the house!

    Prospero - yes, it's a country house. (My husband and I always refer to it as "the house" - didn't realize the term had leaked into my blog!) The house is in Northern Burgundy, but we live in Paris. Good luck with planting your lavender seeds! May they never go woody!

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  4. Just drop by to say hello. How are you? Hope that you are doing well and your garden is progressing ;-) Have a wonderful day!

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  5. Noted your message. I wish that you would have a safe delivery. Stay calm and have a great week!

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  6. You have a beautiful brick/stone house and lots of green in the garden. Congratulations! Have a smooth delivery.

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