There were several lowlights during the week. My phone went on the blink and several heavy frosts finally arrived, followed immediately by Storm Goretti. On a positive note I finished my regular 5k Wexford Parkrun under thirty minutes. The last time I recorded that milestone was way back in 2014. Perhaps I’ll treat myself? A new phone, did I hear you say? 🤔
The garden is my mindful place throughout the ups and down of life. It reminds me to accept what comes and not to be swayed unduly by problems on the one hand and ego celebrations on the other.
I’m joining Jim at Garden Ruminations as we approach mid-January. Pop over to see what’s on display there and in many other gardeners’ gardens. Here’s my selection from SE Ireland this week, helping to keep me grounded…
Campanula
Campanula comes into flower en masse in late spring and sometimes there’s a second flush in September after a severe haircut. This tiny remnant brings joy to my heart. I vow to shine no matter the season.
Wolf Moon
The moon is out of range. It’s moved further west, yet the night sky is lit by reflected sunlight, and the photo was snapped with night mode. Actually, I can’t take credit really because the wonky phone gently suggested night mode would be best. A nice way of saying that it would look very drab if I decided to ignore the suggestion. Imagine the possibilities with a smarter smart phone? No, perhaps not.
Rockery
Skimmia and Camellia side by side. I spent an hour tidying this little rockery area during the week. I call it Joe’s rockery, as it’s against the boundary wall of what was Joe’s garden. In years gone by he was great to leave baskets of grapes and other garden produce on the wall for us. I still think fondly of him.
The Tidy Side
I use the quiet of winter to plot and plan what I’d like for the year ahead. This corner is gently on my mind.
On the sunny west-facing side of the garden, the tidy-up had been mostly completed. It really didn’t need much. I’m turning over some ideas for the raised corner. There’s no rush. Something will emerge. Several years ago I had a seat there. It was a lovely vantage point to enjoy late evening summer sun.
On The Other Hand
Theres another change in the pipeline on the other side.
Untouched since September, this east-facing rockery is drab, but I’ll leave it as it is for another month. There are three fuchsias on top and I think two will be sacrificed.
A Dangerous Yoke
Creeping Jenny is very definitely a dangerous yoke, but I’m up to the challenge of taming her! Why? Because in summer it is a beautiful shade of green. Mostly I keep her prisoner in window boxes, to impede her urge to spread into unwanted places. Now, she does a great job hiding a bare corner. I glance with satisfaction regularly. She will not best me!
To finish, a quote from James Clear. Its not specifically related to gardening, but but it’s worth applying it there too.
There are two ways to grow: by adding or by shedding. Do you need to add something or do you need to shed something?
Over the coming months my garden will change to include adding and shedding. Me too, most likely.
I hope you have a great week.
P.
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For me, it’ll be a matter of adding things, because the wind and frost will certainly cause damage. We’ll see the results in a few weeks. Here too, photos taken with Night mode give a similar result, but it’s possible to disable it. However, the result is ugly.
If you want it to be less bright, you have to decrease the exposure time, which is generally between 3 and 10 seconds, depending on the moon light.
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It’s a delicate time of the year. Fingers crossed.
Although I am reasonably tech savvy, I’ve never got to grips with camera settings. Thank you for your explanation but unfortunately I’m likely to forget or do the opposite.
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Reintroducing a seat to the tidy corner sounds like a great idea. It’s nice to have some Campanula cheer in the depths of winter.
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I think you are right on both counts. 👍
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Fabulous quote, good old Mr Clear! Firstly, I am very impressed by your park run time, very good. The single campanula flower is beautiful, and I can understand what joy it gave you. Do not turn your back on that beautiful monster Jenny, she is a wiley one. Have a great week.
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Such a tiny thing, that Campanula. It brightened my week.
Creeping Jenny, on the other hand… It is a beautiful monster. You nailed it.
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Campanula is so pretty. I’m looking forward to seeing your plans for that little corner and lastly, congratulations on the 5km run…. great time achieved.
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Yes, I’ll let the plans stew for a bit longer. Change is good.
I’ll ease off on the running when the gardening starts properly in March. Maybe just once a week at gentle pace.
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A great run! And the quote is perfect, especially perfect for this time of year as we all look again and plan our next moves.
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Thank you, a chara. Season target achieved so I’ll back off a bit now.
As for the garden… It’s the constant searching for something different that we love.
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Your creeping Jenny reminds me of my grandmother. She had it as a groundcover around the stepping stones in her garden. When I helped her garden during the last 10 years of her life, she would always give me the project of digging some up to plant in her window boxes with impatiens. The vines would hang down and have yellow flowers. We call it moneywort and some also call it creeping Jenny. Where I live, that name is usually used for Glechoma hederacea, which is also invasive and I dislike very much – it has an odor I dislike and it always wants to invade my garden. The creeping Jenny you grow I like and would probably leave it be. Love the Campanula also!
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I suppose anything with “creeping” in its name is a warning. It certainly does need to be managed carefully. It If we didn’t like these plants they’d never be kept!
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Lovely campanula! And it’s nice to see several whole areas of your garden.
That’s a great quote. Our garden needs a lot of both – shedding all the overgrown bits from years of neglect and adding new flowers and plants, and even a few trees!
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Starting a garden is a very exciting time. Hard work but the rewards will come.
Even after thirty something years here, the garden still rewards me plenty.
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Both adding and shedding, for sure! Currently it’s just planning because winter is in full swing. But I’m looking forward to incorporating those plans! Your rockery and “tidy side” are lovely. I’m a big fan of using rocks and stones and bricks in the garden, Congratulations on your time for the run–yes, I think you deserve a new phone!
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Our gardens evolve slowly. Then there are times when a major remake is undertaken. The only constant is change.
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I like the way you are pondering about your garden. It is a great time of year to do it. What a lovely neighbour to have, I am sure he is missed. I think a few winter flowering hardy Cyclamen coum would look great in amongst your rockery. I would have loved to be able to send you some, however I think you are in Southern Ireland. If I am wrong and it is N Ireland let me know.
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I do have a few coum, Noelle. It is indeed a great plant. You know, I might put some of it on the rockery sections too. Thanks for the tip.
You’re right…. south east coast of Ireland, but thanks for your kind offer.
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