Dogs & Dahlias

a week in March

Hello,

I’ve lost a dog in the garden. Given I have three, losing one is not a bad average. One has retreated inside to have the house to herself, taking full advantage of the fact the youngest and possibly the most annoying of the three dogs is tied up to a tree. He whimpers as I am not in touching distance. Sigh. Big dog, oldest dog, the OG dog is hidden somewhere in the garden which is one of his delights. He is deaf which means I call, swear, holler and shout to try to find him - he simply won’t emerge from his hiding spot until he is good and ready. When he does, he appears with a sheepish look on his face, “ you were looking for me” “Yes” I will sigh. Given he is 11 years old I let him away with these antics, knowing that one day I will surely miss this little game of ours.

I am sitting in the garden catching much needed sun after a rather long sad summer which saw more rain and grey sky than one would like. My break from newsletters was longer than planned. At first I was tired, and then it was Christmas and then I was tired again and then I started doing some creative classes and then it suddenly was mid March and Autumn was calling. It was an unintentional summer break and I wish I could be sharing stories of sun and fun and great memories but instead they are soft murmurings of something. What I am not sure.

Around me bees work. Bumbles and honey. Due to the nature of the summer I am so glad I have created the garden that I have. It is offering much needed food for our bees. I watch them move from one flower head to another, urgent in their work. Cosmos, scabiosa, single bloom roses and dahlia all provided nectar as too do the weeds that I have neglected over the summer. I watch bind weed and dandelions bobble with movement from dancing bees. As always the garden is a cheerful welcome mess. Earlier I watched from the window as birds start to nibble on seed heads that are beginning to form and the odd apple which thuds to the ground. I also spied Eos reaching up and stealing a pear from the tree. She is a gifted fruit tree thief. Noticing all these tells me Autumn is on the way, as does the talk of frost. Suddenly it feels like we are moving along to the next season when I don’t feel like this one has really begun. I just hope the dahlias hold for a bit longer. Some are just starting to flower and those that have been part of the garden scene for the past month or so, I cherish. Maybe it will be a slow autumn. Maybe.

I had a class mate ask me for gardening advise. How to plant and create what I have shared in photos in our class. It delights me no end that what I share inspire another - that someone sees what I see. I have a small part of me, a tiny voice at times, that believes in this messy tapestry kind of garden that I have. It is my resistance against the world that seems to become more of a dark place each day. I think how to do I explain this type of gardening. How do I put into words what has taken a number of years to create. A collision of ideas, mistakes and just luck in some cases. It gives me something to think about. Maybe it is just sharing the story of it all, how it has come to be a place of bees zooming, of birds nibbling on seedheads, of nodding dahlias.

While the garden work has been minimal I have been doing a few things as my mind starts to think about Autumn plans. Here’s what I have been up to:

• Deadheading anything that requires it - the cosmos, the dahlias, the roses and scabiosa to name a few. The main reason for this is to encourage more blooms for the bees. They are super hungry at the moment as they build their stores of winter or in the case of bumbles prepare their nest for the winter hibernation.

• This week I couldn’t resist planting a few things :

  Aquilegia - Chocolate Solider - a good spring bee friendly plant and this one I planted for the bees but also because it just looks weird and I am kinda looking forward to taking photos of it in the spring

Big Dog just turned up in case anyone was worried. He looks at me hinting it is time to go inside.

Aquilegia Rose Barlow - another bee friendly - I tried to grow from seed with minimal success so I admitted defeat and purchased some plants. Sometimes that is easier

Verbascum Hybrid - Southern Charm - I just love this and I seem to have plants that I always just add based the idea that you can never have too many. Planting in multiples is always a great thing to do for bees as they tend to forage one plant at a time - if there are multiples it saves flying around.

• Saponaria Officinalis - Flore Pleno - new to me plant that I thought I would give it a whirl simply cause she looks pretty.

Anyway it’s nice to be back sharing my garden with you.

Much love,

Mel