Hobbit Landscaper

I see in my stats that someone hit my diary with a search for 'hobbit landscaping.' Hoorah!

Actually, while I'm plenty hobbit-like -- short, brunette, fond of eating, partial to gardening, and yes, even a bit furry-footed -- I know Samwise Gamgee would be significantly less than impressed with my landscaping.

I have no fine, well-clipped hedges -- only an assortment of ankle-high azaleas which I hope one day will show signs of reaching knee height. And the demmed white ones that I searched so hard for last year have both up and died on me, which is vexing in the extreme.

No deep green lawn, either, although I have an excellent mix of wiregrass, mock strawberry (Duchesnea indica) and various other weeds, all of which need mowing at the moment. I am torn between the desire to till the whole thing and sow perennial chamomile, or give up and lay flagstone.

I did once grow an entirely enviable lawn, plush and weed-free. In a 18" planter. I trimmed it weekly with shears and it did admirably until we had a dry spell and I forgot to water it. So ended my experiment in growing grass. I have remarked in the past that there are more interesting things to grow, and I have no intentions of joining my neighbours in their worship of false chemical gods and roaring machinery. Still, there is something pleasing to the eye about a patch of of well-kept turf.

As for flowering borders, my record is spotty at best. I am entirely too fond of spring bulbs and thus neglectful of the rest of the growing season. I have never been more than modestly successful with starting seeds. Only two of my five daylilies made any attempt to bloom at all this year (and that half-heartedly) probably because the soil is so poor and I didn't manure them properly last autumn. Grasshoppers ate almost all the leaves off my roses this year and I am concerned for Reine des Violettes, who hasn't quite recovered from the assault.

None of this would be the case in a garden under Sam's care. Everything would be mowed and weeded on time, the daylilies would be properly fed, and no grasshopper would dare enter, much less nibble on the roses.

On the other hand, my daffodils and oriental lilies were good this year. The lady tulips seem to have established themselves, as has the oakleaf hydrangea. I hit on the happy combination of lambs' ears (Stachys byzantina) and showy evening primrose (Oenothera speciosa) as an edging for the pond. Olaf and Astrid, the koi, are fat and healthy. Dragonflies occasionally visit the pond, and butterflies are starting to find the 'Black Knight' buddleia I planted this spring. The rest of it may be a mess, but I am never so happy as when I'm trundling around it with my wheelbarrow and my dog.

But if anyone wants to send me a box of dust from Galadriel's garden, it would be gratefully received.

verso - recto