Thursday 28 October 2010

Tis the season...(for a bulb rant)

..for garden randomness, you never quite know what you'll find when you step out the door at this time of year. A garden full of wind and rain, leaves whipped from the trees and strewn across the beds and lawn, frogs hopping across the drive and us mere humans wrapped up tight against the raw biting elements; or a beautiful calm day, sun shining, birds collecting grubs as you work and you in a t-shirt smiling up into the blue sky.

I'll tell you what it is time for though, bulb mania. Not just the rush of trying to get them all in in time (I have to admit I always buy too many without knowing exactly where I'm going to put them) but also the distress of seeing all the beautiful pot's you've planted emptied of bulbs and the compost scattered.
Yes I'm talking about squirrels, the tree rats with a penchant for your Spring displays, those wonderful time capsules of flowering explosions treated like a quick fast food burger. It's not just the devastation that gets me it's also the fact that I know they don't care about the time and energy I've put in to thinking up the planting combinations and arrangements, they're oblivious to such delicacies as Tete a tetes ringing a central display of fragrant Daffs or the fact I've planted Tulips at different levels to flower progressively.
It's not just the pots they go for either, one year they systematically dug up all the Snakeshead frittilaries I'd planted out, they didn't even like them, they just dug them up and spread them about the garden ignoring the hoards of bluebells that I'd be more than happy for them to have a share of.
However this year I've discovered that it's not just squirrels I have to contend with. In one garden I foolishly thought I was safe having seen very few around and keeping all my prepared containers up near the house away from the trees and hopefully away from where the squirrels like to roam. It worked too, in a way. However a large pot of fresh soft compost can also be viewed as a nicely prepared cat toilet, bulbs either dug up or pushed out the way, compost looking like there's been a small detonation in the pot and big wadges of poo barely hidden (though hidden enough for me not to notice until I'd stuck my hands in to investigate).

Of course this is a mere trifle to the beauty of Autumnal light and evening birdsong it's still glorious to be out, the wind blowing away the cobwebs and steering thoughts to a hot cuppa and log fire. So I'll leave you with those thoughts and go and wash my hands once more...the smell of cat still lingers sadly.

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