Battling Buttercups

 

What an onlooker may see as an undistinguished agglomeration of plants is often to its creator-

HER ENTRANCE TO THE HINTERLAND OF DREAMS.

I did a painting of my garden with the above quote and hung it on the entrance gate to my garden.

Extracts from my blog Living and Gardening in Brittany.

Buttercups Bloody buttercups

And loss of camera 859

Feb 14th 2013 I am continuing to write as the Winter has been foul as regards the garden and weather. Maybe if I talk to myself here I can alleviate my frustration at not being able to do all my winter projects. In the last couple of days I decided to give up on trying to remove the damned buttercups and get on with more rewarding jobs;

So everyday I aim to tackle the following:-

a) dig out for one flag (making a terrace)

b) put one barrow load of manure on new flower bed

c) Fill one plastic bag (large) with leaves

d) remove dead reeds in the gravel garden

I really wanted to take some photos of the progress and of the emerging spring flowers which have renewed my faith in gardening but I can't find the s--ing camera.

Feb 15 2013

So - bright sunshine today and I even saw a butterfly. It's days like this that renew my enthusiasm in gardening. As usual my resolutions were broken but I did do a lot of clearing up. It was a joy to be out there and I swear I could see flowers opening in front of my eyes.

I always forget what I planted and where. Then there are always the clever ones that have somehow transplanted themselves to unusual spots.

There is a clematis showing leaf buds and a red Camellia almost in full flower and a pink one just waiting to burst out.

There are lots of crocus and of course the daffodils are all in bud. The tulips are beginning to peep out. All this has renewed my determination to wage war on the buttercups.

24 Feb 2013

For last few days it has snowed. Fortunately before the snow we had a day of strong wind and sunshine so I took the opportunity to cut as much grass as I could. What a relief because it was really long. I also planted the roses I was given by a friend.

I received a plant catalogue in the post. I am tempted to order 25 bulbs called Plumes du Kansas (Kansas Feathers?). Also 15 Glaïel d'Abysinie (Abyssinian Gladioli?) and I think this is correctly titled. I grew them last year from bulbs which I bought in a pack from Lidl. I am tempted to buy a collection of 50 assorted plants. Perhaps if I plant loads of things then they will crowd out the damn buttercups.

7th March 2013

I have 20 primulas, 20 pansies, 36 dahlias, 20 lilies, one red robin and loads of seeds and cuttings all waiting to be planted. Not to mention the endless battle of buttercups. I have to have better weather and summon up some energy from somewhere.

I did manage to cut a lawn on Tuesday which normally takes 20 minutes but because the ground was so wet the lawnmower kept getting stuck and it took me over an hour. Still can't find camera. Soooooooooooo frustrating.

March 8th 2013

I just profited from a morning of sun and managed to remove some of the sodding buttercups and to plant some of the primulas. So satisfying. But there is so much more to do.

March 18th 2013

Still no camera. So annoying. Luckily the flowers , crocuses and primroses and daffodils are flowering without being photographed.

1st Jan 2014 People ask me why I work in the garden in Winter. 'There is nothing to do in the Winter,' they say. but for me there seems to be more to do in the Winter than any other season. It is partly because my trips to UK, followed by bouts of illness due to bringing back my families coughs and colds mean that I am always weeks behind with regular jobs. Then of course because I haven't finished developing the garden there is always 'construction' work to do. AND the inevitable repairs to wind damaged structures.

March 10th 2017

I realised that I have neglected the flower beds that I made around the house. In fact the very beginnings of the garden. There is a horrid creeping ground covering weed which has taken hold. I battled in the past with dandelions and buttercups now I have to win this battle. The gardens around the house are also the spring gardens. So as I have been working really hard the daffodils and primroses have appeared.

Suddenly I am surrounded with spring colour.

It is so much easier to work hard when ones past efforts are rewarded like this.

5th June 2019

The recent weather has turned my garden into a jungle. The problem is, and it really shouldn't be a problems that everything is growing. I am trying to cut back the larger shrubs so that I can get to the weeds only to discover that the weeds are hiding my precious recently planted flowers.

And don't mention buttercups. Every year I think I have won the battle of the buttercups only to discover that they have returned with a vengeance. The danger now is to identify the buttercups among the geraniums and then to dig out the roots without damaging the delicate geraniums.

And into the garden I go --to lose my mind--and find my soul 

Quote from "Notes from the Garden"