Friday, June 6, 2008

Simply Too Busy

That is what I am, simply too busy to blog a lot. I can manage 2 posts a week, just about, but visiting other blogs and comment too? Well, not so much. I used to be able to visit my favourite blogs twice a week but there are so many of them now that that is no longer possible and I have to be content with visiting most of them about once a week. There is just so much to do at the mo and hardly enough time to do it all. How are you guys managing with the blogging and the commenting?
The potager has more or less become a jungle thanks to all the rain and sunshine we've been getting lately.
This week I had to trim all the hedges and arches of the potager, I do this by hand. Then I had to clean everything up. Then I had some fiddly jobs to do: tie in all the sweet peas, sugar snaps, peas and capuciner peas.
And the branches of the grapes needed to be tied to the pergola too.
And of course, there had to be some harvesting done too this week such as radishes, lettuce, rocket salad, many herbs and rhubarb.
A major job at the moment is creating the new border in my back garden. It is situated between the potager and the garden cottage. This border is going to be 14 meters long and 4.5 meters deep. I'm going to call it the long border because that is what it is, looooooooong.
It's a lot of work creating this new border, not only do I have to do a lot of planting, a new path also needs to be laid and a nice box hedge along side the path has to be planted as well.
The new border starts right next to the potager and it's colours are purple, pink and burgundy. Then the colours change into white, burgundy foliage and silver. Next it will turn white, yellow and silver and when we get close to the garden cottage its colour palette will be yellow, white, apricot and blue.
But speaking of the garden cottage ............ well, you see that there is still a lot of work to be done before the border on this side is finished. I'm half way there now but the former birdbath bed has to be taken apart, a tree stump has to be dug out, a lot of wood needs to be chopped, a path needs to be laid, a lot of rubbish needs to cleared out and the soil needs to be prepared with a generous helping of compost before I will finally be able to start planting.
I think it will take me another two to three weeks before the new border is finished. With all this going on in the garden I've hardly had time to
smell the roses. And such lovely roses they are. This one is Magenta with the kind of scent that you dream of when you think of roses. Utter Bliss!
Calypso has very little scent but she is such a pretty and colourful rose, that she is forgiven for not producing a stronger fragrance.
But Madame Alfred Carriere and Guirlande d'Amour are producing an enormous amount of scent. You can smell them from 20 meters away and when I open the front door huge waves of scent waft in. Magic!

Not only the roses are producing wonderful fragrance, this humble and old fashioned Pink is too. I bought it more than 20 years ago for the huge amount of 75 cents (in guilders) which translates into 35 cents in USD. Amazing don't you think?
And it is still going strong and its fragrance is simply wonderful. I like the silvery blue foliage too, it forms very nice clumps and it is very easy to take cuttings, most of them root almost instantly. I think this is one of my best buys ever.
I have no idea which variety of Pink this lilac beauty is but she is the best IMO.

Have a great weekend!

copyright 2008 Y.E.W. Heuzen

Flowers and butterflies are delicate,
but also suprisingly strong.
Simon Vinkenoog

36 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

No wonder you don't have time to blog or read blogs Yolanda. You need to be out there completeing your projects and not worrying about your blog. Just take lots of pictures and you can bring us up to date whenever possible. Your new long border is going to look great. Whew it wears me out just seeing all of your projects. I have been busy lately too. It is getting so hot and humid here that I will be inside plenty from now until early fall when it cools down. Have a great weekend.

Annie in Austin said...

Blog reading is fun, Yolanda Elizabet, but it sure does take time, and commenting takes even more. There are so many garden blogs now that if someone posts every day I must read a bunch at once and choose just one to comment on. Every 4 days sounds good!

Your garden has always seemed so finished and filled - what a surprise to find you can still fit in a new border that's 46 by 15 feet in size. You do have a lot of work ahead, and I'll bet you are looking forward to it with gardener's glee.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

lisa said...

I'm with you...too much to do and too little time! I can only manage a post about once a week, and my blog visiting is at a near stand-still! Your project sounds fun but daunting, I can't wait to see pictures! (When you get time! :)

TYRA Hallsénius Lindhe said...

Buzy buzy buzy...I totally agree I start at six in the morning but still there is not enough time. We haven't had any rain so it takes hours each day just to water the garden but good side is the sunny days and lovely long warm evenings.

Connie said...

Wow, I can relate. You sound as ambitious with your garden projects as I am....always some new project going on in the garden!
Sometimes we are simply too busy gardening to write about it. ;-)

Barbara said...

These months are indeed very busy months in the garden. But not only in the garden, unfortunately. The last two weeks I saw the garden just for taking some pictures....no time and too much rain! Your new garden project sounds very interesting. I'm sure it will become a wonderful long border.
BTW, blogging during summer isn't always easy to realize, though there are a lot of topics to write about....
Enjoy your beautiful garden,
Barbara

Melissa said...

Using a feed for blogs you enjoy helps like Google Reader or Bloglines, you might like to look into them and try it out. I use Google Reader and love it I can follow all kinds of blogs including yours and I just visit the google reader page when I have a chance and scroll through the posts that are updated. That way I don't waste time visiting those who haven't updated. Also I can click on the blog and comment if I want too like I'm doing now.
By the way I just LOVE your photos!

Robin (Bumblebee) said...

I hear ya' and same here. I feel guilty about it sometimes, but then, one has to make choices. Family, pets, garden, house, work, garden, blog. Sometimes the order changes. But commenting is a luxury.

Robin at Bumblebee

Whyite said...

I totally agree always something to do. No much gardening as last year do to foster caring. And helping a friend out with his yard. I do try to blog occasionally.

Marianne said...

Hi, I found your blog through Anja from ´my new classic home´. Your gardens are beautiful and your blog is very inspirational. I´ll come over often for sure (I garden on clay too and I could use some tips once in a while how to deal with that heavy soil, that is so hard on my back and so great for the plants).
Greetings. Marianne

Naturegirl said...

Yolanda summer time is a busy time for most of us gardeners! I understand that blogging is not a priority..in the grand scheme of things when trying to maintain a lovley garden such as yours..let alone feeding and giving attention to the BLISS TEAM!!

I personally go into a few blogs each day and comment that's all the time I have...besides our summer is so short and I LIVE for the sunshine that I would rather be outdoors than sitting behind my desktop PC..I have a laptop too but I don't want to get into the habit of using it when out in the garden!

Come by when you have time..we all understand! Hugs and have a wonderful blissfull weekend in your garden!!

Shauna said...

very pretty!

joey said...

Hoping to visit for ages, I see I've missed much beauty. Your site is lovely and a 'feast for the eye'. Do wish time had more minutes but am anxious to return.

Aiyana said...

Beautiful garden photos! You have a lovely piece of property. I too am finding it hard to keep up daily posts and visiting blogs. I've decided to cut back the blogging to a few days a week, and at least visit others' blogs at least once. I'll see how that works out with my schedule. It's hard to find the right balance when there are so many neat blogs to visit.
Aiyana

Anonymous said...

I find it difficult to keep up with bloggers who post every day. I use an RSS reader and rather than read everytime someone's posted, I usually cycle through and read each person once a week. I've also really narrowed the list of people I read--there are just too many to keep up with. I only leave comments if there is a discussion to participate in. I don't stop at every post just to say "Oh, how cute!"

Whenever I see your beautiful photos of 'Madame Alfred Carriere' I think that mine is growing in the wrong climate. Mine never looks (or smells) like yours. I think it's very unhappy in Texas.

gintoino said...

I know what you mean yolanda. between work, finishing my garden, the work in the potager, my pets and my family, I hardly find time to read my favorite blogs. I try to comment as much as possible, but sometimes it just isn't possible. Your "long border" sounds like its going to look beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Wat grappig om in de comments te lezen, dat veel bloggers moeite hebben om alle leuke blogs bij te houden. Zelf gebruik ik ook een RSS Reader, maar dan nog moet ik noodgedwongen een aantal blogs verwaarlozen. Er is zoveel te doen, dat ik amper toekom aan het maken van eigen logs.

Je plannen voor je lange border zijn veel belovend. Ik ben heel benieuwd hoe je kleurenschema uit pakt.

stadtgarten said...

I can very good understand what you mean, as I am also having not enough time for all the things that are necessary now. There is so much to do in the garden, but also at work the day could have 72 hours now!
So I haven't visited even my favourite blogs for weeks now.
It is interesting to read about your new project with the long border, I am anxious to see the result in some weeks.
Have a nice weekend, Monika

marga said...

Hoi Yolanda

Ach meid......zit er niet over in. Er komt ook weer een tijd dat je weer meer tijd hebt om overal te gaan lezen en commentaar te geven. Er ís nu gewoon veel te doen in de tuin en dan ga jij ook nog eens een heeeeeeeeeele lange border maken. Wel er aan denken om véél foto's te maken zodat we mee kunnen genieten als je weer wat meer tijd hebt om ze te plaatsen natuurlijk. Ben héél benieuwd hoe ie gaat worden.

Fijn weekend, groetjes Marga

Ewa said...

You touched very interesting subject, because I have noticed in general less traffic among blogs :)
I also find difficult to keep same sequence of posting like before - I think, now is time to be in the garden and take pictures and less blogging :)

Your garden seemed to be finished - finding a space for such loooooong bed surprised me a lot. It means also huge amount of work.

Greetings,
Ewa

Cheryl said...

Hi Yolanda...there is always so much to do when you have a large space. Your projects look endless, I do understand how you feel. I have many things to do and can't seem to fit everything in at the moment.
But we will get there in the end it is the same every year, is it not???
I do sit down for an hour every evening and visit as many links as I can.....I must say it is a refreshing break.

Hope you get all your jobs done and you must take time to smell the roses....it is all pointless otherwise!!

Garden Cats + Crafts said...

Geht uns doch zur Zeit fast allen so, Yolanda. Keine Zeit! Der Garten fordert uns. Ich komme auch nicht mehr dazu, überall regelmäßig zu kommentieren, versuche aber regelmäßig in alle Lieblingsblogs zu schauen.

Also, keine Sorge: Wir bleiben uns treu. Schönes Wochenende für Euch,
liebe Grüße, Birgit

Viooltje said...

Well, I'll join in the club if I may. I too have a feeling of neglecting all those lovely garden blogs and people who have found a moment in their time to stop and comment on my own. But last few week I've been busy in every meaning of the word, and finding some time to do my favourite activity - gardening, is also a gift from above. The fact that I found some time to get to post something and do a little tour of my favourite garden pals is due to weather and my garden being waterlogged and under severe attack of slugzillas. Good luck with your wonderful new projects.

Anonymous said...

It is the first time that I visit your blog.
Very nice pictures.
Have a nice weekend.
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Anonymous said...

YE: I am in the same boat as many of us bloggers are! Just treading water now and then to keep pace. I am excited for you with the long border installation and will be anticipating more pictures as it evolves. No pressure though.

Tracy said...

Lots of lovelienss and working happening there...and with all you have going on, it's a wonder you post at all...let alone able to visit anyone else! The nice thing is, there's no pressure. Love to see what's happening at you patch. And if you get to visit in turn--sweet bonus! :o) It's hard keeping it all up sometimes, and especially now with high garden season in full swing. I understand how you are feeling. For the summer I think I will post but once a week. And I feel lucky to visit all my friends in turn once a week as well--LOL! No worries...just enjoy! Happy weekend ((HUGS))

Gail said...

Well said by you, YE and all your visitors. I try to visit everyone on my list but there are times I just can't do it...maybe as it gets too hot to garden here there will be more regular visits. Your roses are a delight...I am imaging their fragrance right now,

gail

SchneiderHein said...

Im Moment komme ich auch nur noch kurz vorbei geflogen... den Sommer genießen, den Garten pflegen und fotografieren, Posts erstellen, so viele schöne Blogs besuchen und Kommentare schreiben - all' das lässt sich bei so schönem Wetter nur schwer realisieren. Aber so geht es wohl zur Zeit allen Bloggern.
Liebe Grüße
Silke

Anonymous said...

Hi Yolanda, I know how you feel. I went to blogging once a week. Besides working + 40 hrs and occasional travel I have to set priorities. My favorite blogs are visited but maybe not every week. Love your pictures and it looks like you will have lots of veggies again this year. Andrea

Kylee Baumle said...

This is exactly what I was trying to explain about a month ago, when you made your post about commenting. There are those times of the year when I can relax and enjoy all the wonderful gardening blogs out there, to my heart's content, but this just isn't one of them. Busy gardeners certainly understand, because we are traveling in the same boat you are! Blog when you can, but enjoy your garden always!

Libbys Blog said...

I know exactly what you mean. Gardening just about takes up all ones time, but I do try and get round once a week!!!
As always a lovely selection of pics of your garden!

Anonymous said...

whahahahahahahahaha had ik pas met de vijver aanleggen , soms heeft de dag te weinig uren ..maar joh ...komen wel weer andere tijden hoor ....nu even koffie en dan er ook weer hard tegenaan ;))
werkse en soms ook even onderuit hoor ;))
groetjes Lenie

Anonymous said...

Deze titel kan ik momenteel ook wel boven een log plaatsen...;-)kan ook niet alle blogs bezoeken en verdeel het maar over de week....;-)
Leuk project die lange border, ik zit nu dus te denken welke abrikooskleurige bloemen ik ken...;-))

Anonymous said...

Regen zeg je?
Hier nog bijna helemaal niks gehad, kurkjedroog is het hier!
Maar er lijkt deze week verandering in te komen.
Sjouw me nu een breuk met gieters en bloggen inderdaad weinig tijd voor.

Cindy Garber Iverson said...

I feel like I'm in the same place as you are and can completely relate! It's so hard to keep up on the blogging and commenting, isn't it?

Your garden looks so lovely even in the areas that are in progress. Keep up the great work. I'll be looking forward to you sharing photos as you move forward in the progress.

Hugs,
Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage

Anonymous said...

isn't it sad that we are so busy?
i have a hard time doing my blog and keeping up with my website.your pictures are beautiful and your garden projects remind me of mine. if you find the time--please visit my sister dale's garden. you will be rewarded with over 700 flower and garden pictures. get some rest and enjoy.