I have been Mrs Grumpy for the past few days. I blame it on the antibiotics that I have been taking.
This is the time of year when you cannot turn your back on anything in the garden, not even for a second. I thought “I must pot on the tomatoes” – and before you could say Gardeners Delight – they shoot up, have flowers and turn yellow.
At the weekend I felt so jaded, and overwhelmed by the garden. Everything is lush and burgeoning – unfortunately the vast majority of the burgeoning is being done by weeds and grass. Even the annual poppies which are very jolly:- this weekend, to my tired eye looked almost, too bright, too bold, too messy.
To escape from feeling daunted by the main garden I spent Saturday in the kitchen garden – here at least there is slightly more order. Here I feel calmer, pottering among the veg and seedlings, here I feel that my garden is not a weedy chaos.
On Sunday morning – my feelings of calm vanished – and Mrs. Grumpy returned.
I discovered rust on the garlic.
Some random cat and been in and used the bed where I had sown the next batch of lettuce seeds as a cat toilet.
Some bird – not mentioning any names (but I suspect you Mr. Ring Collard Dove) had pulled up a row of little gem lettuce, pecked out all the beetroot seedlings I put in the day before. AND the stems of two of the Climbing French Bean plants had mysteriously been snapped.
The extent of my despondency – is that when Dobby came over for our weekend walk – I couldn’t even be bothered to take my camera.
I have read somewhere – that birds – well pigeons are frightened of snakes – and a good way to discourage them from the vegetable beds is to put a few rubber snakes around the place so I have brought 4 rubber snakes – and they are now lounging around the lettuce, and other small plants.
The thing is – in the UK we don’t have a great many snakes – we have grass snakes, and our only venomous snake is the adder. Do you think that the ring collard doves know that they are supposed to be frightened of snakes?
Anyway … look away now if you don’t want to see a picture of the rubber snake guarding my plants.
To-day I turned the compost heap and loaded it with comfrey leaves to give it a kick start.
And this evening – we went for our first swim of the season in the sea – it was very “refreshing” Once you got over the shock of the cold water.
I’m so sorry all the birds are destroying the plants. I often have that problem in the spring. But this year we have had so many caterpillar, that they have left the garden alone. A blessing and a curse.
Hi Daphne – thank you for dropping by – so far this year I have not seen to many caterpillars – I think I have “good birds” and “bad birds” and the good birds have eaten all the caterpillars!
Karen
Great pictures, I really like your set up in the yard.
Thanks for dropping by and for the nice comment about the “yard” – We built the kitchen garden last year – and I do love it so.
Karen
So discouraging – I really hope those snakes will protect all of your plants.
I can see little calendula seedlings popping up all over my front yard flower beds. It’s driving me nuts that I can’t thin them out and move them around! Once my husband is finished planting the trees and shrubs we bought before my accident, I’ll have to beg him to help me with “just one more job”.
Hi Amy – Hope your leg is improving – I could do with some of your calendula seedlings for around my tomato plants! It is so hard when you can not just get up and do these things yourself. Hang in there girl.
Karen
I would be afraid of that snake.
I am a bit afraid of the brown one myself – it looks quite life like
Thanks for visiting
Karen
Sorry to hear you aren’t feeling well,get well soon. The Shirley poppies look wonderful though.
I can empathise totally with the sense that everything is too much though , its a place I visit myself often.
Despite all you say, the pictures are great and I love the snake idea; wonder if it works on feral cats who decide to poo on lawns?
{{ Karen }}
Best Wishes,
Zoë
Hi Zoe – I think the cats would just decided to play with the rubber snakes!
Thanks for the nice comment about the poppies.
Karen
Hi Karen, I have just returned from leafy Surrey, where the houses cost mega bucks, and the gardens are manicured within an inch of their lives. I returned to Devon where of course the wild thingsgrow faster than anything else, and they wouldnt know a manicure if it stood on them. It is hot and dry here- will the garden last till Open Day? Why did I agree to do Open Day? I do hope you are feeling better love Linda
Hi Linda – I guess that is why we moved to where things grow wild and woolly – because we dont do manicured. Good luck with your open garden –
Karen
Do I really have poppies named after me??? My problem at the moment is snails. We go out every night with a torch and catch the little (well BIG) ‘blighters’. Daren’t even put the French marigolds in the tubs or they will disappear overnight. My daughter’s new house had lots of raised beds and she was very keen at first to grow veg but she has become fed up trying because of the slugs. Sent shivers down my spine at the thought of swimming in the sea!! Brrrr.
Cheers
Well shirley;- are you pink and blowsey and as Sandy says in a later comment do you just drop your clothes anywhere?
The sea wasn’t too bad we do have warmer sea here than a lot of places in the UK
Karen
Sorry I hate snakes, used to see them all the time in my last house. Nearly took the car into a wall because of them, J was in the back as a baby. I will need to be blindfolded before I can come and get some lettuce.
Hi P – if you need lettuce you can stand outside the gate while I pick it!
Karen
What an interesting idea to use snakes! If only it worked on cats – we have tried everything and have resorted to netting our raised beds to keep next door’s cat out. Only it’s one more excuse to put off weeding if you have to lift the nets off first!
Michelle
Hi Michelle – thanks for visiting – I quite like cats – this is the first time in my life I have not had any – but their poo is another matter. Holly branches on the beds are quite good when the plants are little.
Karen
So, frustrating, but your snakes look very real. Maybe they will thwart the birds. Hang in there. The garden, even the poppies, looks lovely.~~Dee
Hi Dee – thanks for visiting and the nice comments. The snakes do look real don’t they
Karen
There’s nothing like a trip to the beach to soothe the soul.
I think the snakes are a brilliant idea!
Thanks Nancy – I do find the sea and beach very soothing. Time will tell if the snakes work. (I wonder if I am supposed to move them every day)
Karen
There’s a fine line between enjoying the verdant growth of spring and being overwhelmed by it. Sorry you are on the far side of the divide…and I hope you can soon show it who’s the boss!
As for the beasts of the veg garden-I think the snakes are brilliant idea to keep the pigeons/doves off. If only they worked on cats too.
Hi Threadspider – yes that is it exactly – for a few days I have been saying “ohoo the garden looks nice” then wham – as you say – the far side of the divide. Shedman and I have had a good couple of hours, hacking and raking – so if you squint – it is not too bad.
Karen
Wow! I can’t decide whether you’re mad or you should have a medal, I haven’t swum in the English sea for about 20 years, way too cold.
Your veg garden looks a picture of order and tidiness, but I do so sympathise with that horrible feeling of being overwhelmed, I use the Elm from the Bach flower remedies and find that helps a lot, together with Mimulus for anxiety.
Hope those naughty birds give you a break.
Hi Sharon – thanks for the Bach flower recommendations, I do hate feeling overwhelmed. Umm – as to mad or medal – the former I should say!
Karen
If the snakes don’t work, can I have them for my cat to play with!?!? You are going to have to give the Lion Roar a try for teh cat. Perhaps it will help. Or, how about the old one of hanging CD’s on string/wire around the plot for the birds? May not look brilliant, but it should help if you move them round now and then.
Hi Dobby – so far the snakes are working – but it is early days yet. I have put some Lion Roar on the paths. I think given how fearless our birds are they might just think the CD’s wee a new toy (lol)
Karen
I loved this post, Mrs. Grumpy! I do believe you have many friends that feel the same way. After what seems ‘for ages’, once the garden ‘pops’ it is impossible to wrap our arms all … a most stressful feeling blending our lives into the myriad of activity. What could be lovelier than a swim in the sea? My heart and soul is with you … Sweet dreams!
Hi Joey – thanks for your lovely comments – you have said it so well.
Karen
I totally understand the whole overwhelmed thing. We’ve had nearly a week of straight rain & by the time the sun came out yesterday, the weeds were running rampant & so many plants needed to be deadheaded. It can be daunting, but a little bit tackled at a time usually helps. I hope those rubber snakes help too. If not, they make cute garden decorations. (Can you tell I like snakes?) I think your Poppies look wonderful.
Hi Mr.McGregor’s Daughter – Thanks for the supportive comments – Do you really like snakes?
Karen
Eeeek – swimming in the sea. I’m speechless with admiration.
Hope the shock to your system has recharged your batteries!
Hi Easygardener – it was lovely really – well bracing – but sitting on the hot beach with friends while we dried off was lovely
Karen
I am glad to feel someone else complain about poppies. I love them but they are as messy. When they get done showing off, they just drop their clothes anywhere.
We have a roving flock of turkeys in the area. They walk through the garden, snaping the the flowertops off, and pulling up small plants. I wouldn’t mind so much if they ate them, but they don’t.
Our ocean water is still freezing cold. You must be hardy folk over cross the pond.
Hi Sandy – I love that – yes the poppies are dropping their clothes all over the place now. What mean turkeys you have – I cannot imagine that – you will have to post a picture on your blog so I can see!!
I think our bit of sea is quite warm – compared to other bits of cold sea (lol)
Karen
Hope by the time you get this, you’re feeling better – antibiotics make you feel totally cr.p! And as for feeling overwhelmed with the garden – that happens to me whlist not on any medication! This year in particular it’s been hard trying to keep up with everything – I’ve clients gardens to cope with too which adds to the stress as I hate it when they come over and not everything is looking good… can only do our best eh! Miranda
Hi Miranda – thanks for visiting. I know what you mean about customers coming to the garden and it not looking good! A case of the “cobblers children’s shoes” I think.
It’s amazing, but I thought I was the only one who felt this way sometimes. We went from dry to practically a rainforest the next week and the weeds grew to phenominal heights. I’ve been feeling grumpy too. Little bugs chomping on my flowers and herbs do this to me as well. Your poppies are very cheerful though!
Hi Brenda – no you are not alone. I hope those bugs have stopped chomping on those flowers now. Or at least chomp where it doesn’t show!
Karen
I love the Mrs Grumpy idea, and I can so relate to that!! I have a terrible time keeping up with my garden, but mainly because I don’t spend nearly enough time in it. The weeds and grass grow everywhere, and my flowers barely survive in our heat and 2nd year of drought. I feel like we are living in a desert. I hate snakes and your first snake photo gave me a real fright when I first saw it. I’d have a heart attack if I put those rubber snakes out in my garden!!
xo
Oh sorry Judy – didnt mean to give you a fright – perhaps I should have put a bigger snake warning. I dint realize that you were experiencing your second year of drought.
Karen
I love the snake trick – I wonder if it works.
It would terrify my mum next time she visited though.
I think that it might work – the birds have left the seedlings alone and pulled up all the onions (no rubber snake on the onion bed) – Yes I know I should have netted it – but I just love to SEE my veg not rows of fleeces and nets.