I do know they propagate like anything, they have a propensity for growing in stonework, and they grow out of massive woody clusters of roots - so much so that I was very wary of pulling them out in case I brought the walls down. Seriously. So I had to make do with breaking the stems.
"On Saturday," I said carelessly to Best Beloved, "let's blitz the garden."
"Okay," she said with a confident and knowing smile. I was thinking: pull up the tall weeds, cut the grass, rake it all up. Easy.
You know our garden needs work when I, of all people, feel moved to do some, even in this kind of weather. That's the problem with shared gardens, especially ones in properties that only have 50% owner-occupance and 50% of them are probably moving soon.
I started on the taller weeds and moved down. Our garden only currently rates about 4 or 5 deciHeligans so I'm sure it could have been much worse. It also became clear it needs more than an afternoon. It's been mowed before but rarely raked. So it needs raking. Then it needs the weeds I didn't do today being pulled up. Then and only then can it be mowed, and raked again. It's going to look scrappy, but it will be short and honour will be satisfied.
I also came across this little chap nestling beneath a leaf. Not the glove, that's for scale, but what's on the glove. Perfect and untouched.
I'm not aware of any ground-nesting birds in the area, so it probably fell from a tree or got carried there. I'm reasonably sure it won't be hatching, anyway. I'm guess pigeon. Again, anyone?
I think the plant is Ground Lilac, isn't it? I know it comes white, or v. deep red/pink as well, depending how acidic your soil is..
ReplyDeleteThanks, but it has since been identified as Red Valerian, not to be confused with true Valerian. We live and learn.
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