John&Jacq~s Garden

No gardening in January 2009!

Sometimes it is so difficult to do the needful!

I had to force myself to sit through the whole month of January not doing any gardening at all! In fact, it began as early as late December last year when I decided to undergo a cataract surgery for my right eye which was set on January 5th. I just could not risk getting any skin rashes or itch on my palms that can occur if I come into contact with the wrong plants, before or after the operation. So gardening was off-limits for me as cleanliness was paramount after an eye surgery to avoid contamination or infection.

Fortunately, John is as passionate as me about gardening! Thus, our garden plants were well cared for with watering and feeding, weeding and clearing of dried and fallen leaves. To him, the garden looked almost perfect – plants are healthy and flowering, he had done his best and the rest is up to me.

Up to me? Hmm…I know, pruning has and will always be my task, no matter what! But I still can’t garden as yet, probably another 2 weeks from now to avoid any gardening mishaps. Meantime, our garden will continue to remain unkempt!

January had been a very hot and dry month, probably only a handful of rainy days in between. Some of our foliage plants at the porch have been badly scorched and shriveled, need to be trimmed. Some shrubs like the Hydrangeas, Durantas, and the Red Mussaenda definitely need deadheading and pruning! Eeek….all looking so tall, leggy and disorderly! Some potted plants need transplanting. Borders need to be tidied and plants replaced. What a depressing scenario! It is likened to seeing our house being broken into and we can’t do anything about it. Aaaargh!! :(

Thank God, I am not barred from taking photos! But of course, I won’t display the ‘ugly’ frontyard garden scene here.

Instead, here’s posting a snapshot of our potted Blue Mophead Hydrangea, located at our backyard! This is its first flowering, and how large and lovely the flower clusters are! A wonderful sight for sore eyes! :)

Tags: our garden