Eugene And The Garden Elves!

As I sit writing this week's episode, it is raining! Not just raining but pouring and has been on and off for several hours. When there was a lull at about 8.30 this morning, I nipped round the back to check the rain gauge and there was 18 mm so far! I am sure there is more now.

The road is a slide of mud and rain-filled pot-holes and Alfie and the cats haven't ventured too far this morning. Alfie dashed out and sniffed a shrub or two and the cats shrugged and crossed their legs!
And my garden is happy!

Which brings me to this week's blog.

When I came home from my Spanish visit, the beautiful wild flowers that had flourished in between the 'klippies' were beginning to die off. The weeds that had joined them were still flourishing and as I cast my eyes over the garden, all I saw were signs of neglect. Some shrubs were overgrown, there were branches that needed cutting back, we had to bend and dodge sideways to reach the gate and there were dead shrubs hidden under larger shrubs, that needed removing. When I planted the garden nearly ten years ago, it looked sparse and I wondered if it would ever become full and vibrant!

Where on earth to start!

And suddenly it was a challenge!


Rob admits he does not enjoy gardening, but that's fine because he enjoys cooking! I love gardening, but it was such an enormous task that I didn't know where to start! So, I decided to do an hour a day of clearing the 'gousblomme' and when that was done move to the beds and start clearing the weeds. So I set to work. The first day I filled a wheelie bin with dead flowers and cleared a patch about the size of a double bed.

I worked out that by the time I was about 75, my garden would be clear................. and I would be crippled from bending over!

Enter Eugene and his team!

Eugene has a landscaping company, so Rob phoned him to come and have a look and give us a quote. He came; he and I walked around the garden and I showed him everything that needed doing. And as I walked I saw the enormity of the task. And he said 'Two days and we'll clear it all'.
Ja, right, I thought!

After about 2 hours!

They arrived on Tuesday morning and got stuck in. With his team of three men, a chain saw and lots of energy, they spent the first day clearing and cutting and trimming. The pile of rubbish grew until it filled the entire drive. The guys loaded a large trailer, jumping on the branches to squash it all down. They loaded the back of the 'bakkie' with more cuttings and some black rubbish bags, headed to the dump, and that was the end of Day 1.

Before........

Day 2 and they arrived bright and early again. After a cup of coffee, they got to work digging out dead shrubs. I had several lavenders that had turned up their roots and about four 'restios'  (thatching grass) that never thrived like they do when they are ignored in the veld. Out they came, and joined two of my original kruiwas that had simply rusted to bits and were dropping soil and rusted metal on the ground.

After!

After their lunch they completed the job. They tidied the beds, raked the 'klippies' and swept the path and the drive. They trimmed the bougainvillea and took all the rubbish that I had dumped in 'Maggie-May' our ornamental boat! Eugene took about four more loads to the dump...........

Goodbye old friends!

And job done, they drove off into the sunset!

As I surveyed my cleared garden, I had a 'what have I done?' moment, similar to having long hair cut very short!

What a difference! Now I have my enthusiasm back!

But it didn't last, the neighbours all came and gave their approval (Coert said the trimmed trees looked like bonsai), and I immediately started planning where I was going to plant and where I could place a 'kruiwa'. I moved a few things around and have a mental shopping list for my next trip to the nursery!

Which should have been today!

Except it's raining!