. is that biannual midwinter horror where I have to uproot my grandmother's bonsai'd ginkgo and wash it clear of soil before root pruning it and replanting. It's forty something years old now, one of the treasures of my gypsy garden. Each time I have done this over the last 25 years, I have anxiously awaited spring, for signs of unfurling leaves from old buds, have I killed it, or will it survive my ignorance and brutality? Nail biting stuff.
And they say gardening is good for the soul.
samanya,
Jul 2, 4:52am
Oh hell . that's a responsibility, huh? Ginkos are rather special & take forever to grow anyway, well they do down here. My most frightening chore in the garden is pruning the gazillions of roses . they pounce on me & rip my skin, when I least expect it. There's a few expletives uttered at the time & then once in the shower, their nasty little bites show up clearly, not to mention the festering fingers the next day.
oh_hunnihunni,
Jul 2, 5:26am
Half done up here, the neighbour's roses and my minis, but the rest are still to be done. Covered in scale they are too. I may have to move a couple. Horrible job.
gem661,
Jul 2, 5:46am
The most frightening job would be leaving a comfy chair next to the fire that is central in the garden. It would be to go inside for more wine or whiskey, which causes a small interruption to my train of thought, company of the critters, warmth, drink, music and escape from the rest of the world. I round out the trip indoors and back to my chair, to minimise the inevitable interruptions.it isn't too traumatic really.
daryl14,
Jul 2, 6:48am
Why wash the soil off? I was told with bonsai just to take a third of the roots and re-pot.
samanya,
Jul 2, 7:41am
*likes* I find that a couple of gins( or 10) . takes away the pain of the backache etc after a long day in the garden.
oh_hunnihunni,
Jul 2, 7:52am
To isolate the roots I want to keep, and trim the others. I'm working on root over stone.
brightlights60,
Jul 2, 10:52am
I love pruning roses and do my friend's as well. No matter how much gear I wear I still get torn to shreds though!
gem661,
Jul 3, 12:19pm
Yes! And a refreshing wee drink and a rest provide a nice opportunity to reflect on the good yakka done & consider any plans ahead.
lemming2,
Jul 4, 5:46am
I think that sounds like extremely good for the soul . all that pain . But take heart, Spring does come! And maybe, just maybe, the Ginkgo will, too!
akl439,
Jul 4, 6:13am
Worst job in the garden is lifting the lid of the compost bin to find a big fat rat staring back at you.
oh_hunnihunni,
Jul 4, 6:36am
Reminds me of having to fish that week old corpse of a hedgehog out of the pool filter. I was in a non weight bearing leg cast at the time. Heart stopping stuff - my sympathies!
tessie2,
Jul 6, 12:06am
Do you have aloe vera growing? From my own experience with rose (and cat) scratches the juice heals really quick.
nala2,
Jul 6, 12:29am
Pruning the rose "Mermaid" thorns have a hook in the end.
oh_hunnihunni,
Jul 6, 2:09am
I'm delighted to hear someone else is a fan of that lovely rose. In full bloom you cannot beat a Mermaid - so long as you have the room!
samanya,
Jul 6, 2:56am
Yes, I do. Thanks for the tip.
kaddiew,
Jul 6, 3:12am
Cleaning out the garden shed with a fly swat in one hand and a can of fly spray in the other, shuddering at the 4cm long gisborne roaches scuttling for cover whenever I move something. Second only to having one on the bedroom wall above my head.
tessie2,
Jul 6, 3:35am
Yuk. Yuk yuk!
oh_hunnihunni,
Jul 6, 4:09am
This morning I pulled this out of a bag of tubers. Yukyukyuk indeed.
One of my worst jobs was at work. Found a large paperwasp nest and as we do not work nights have to spray what we can in daylight. This one was high up on a cable with a 6' wide roof to stand on. The boys were too scared to do it so I did. Told one of them to hold the ladder tight as I would be exiting in a hurry. Sprayed and wasps went crazy, so did ladder holder and he took off leaving me stuck on roof with angry wasps circling my head. I kept the spray going circling round my head and am happy to say never got stung.
maclad,
Jul 6, 4:17am
I guess they are yukky, to some, but I love them, fascinating. I hope you re released it somewhere so it can live on. Too many people are scared of them and they are most unlikely to harm you, but can cause infections from nipping and can scratch with their back legs.
kaddiew,
Jul 6, 4:20am
I'll do you a swap - my giant gisborne roaches for your wetas. At least yours is a native, and not an Aussie stowaway. Still creepy though, I know!
samanya,
Jul 6, 6:51am
Hey you guys that have those creepy scary crawly thingies in your hood . move south or count your blessings :o) We only have to deal with, frosts -7, snow, 150kph winds etc etc. & opossums . & aphids & all the other nasty sneaky little bs'tardy little thingies. & we can grow stuff really well for 5 months (if we are lucky) . come join us?
firefly001,
Jul 6, 7:25am
I had a Weta in the bathroom last week. Nothing like sitting on the throne with one of those jumping round. On a brighter note I dug my potatoes and fished out the bugs - the birds were happy
cantabman1,
Nov 29, 3:07pm
Opening up a new bag of potting mix!
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