Garden Weather
Ask any gardener - their life always includes the weather. It rains just when they are full of gardening energy. They'll spend months waiting for the warm summer sun, then complain of the heat.
New Dawn
Rose in the Rain
It's not just a matter of trying to read the satellite weather maps and making informed, scientific gardening decisions. Serious farmers, of course, have to be totally aware of weather patterns, but the average gardener can usually get away with a degree of illiteracy.
It's good luck if it rains immediately after a mid-summer transplanting and mulching session. Bad luck if the hay-baling contractor has just left and the back paddock is covered with bales. And it's funny how the biggest plans to redevelop huge garden areas are always formed when the weather is bad enough to stop them coming to fruition.
The most dramatic changes in weather here at Mooseys are the cold southerly fronts. I can see the wide rolling bank of cloud as I look down the back paddock - I imagine a distant Tolkein-like battle line, with weather-orcs roaring straight towards me. And sure enough - often minutes later the winds suddenly hit, the noisy gum trees start rattling and I know I just have time to gather my things before the rain starts.
Talking about the weather, though, will always help pass the time!
Autumn ApologiesAutumn Apologies...
Tue 5th May 2009
Autumn 2009 - I'm so sorry. Please accept my apologies. I've been rudely insulting your performance this year. You and I haven't communicated properly. But I'm not sure that you've done your bit, either...
Levels of SpringLevels of Spring...
Thu 4th Sep 2008
I've made an early spring promise - not to miss one emerging flower, no matter how tall or tiny. This year I'm determined to notice all the spring flowers, at all levels, in my garden.
Spring ThingsSpring Things...
Sun 24th Aug 2008
As spring prepares to 'spring' into garden action, lots of forgotten little treasures start popping up in my garden. This is the perfect time for 'stocktaking', after the long colour-free winter weeks.
Preparing for WinterPreparing for Winter...
Wed 4th Jun 2008
As an active four-seasons gardener I find the thought of preparing for winter slightly alarming. I don't ever feel like shutting down and hibernating. It's made me think seriously, though, about this coming winter, which is fast approaching.
Autumn Pictures and PoetryAutumn Pictures and Poetry...
Sat 3rd May 2008
Gardeners must make the most of autumn - it can be one of the shortest, smallest garden joys in their year. And all good autumn things must come to an end...
Snow in 2006Snow in 2006...
Tue 20th Jun 2006
Welcome to winter! It's nearly the shortest day of 2006, and the head gardener is complaining - she's so bored with the common garden tasks like winter weeding and mulching. I know - how about a really short sharp snow storm?
An Autumn FlopAn Autumn Flop...
Sat 20th May 2006
This year my garden is full of autumn surprises, but unfortunately not of the falling leaf variety. My autumn trees - like my sun-starved Autumn Joy sedums - have been a total flop. The late April weeks were just not cold enough, and I'm complaining!
Snow in SeptemberSnow in September...
Thu 22nd Sep 2005
Snow in late September? Aargh! This is supposed to be spring-time, when the spring bulbs and blossom are in full bloom. The Peonies are popping up, the Rhododendrons are ready, the Irises are standing by...
Where's Spring?Where's Spring?...
Tue 31st Aug 2004
OK - Where's spring? This is New Zealand, the land of the four seasons gardener - we fully hardy types are not known for huddling in front of log burners in late August.
Too Wet to Garden?Too Wet to Garden?...
Wed 28th Apr 2004
In theory it should never be too wet to garden in New Zealand. Water is a part of us all, our gardens need water, and our temperatures are rarely extreme. Rain is positively welcomed in the Moosey garden - or is it?
Enjoying AutumnEnjoying Autumn...
Sun 11th Apr 2004
The ambience of the Moosey garden in Autumn is amazing. I'd like to think the reason is fairly deep and meaningful - the warm golden glow of leaves ready to fall, the fiery reds and oranges on the trees, contrasting enigmatically with the cold icy frost below...
Too Hot to Garden?Too Hot to Garden?...
Thu 4th Mar 2004
How can summer in New Zealand possibly be too hot for gardening? The climate is temperate - some gardeners are obviously never satisfied.
Winter GardeningWinter Gardening...
Thu 9th Oct 2003
I'd like to make the claim that I garden in winter... all winter. I shift things, I dig out unsuspecting shrubs and drag them around. In winter my sense of imminent growth is supreme...
The Snowfall of 2003The Snowfall of 2003...
Thu 10th Jul 2003
In the winter of 2003, for the second year running, it snowed in West Melton. This was real snow, ground-settling snow, garden-covering snow. Snow that really shouldn't have fallen in a busy gardener's winter holiday.
Weather StatisticsWeather Statistics...
Sat 17th Mar 2001
Many gardeners simply feel the weather - experience and instinct tells them exactly what to expect. But unless you live and breathe in a place, the typical weather patterns can come as a surprise. Here are some weather facts about the Moosey garden.
SnowSnow...
Sat 17th Mar 2001
The first snow at Mooseys came the winter after we moved in. The old Ceanothus which had bloomed brilliantly blue during our first spring cracked with the weight, and had to be removed. I remember the cats were puzzled, and the dog was quite excited...
Autumn GardeningAutumn Gardening...
Fri 2nd Mar 2001
I know what the books say about Autumn - they mention the changes in leaf colour, the gradual dying down of the garden, the cooler days, bonfires and so on. These aren't the things I remember about Autumn at all...
Summer GardeningSummer Gardening...
Mon 26th Feb 2001
Summer means lots of different things to me - greenness, growth, roses, hot winds, books, sneaky watering, cushions in the shade of the big gum tree...
Spring GardeningSpring Gardening...
Sat 24th Feb 2001
Spring starts to make its demands four weeks before my October holidays. It starts with the daffodils of course, when I tell myself it's worth having to drive away from home, in order to fully enjoy their welcome at the gate upon returning.
Garden WaterGarden Water...
Thu 1st Feb 2001
To garden successfully in rural Canterbury, you need water, lots of it. Moosey's Country Garden is lucky, we have a main county water race running right through the garden and an irrigation right to draw water from the race...
Garden IrrigationGarden Irrigation...
Wed 10th Jan 2001
Moosey's Country Garden only receives about 650 mm of rain per year. Due to the erratic distribution of this rainfall throughout the year this is much too little for adequate plant growth.
© 1996-2007 eggyweb
Votes:6
Comments: 0