I shall have to make the most of my beautiful Paul's Himalayan Musk this year as where it grows over the farmyard wall, it has been sprayed with weedkiller (I am assuming Roundup as that is what they use on the farm) and since this is a systemic poison, it may kill the entire rose - although it is of huge age and spread. I have in the past offered to cut this rose back, but Next Door said no, it was OK. The first I knew of it being sprayed was when I noticed it turning black for several feet of growth. Horrified, I went out with my OH and secateurs and we cut it back right beyond the dead growth, me praying that this was enough to stop it being entirely poisoned. Only time will tell. I suspect this happened when we were at Malvern last Sunday, so weren't about to see it done. Next Door has an Estonian couple who do the milking for him - the husband is a drunkard and has recently lost his licence for finally bouncing his car off one tree too many . . . how he can be dead drunk at breakfast time is beyond me unless it is the effect of the boozing from the previous night, or his 4 a.m. breakfast is an alcoholic tipple . . . Anyway, I am sure he was going round killing off the nettles and the Foxgloves (that broke my heart last year when he sprayed them all along the 4 lane cow highway) and had some poison left over so thought he would spray my rose with it - not realizing that it would kill the entire plant. So I shan't blame Next Door per se, but he doesn't give a damn what he does - if it suits him, he does it so the mindset is there all the same. In other words, he might not have told drunken Estonian to do it but he wouldn't have stopped him either. Anyway, I haven't seen Next Door to ask him and I bet he beats a quick exit when he sees me coming . . .
Quite what I will do if it DOES die I'm not sure as it will look one hell of a mess of dead branches the entire width of the garden and I will have to cut it all down and then SOMEONE will have to fork out for hideous larch-lap fencing to give us privacy again. A really good selling point - not . . .
Anyway, to cheer myself up I bought myself a big hanging basket of my favourite Fuschia "Blackie" at the car boot sale this morning. £10 well spent I think.
And I also got a pretty deep burgundy Penstemon "Blackcurrant Ice" and a similarly-coloured trailing geranium.
Meanwhile I am trying to get a company out to do two gutterings for us (inside and out), and clean some high-up windows, and I had asked Next Door to cut the paddock for us (in return for free grazing for his cattle back in May), but he doesn't like to put himself out so will only do it when it suits him - he told me someone had dropped the topper and damaged it . . .
I have been clearing out the Junk Room this weekend - it took 6 hours to take stuff across to the end stable, 85 paces each way so I must have burned some calories doing that! In the process I came across this lovely old pokerwork cupboard which we bought from some friends of ours last year at the Fleamarket. I thought it may as well be hung as gather cobwebs in the Junk Room, so here it is with its china on display. I have been painting this wall today, only to find that although it is a pale yellow, it is too yellow to match what is on the wall, so I will have to buy more pale custard yellow paint (if I can match it) and re-do all today's work. I have two holes to put Polyfilla in too, which I should have done before this got hung today, but tomorrow is another day.
I have been hard at work with vacuum and duster, doing a deep clean in our bedroom and middle hall, polishing chairs and coffers as I go and have just added a lovely Regency Pembroke table to my tally as that is going into the Unit tomorrow. We have enjoyed it for quite a few years now but have another to replace it so it needs to find a new home.
Right, if I am to watch any tv at all tonight, I had better do it now - I've not seen the news or anything yet today.
How sad that your rose has been sprayed - I just hope that it's old and strong and large enough to recover now that you've cut out the dead stuff. What an awful thing to do though. You sound as though you've been really busy, I was exhausted just reading about your day! Hope you've managed a couple of relaxing hours this evening.
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrible thing to happen, I dont suppose you could chance taking some cuttings for any new growth, that cupboard looks so lovely :-)
ReplyDeleteI rather despise both my neighbors. They have done some horrible things.
ReplyDeleteBut your neighbor killing your rose by spraying it is just so sad.
cheers, parsnip
I certainly hope your rose bush survives, it looks so glorious in full flower. Your neighbour sounds absolutely awful.
ReplyDeleteI like your pokerwork cupboard with its display. Lets hope your week improves.
So sad about your beautiful rose. I don't understand why someone would want to kill it. If it completely dies off, the person that killed it ought to have to do the work to get rid of the remains.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing your new flowers and that pretty cupboard. Hopefully your week will be better from here on.
Wretched weed killers, there is a movement to stop many of the dangerous ones that kill the bees and other insects and how can anyone spray such a beautiful rose it beggars belief. Think I would have words with the Estonians and see who is the real culprit here.
ReplyDeleteOh dear - and it is such a beautiful rose too.
ReplyDeleteAs for not watching the News - we find it all so depressing that we rarely watch it now. Reading the Times is all we do.
As you know, I can well relate to the sadness over destroyed plants. In my case, at least the new owner of the property had the 'right' to do this--even though it seems heartless to me.
ReplyDeleteNext Door and his helpers sound like the sort who would register astonishment at any protests of wrong doing--not at all in tune with gardens or with the neighbors!
I do like your hanging cupboard--matching paint is a bother. I needed extra of a pale yellow last year, took in the sample card and the second mix didn't quite match the first.
We too have awful neighbours, so I feel for you, your rose is beautiful, I will keep every thing crossed for it and you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all your comments. I am keeping an eye on the rose and so far the growth which we cut back doesn't seem to be blackening, so I hope that is a good sign. I will keep you posted.
ReplyDeleteSharon - we brought home some paint cards from B&Q yesterday, and still couldn't match that colour, so I think I shall just paint that bay window in the slightly brighter yellow and pretend it's the natural light changing the colour! I have found a tiny bit of paint that IS the right colour so will cover the pillar to the side of the inglenook and hope it will cover properly.
thelma - the Estonians - despite being here over 3 years - have barely a word of English, him especially. I doubt I would get any sense out of them. I will have a word with Next Door when I see him again. He has split up with his wife of 35 years (she finally had enough I presume!) and so isn't about the farm as much as he used to be.
Susie - well, normal people might, but this crew are something else!
Robin Mac - the week isn't so bad now - we have been working hard, although I had to rest up yesterday as I had some sort of 24 hour bug and ended up back in bed, but 12 hours in bed last night has helped and I am flat out again today.
parsnip - neighbours is the one reason we will still go for a detached property away from them in our - final? - move. We like our privacy.
Dawn - I will just buy another one when we move and start afresh. We fell in love with that cupboard the moment we saw it.
Rowan - the relaxing bit doesn't seem to happen very often. There are just SO many things which need doing, especially in the garden as I've not been able to get out there much in June because of the pollen. Now I need to play catch-up.