Once this is done, I’m going to rug up and start raking. There are great drifts of oak leaves banked up against the hedges, and it’s the perfect day for the job – cold and brilliantly sunny.
Of course, given what we learned in the recent symposium (and you can still watch it, if you haven’t. See banner below), I don’t want to be too tidy about all this. Small piles of rotting refuse here and there are a great boon to biodiversity. But there’s really no danger of that anyway. Even if I raked up every visible leaf, the corkscrewing effects of the winds here would soon blow them out from under hedges and from amongst the perennials, and restore the habitat.
But I do need to rake up the bulk of them, as the various narcissus I have in the grass along the hedges will be starting to emerge, and the one thing they really hate is sitting under a thick doona of leaves. I’ve left them too long before, only to later rake them and find the miniature daffodils and jonquils all limp and etiolated.
Like a lot of gardening jobs, I find raking large quantities of leaves way more rewarding than actually pleasurable. Part of the trouble is that no one has come up with any really good way of moving quantities of leaves without using anything motorised. My latest acquisition is one of those 1mx1mx1m plastic tarp bags, which at least has the effect of doubling or tripling the quantity of leaves I can move in a single barrow load, but starting to fill it from empty is like some kind of physical comedy sketch – holding the sides up while simultaneously scooping the leaves in. Once it’s about a third full it becomes self supporting and some kind of efficiency (and dignity) is restored.
Also today, we’re thrilled to be able to announce the public launch of our Sicily and Sardinia tour for 2025. If you’ve been reading this newsletter or following on instagram (@michaelmccoyongardens) you’ll be aware that we’re not long back from this tour. We had the most wonderful group and the most incredible weather, mixed with an amazing array of gardens, sites of botanical and historic significance, and extraordinary food and wine. The ’24 tour sold out within a couple of weeks so if it’s of interest, don’t hesitate. Click here for more information.
OK. Time to layer up.
Have a great week
Michael