Working bee

Nothing hits the gardening bug button quicker than a working bee. We had our turn in the Working Bee's Gang rotation this weekend. I sent out an email with about a thousand jobs on it, but undaunted, along came our friends all ready (some even willing) for work! I think the advantage of the list gave people a chance to settle into a job and so they were mentally prepared when they arrived. Here is the list we had for the day:

Remove agapanthus

Cut down conifer

Cut down fiscus tree

Remove concrete from summer garden location

Remove weedmat from new winter garden location

Return front hedge to manageable hedge proportions

Move all lopped branches to back for burning

Break up concrete near back door

Make paper bricks

Remove bird netting from Nashi tree

A long list and somewhat high expectations you might think. I had several reasons for this extensive list. The first was these are the most pressing jobs I wanted doing and I didn't have a p[reference for the order in which they were completed. Second was the thought that if I offered enough variety, more people's skill sets would be catered for thus optimising the amount of work completed. Also, I didn't expect to get all of the jobs finished. 

On the day, I had the in-laws for the weekend (this was absolutle NOT pre-arranged but a welcome addition). My MIL had talked me out of moving the agapanthus as it was doing a job and would leave me with large areas that the weeds would just take over. Hearing her reason in this, I struck it off the list and will contamplate any removal with the thought of encroaching weeds from here on in.

One of our friends turned up with pruning shears in hand and set to work on al of the fruit trees I have inherited. Whilst not on the official list, I was very happy with this! I am a learner (had you worked that out yet) and recovering fruit trees that are several years without attention is way beyond my skill level at this point. I knew they were in good hands as he has a vested interest knowing anything I can't use he is welcome to take! (He also has a link from my blog for those who really want to know...)My first job for the day was to remove the netting (especially as no one else had taken pity on me and opted to do it - can't imagine why?).

The conifer out the front is gone!!!! I have a rather large gap in my hedge that I am contemplating filling with a second carob tree (awaiting advisement). It took two blokes, and a FIL's ute (with him driving of course) to pull down the two (yes not in fact one) trees that had been hacked to death as they were too close to the road to be allowed to grow in peace. The conifer was blockinh a lot of my sun and really taking over the front yard on the side it could actually grow. We hadn't realised just how much light we lost! Everything out the front is much brighter now.

The brightness might also be attributed to the success of 'trimming' the front part of the once-known as hedge accross the front. Very little privacy at the moment, but this is the price you pay for a lucious hedge come spring (maybe even a little earlier the way our crazy weather is behaving). The rest f the hedge is still to come down I am really hoping before the big bunfire date we have set to rid ourselves of the rest of the 'trimmings'.

The completely overgrown fiscus (otherwise know as firebush) out the back has also been removed. I think at one point there may have been a hedge along the fenceline. I find hedges a little overrated as all I see is hedge trimming! So it has come out completely and we have plans for a rather stylish fence that I can grow kiwi fruit on. It has meant that the back yard is a little more open to the neighboors, but I think I can cope with that for the moment.

The concrete has been removed from my summer garden plot (see photos from a previous post). The happy man who grabbed the hammer drill in the eagerness of using a serious power drill is now probably cursing my name as he is nursing his back muscles and preparing to set off to work. But, I must say - such a fabulous job! And he managed to get onto the concrete by the back door. Soon my picking garden dream will come to fruition!

The kids enjoyed making paper bricks out of cross shredded paper the other half had brought back from work. I htink this is a great activity that could keep them busy for future bees - we might need to invest in a few more brick makers though...

So, at the end of the day, the only job that didn't get finished was the removal of the weed matting! What a hugely successful day and I am so thankful to all my wonderful Bee Gang members for inspiring mew to get back out to the garden in the middle of winter and keep working on the project!