It was time to tackle the hedge at the front of the house.
It’s a bit of a monster – too high, a big green block of lelayandii. It needs top come down about a foot or two, perhaps to be level with the Box bush to its left.
And so the ladders came out and the hedge trimmer plugged in. Up I climbed, and set to work. Like a hot knife slicing through butter, the first fronds soon succumbed to my mechanical masterpiece.
But. But … then it ground to a halt. In the middle was not twigs and leafs that would bow before my blade, but thick, thick branches, standing proud and unyielding.
It became apparent that it’s not really a hedge, but two gert big trees throwing up some hefty branches in the middle. Out came my hand saw and I began to cut. I’ve chopped out some big branches, but there’s still more to do. From the roadside it looks fine, from above you can see my butchery. But I shall persevere. It needs to be done, to be literally cut down to size. The aim is to reduce its height such that a quick skim with the hedge trimmers a couple of times a year will keep it in check and looking trim.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and a march of a thousand miles begins with a single step – today I took that first step and the foundations of Italy’s capital have been laid (and, it seems, I’ve butchered a few phrases as well as a hedge …)
Action shot!
24 April 16 A garden update and a few pics for the record.
The brown tree is beginning to bud and the first leaves are starting to form.
The big shasta daisies are greening up and putting on growth spurt.
