Gardening with Gael - The Block: Decisions, decisions…

 

Box and I were recently faced with a big decision. Box is building our retirement home on a corner of our beach property with sea views. It has been our dream for 35 years and with the sale of the cottages it became a reality. However, as is the way with buildings poised on the side of a sandhill, our budget shuddered a bit. We always knew we would need to sell the house at the beach to complete it but suddenly the decision was upon us.

The thought of packing up, moving to the Block and getting this house ready to sell was daunting. Nick, on one of his trips home from America, suggested perhaps we sell the Block not the house.

“Never,” I said with horror. “There’s still a lot to do there and I want to see my trees grow. I would like to enjoy the autumn colours for a few years yet.”

“Ok,” said Nick with a certain resignation. 

Box was strangely quiet. A small amount of time passed. A recent hip replacement has made Box reassess the workload of the Block.

“Maybe we should give it some thought,” he said. So we did. 

I discovered that the relief of not having to get this house ready for sale outweighed the sorrow of moving on from the Block. I understand that my body no longer responds well to lots of digging. Most of the garden has been developed and it is mostly maintenance.

So it was decided. We informed our family. To our absolute joy and amazement one of the kids decided they would like to buy it. It seemed a result we could never have dreamed of.

Jozie, Toby and their three girls will become the new owners of the Block next April. They want to plant more native trees. Bee hives look a certainty as well. Sadly they only want to keep one of the paddocks of grapes and will probably pull the rest out.

When we planted the grapes we planted hydrangeas at each end of the rows so that the mower missed the stays. This seems to be a good time of the year to move the hydrangeas as they come into bud. I have recently pruned them. Now where to put them?

The hillside along from the tea plantation features a variety of maples. I find it quite difficult negotiating the hillside with buckets of mulch for the trees and water when they need it. A ‘walk’ carved into the hillside accessing the trees would make mulching and feeding much easier. Growing hydrangeas either side of the ‘walk’ seemed a good idea. With the help of Susi, this afternoon, a loop path materialised around the trees wide enough for a wheelbarrow and providing a perfect venue for the hydrangeas. There may not be enough to line the path on both sides but even picking it out on one side enhances the hillside. As the trees and their branches grow, leaves will form the summer canopy that will provide the shade hydrangeas need in the summer.

My work on the Block has not yet finished and I will continue to enjoy it for many more years.

The Block will have new owners in April, staying in the family.