Perfect Day for Gardening
Sunday, October 10th, 2010I was so thankful today when the rain stopped, the sun came out and I could spend three very productive hours tidying up in our garden. We have gravel paths and unfortunately weeds like to congregate in the paths now and then. Luckily for me I had my trusty Hori hori tool. This is the best tool ever for gardeners. With a hori hori and a pair of handheld pruners a gardener can accomplish nearly all gardening chores. Google the words hori hori and you’ll find a photo and information on this great tool.
It’s a serated thick concave blade with a thick wooden handle. Hori horis are originally of Japanese origin and were used in the art of bonsai. The word hori is purported to mean dig. It is indeed a great digger but also a super cutter, separater, and especially good for prying weeds out of their tenacious attachment to our gardens. The blade of a hori hori can be used to measure the depth for planting bulbs too.
My hori hori was a find – literally unearthed from the Raab Park Youth Garden years ago when we were first weeding and planting with the kids. The handle was a dull brown and the iron blade had turned rust colored and dull with age. Luckily for me no one knew about hori horis at the time so the gardeners let me give it a home. I too did not appreciate the treasure the hori hori is. Now I do though. My one complaint is sometimes I have to remember where I placed it because it blends in well with garden soil. I heartily recommend purchasing a holster when purchasing a hori hori. It can be worn on a belt and that way you’ll never misplace this amazing tool.
I actually don’t like the word chore when it comes to gardening. For me gardening is pure pleasure. The weather was mild, the birds were singing, our puppy Paddy was frolicking and only occasionally getting in the way; and, I got nearly all the gardening tasks completed in three hours. This is the second Sunday afternoon I’ve had the luxury of “playing” out in our garden which means tidying up, watering, and finishing up pruning of dead or damaged woody plant materials. And, with the rain we’ve had the weeds pop out pretty easily.
I also planted these beauties in our garden: Hellebore, Schizostylis, Rudbeckia, and Sage. Even though it seems like we’ve had torrents of rain this past week, the ground was quite dry in several places. Please check your own plants to make sure they don’t need some fall watering.
I finally ran out of energy and time. Next weekend I’ll be using the trusty hori hori to plant 50 daffodil bulbs. We are so lucky to live here in the northwest where gardening pleasures abound nearly every day of the year.
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