Garden Restoration

With the dry weather and a non gardening tenant I was a bit anxious about what garden I might return to at Footscray. First glance it looked lush, but closer inspection showed the mainstays were OK but the greenery was a weed, not sure of its name, but it acts like sticky glue. Spencer came inside with leaves and small twigs attached everywhere and dropping leaves all over the house. The leaves are small and sticky and impossible to brush off. So a not expected home return task was to weed the garden on day 2. At least it is easy to remove, though the more lush plants needed a spade to get the root. So I ended up with bare spots all over the garden.

The main plants are the roses, the Pom Pom tree, the Iris and the Liriope, so much work was needed. The Japanese garden plants are doing well and I bought a second weeping thing to balance the layout. I started with some herbs that I had in pots initially, then planted out. Spencer then decided these were perfect to pee and poo on; with all the rest of the yard available!!! So I set up a series of 'fences' to divert his route around the garden: the Coriander succumbed however.
The Pom Pom tree was in flower when I arrived home, a bit late flowering but a heady perfume for the first week back. However its flowers dry to little dry mops that gradually fall. But we had 2 days of very strong northerly winds (the tree faces North) and I came home to drift os flowers against the veranda and stones like snow. Spencer's water bowl was 2 inches deep in litter! Unfortunately, unlike snow it won't melt so I will have to rake it out and off the stones a laborious task.
I had decided to remove the gravel of the Japanese garden from under the tree for this very reason, and found there was a huge amount of soil in with the stones so they are half sorted (not having a 'strainer') and still sitting on the path. I replaced the small stones with the big ones, which will make leaf litter removal easier. Once the new plant grows it will look good have to have long range patience in gardens or you can over plant.