Scabious (Scarlet Empress), originally uploaded by malyousif.

It took so long for these lovely plants to flower, that I almost gave up on them. But am I glad that I didn’t! Quite distinctive flowers with lovely foliage too. I hope I will be able to harvest some seeds for next season.

I didn’t have much time for gardening at all over the last couple of weeks and with the so-called-replacement-gardener fired, there isn’t anyone else to do it other than myself. That’s fine, I enjoy a challenge. I was (am) prepared for hard work.

This weekend was the first opportunity I had to do something with the garden. The first thing I did was test the new electric hedge trimmer again! I used it to give a “short back and sides” (as my wife calls it) to most of the bushes as well as several short borders around the garden. That done, I brought out the lawn mower and setting it on “1″ this time - I usually leave it on 3 as I like the longer grass, squishy as you walk on it, like pillows - and a couple of hours later (I wasn’t in a hurry) I was done, with the grass cut down to the shortest it’s probably ever been. I hope this is good for it. It looks quite nice nevertheless. That done, I cleaned up a corner patch and merged it with another bed right in front of it, I mentioned it previously as the “English garden patch”. That place now looks in need of being filled again, after the various bunches of cypress grass removal and the trimming of the ground cover.

Needless to say that I was absolutely bushed by the time I was done. The pool beckoned and promised to repair sore muscles. It was welcome but it didn’t do anything to the aches… I was in bed and asleep at 9pm.

The problem with that, sleeping early, is that you wake up early too. So 3.30am was the time I was awake! But no gardening was done until after lunch. Unfortunately I had various errands to run in the morning. This afternoon I dedicated the time to cleaning up the vegetable patch and emptied the compost bin into it. I then looked into the sprinklers in the front garden, many were semi-blocked and many others needed their direction and spread adjusted.

The tiredness meter is not on full deflection now, but am just chillin’ and watching TV while writing this. It will probably be another full week before I can do some more gardening.

Summer flowering Hippaesrum (Amaryllis), originally uploaded by malyousif.

I was amazed a few days ago when I noticed that the Amaryllis was actually budding! The temperature outside is in the 40s now, but inside the house it’s about 24C so I think this is a very confused plant, the result; however, is very very welcome!

This long weekend has been pure gardening pleasure so far. On Thursday, I mowed the lawn and strimmed all the edges too. That took most of the day at the end of which I was happily tired. Needless to say that sleep last night came fast and deep!

After a good night’s sleep, I woke up at 5am raring to go. I intended to trim the climbers so I thought to visit Manazil to buy an electric hedge trimmer, unfortunately they didn’t have them. I’ll go to Almahroos tomorrow to see if I can get one.

Next on the list is buying enough summer annuals to fill the empty borders; I got 80 gazanias, 60 portulacas and about 100 other regular stuff that I can’t remember the names off (will be corrected tomorrow!) as well as four 50L bags of compost, those went into the borders first as I mixed the compost in to air and rejuvenate the soil.

I planted the various annuals in 4 areas; gazanias went into the “tear-drop” and the small area by the small pond at the back; portulacas went in the front path borders. I punctuated the borders with rosemary and crutons in clumps, I hope the arrangement will work.

By the time I was done just after lunch I was absolutely bushed, again! I showered, had lunch and dozed off at the sofa. My wife and son decided that I might be better off in bed, I didn’t complain too much! Off to a siesta I went - a thing I hadn’t done in years - and had a good 3 hours exhausted sleep. Even though I woke at 7pm, I’m still sleepy and it’s only a couple of hours later!

Anyway, I’ve got a nice task-list for tomorrow and hope that I get through it fine. My regular gardener is on holiday at the moment and his replacement was useless. I had to fire him. Regardless, there is work to be done and as I only have the weekend to actually do things in the garden now, I am thankful for this long weekend to accomplish as much as I could in it.

I hope that you had a wonderful gardening time too. Let me know what you’re planting, particularly if you are in Bahrain, and maybe we can share ideas.

The Garden Nursery, originally uploaded by malyousif.

My friend Rami and I visited Anne Al-Jalahma’s "The Garden Nursery" this morning, despite the horrendous weather we are experiencing in Bahrain - thanks to the huge Iraqi sandstorm earlier in the week - the nursery itself was a sight for sore eyes and a replenishment for the soul.

It is the ONLY nursery in Bahrain that I felt is made and maintained by a gardener for gardeners. It really shows where the others are going wrong; for while the others are interested in "moving pots", ie, bulk sales with whatever the season throws at them, Anne’s garden is a well thought out collection of wonderful plants which she herself has propagated in Bahrain and have been tested in our own climate.

The gardeners working with her are also knowledgeable and give good advice as to where and how to place the plants once bought.

It is also one of two nurseries - the other being Jannusan Exotics - who actually bother to label every plant with common and scientific names. Anne’s; however, comes out on top once again as most of the plants not only have the clear labels, but pictures of the plants when mature and flowered. I am sure that if you take a picture of an obscure plant to her, she might even help you name it, as she did with a very tiny picture of a Clitoria I showed her on my mobile phone.

Overall, this is the best garden nursery in Bahrain, barring none, and should be the real refuge for all of us who are frustrated with the box movers.