Several hours lost, but not without attainment. I have been attacked by the rose beside our front path for four years and I finally went for its destruction.

As I have said, the house came with many things I didn’t necessarily want to grow in my garden and this one rose has attacked several people simply trying to walk around the house, but no longer! I have taken my loppers to it. It will require a few more goes to remove its rootball but it will be replaced by a peace loving and spikeless alternative.

I have been thinking about a lilac coloured peony rose that I bought last year in Asda of all places, as it was a truly gorgeous flower. But I hadn’t yet learnt how to propagate from the stems. It’s never an exact science but I need to start to grow more from scratch as it’s expensive to keep buying full grown plants. Which need the ground preparing in advance? My other half even said we need to put some weedkiller on some of the things I want rid? Well I am not that keen to use that unless it’s absolutely the last resort. I have been battling with too many of everybody else’s thugs to fear a bit of hard graft.

I also have to think what to do with the holly bush in the front which is similarly unwanted, spiky but high enough that it doesn’t attack passersby. It’s leaves however do get a leaf gatherer by surprise and prickle through the other leaf drops.

I have a few more plants to allocate to areas. And that will be another day…