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Spring time again in Greece. A late Easter this year; another constant in an otherwise rapidly changing country and countryside. Although most Westerners have a muted celebration, in Greece there is an ecclesiastical outburst of activity coupled with a mass exodus from the urban centers as people seek out some greenery and reacquaint themselves with elements of nature in their home villages and islands. Although Athens is especially built up some garden areas do exist. As I live in one of them I find this one of the busiest times of the year and usually stay home. Tough rooted- weeds and nettles are at their prime this time, flowers are in full bloom, the pistachio and olive trees need to be sprayed, the watering systems maintained, in preparation for the hot summer months ahead. The watering becks tend to get clogged up, and the lines, cracked or broken. It is hard to check every tree, and they die quickly if they are not watered; replacing them is expensive. I am lucky to have my own water supply coming from a borehole, which I drilled, to 135 meters. It gives me over 150 cubic meters of water a day, more than enough to drip and spray the 800 trees, bushes and lawns. This year I am attempting to gather and dry the chamomile flowers, a useful medicinal antiseptic. The lawn edges all need careful weeding and sharp clipping to give them a geometrical edge. On the fencing around the garden the nettles and thistles are removed with a misineza. A long pole, at the end of which two protruding strands of durable plastic cording spin around at great speed. This task is necessary otherwise the dry weeds could easily catch fire from an itinerant cigarette butt. I use a small tractor -mower on the field between the pistachio groves but as the vegetation is moist, it soon clogs up. I hate to see the poppies, dandelions and endless magenta being threshed, but they will soon wither and be replaced by wild oats. To balance the loss of wild flowers the roses come out this time of the year, the deciduous trees start to leaf, as does the Persian Lilac and the Eucalyptus. The tulips are almost gone but in their place around the trees and lawn borders multi-colored petunias afford a kaleidoscope of colors and a breakfast, lunch, and dinner for my hungry tortoises recently awoken from their winter slumber. Most of the trees have already been clipped including the Goldcrests and Leylands that provide needed protection on the garden's street perimeter. A barrier to the noxious fumes, the honking, the motorbikes and general Greek cacophony. The bushes, Vivourmas, Damasks, and evergreens in general are constantly sprouting new shoots requiring a weekly trim to look neat. The yellowed palm shoots are difficult to cut and require thick gloves and care with their sharp pointed edges. I trim the expanses of Rosemary bushes in undulating waves and remove the sneaky corn shoots growing in their midst. This is a favorite hide- out for the hedgehogs that emerge at night and shuffle silently around the garden. At this time I always plant my new Basil and place it around the house. It keeps the flies away and is delicious with my salad. I still have a good supply of olive oil from my trees and judging from the buds we will have a good crop in November. Just to make sure I hang from their branches covered circular dishes of water, interlaced with a chemical substance, to capture the deadly Meligra bug that devastates the olive crop. Many of the flower pots have become cracked and are replaced and the big clay Urns, pytharia, formally used to hold oil, are carefully emptied of their brackish water. The bird population increases drastically this time of year, so I thoroughly clean out the stone bird baths and change the water twice day. I noticed that like us the birds do not like washing in dirty water. Of note are the nightingale, the ubiquitous family of owls, the hoopoe and the nesting swallows. The large blackbirds stand out on the green lawn and strut and fret across their stage smirking at the resident pigeons. The stone walkways have to be hosed down daily to remove the bird droppings, broken speckled eggs, pine trees debris and bits and pieces of flora. As the weather gets warmer I paint the wooden benches with teak colored preserver, touch up the outbuildings with acrylic paint and service the garden machinery. All wrought iron fencing and decorative pieces, have to be sanded down and repainted. The house shutters and windows have to be attended to as the inclement weather has damaged the paintwork. This spring I am in the process of installing an eight- column stone domed pergola surrounded with Bougainvillea plants. Maybe I can get a quartet of musicians to accompany the cicadas, nightingales, woodpeckers and owls in their evening serenade. I hope get most of this done before Easter, to enjoy my lamb in a garden blessed with nature's gifts. |
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