Real rain overnight. By seven the soil was dark and heavy and the paths stopped puffing dust. The garden sounded different. Drips off lemon leaves. A few birds at the fence again.
Old shoes on. Quick circuit. The citrus graft from three weeks ago looks better than I expected. Tape easing, bud line green, wood not shrunk. The rose graft beside it is edging toward failure. The eye is a bit wrinkled. I leave it. No poking. If it takes, it takes.
Planting day then. A tray waiting by the kitchen door: paperwhites for pots, saffron crocus for the hottest strip, species narcissus for the edge of shade, a few poeticus saved from a trip home years back. Nothing fancy. Three finger widths deep in the sandy mix with last year’s compost. Water from the butt. Labels in pencil. I say the names aloud once so I remember what went where.
The light after rain shows the slack bits. I shift a terracotta that has been cooking in full sun. I stake the jasmine that keeps leaning. I pull a handful of weeds before they decide to be permanent. Small jobs. Ten minutes each. Enough to change how the corner feels.
Wind up after lunch. Bougainvillea tries the trellis. I prop a reed screen to give the young citrus a break from the last hours of sun. Then I write it down so I do not rely on memory.
Field notes — 17 October
Rainfall overnight: about 15 mm
Soil at 5 cm: damp, drains in under a minute
Air at dusk: 21°C
Jobs set: check citrus bud in one week, re-stake jasmine tight, light mulch in the citrus basin
Bulbs are in near the step. I want the paperwhites where I pass them every morning. The saffron crocus gets the strip that bakes. The species narcissus go where they will catch the softer light. No drama. Just placing things where they have a chance.
Five checks before the cooler nights
- Bud unions look firm and green
- Bulbs set three fingers deep, points up
- Pots turned toward morning light
- Thin mulch added after rain, not smothering
- Slug watch at dusk on the path
Tea by the window at the end. The bed is dark and settled. Labels are where they should be. Nothing to show yet, which is fine. Work done, no rush. Ireland feels close when the rain comes, but this is a Spanish garden now and I am learning its pace.