Ninja Training

At Acquigny, there are a number of potted plants around the chateau and at the orangerie. Most places, there is a hose that reaches them, and watering them a few times a week isn’t problematic. In front of the orangerie, though, there is no such hookup. Instead, there is a hidden alley that gives access to the river and two watering cans. This doesn’t seem like a big deal until you think about how long is the pathway with potted plants. My puny little arms haven’t been used to carrying large, full watering cans 50 yards repeatedly, three days a week.  But it’s a task that needs to be done, and though I’m probably slower than a stronger person (for now), I’ll do the task. But to make it more fun, I think of it as ninja training! Kind of like the seemingly unrelated tasks that Mr. Miyagi gives Daniel in the Karate Kid, I’ll just have to wait til I’m wiser to fully comprehend the true purpose of the exercise. At least there are great views.

This looks more daunting when carrying heavy things.

At least the result is pretty.

These thankfully have a hose.

This week, Adrien had me apply some liquid fertilizer to the potted citrus at the orangerie. I didn’t fully understand all of his explanation, but it certainly smelled… ripe. There was something about it being made from a nettle tea that was fermented with something else. And then he got excited and spoke very quickly about how awesome nettles are, and how many uses they have. I’m still trying to get past being bitter about their sting. I’ll appreciate them more from a distance, I think.

It hasn’t rained at all since the beginning of the month, and some of the plant material around needed watering other than the pots. This was especially evident in a bed of Rhododenrons. Monsieur d’Esneval really loves them, so Adrien does his best to keep them alive. The native soil is too basic for the Rhodies to thrive, and it also has some nutrient deficiencies. Given the work load for the park as a whole for one man, and an extremely limited budget, the best management choice would be to let them go, but they’re limping along reasonably well for now.