winter jobs

Today first thing we were forbidden to feed the peacocks anywhere in the plant centre because then they come into the shop.  This would be very fine and dandy and picturesque if it were not for the fact that they roost on the displays and crap on the floor.  Then I got on with winter jobs, cleaning dead leaves and any odd bits of hairy bittercress or liverwort out of the berberis and cornus, top dressing with compost as required, and dusting the pots with a shake of pre-emergent herbicide.  While they were out of their bed I swept dead leaves and spilt compost off the mypex fabric that covers it.  I found a couple that had lost their labels, which were put to one side until they come into leaf or flower and give us more of a clue what they are.  The next stage will be to treat the timber frames of the shrub beds with creosote substitute.  I discovered that I will not be required to help with this, which suits me fine.  The telephone rang quite often.  Sometimes we had the plant the person was looking for, sometimes we didn't.  I did my best to advise the woman whose Daphne odora had lost all its leaves in the winter (she could fleece it if it starts coming back into leaf and more severe cold weather is forecast.  Otherwise there isn't a lot she can do).  I spent some time on the till, and took details of a couple of deliveries.  I got a lot of compost on my coat.  And that was a day at work at a plant centre in January.