CHAPTER THIRTEEN


I've been told dozens of time that too much information kills information .
Even though this statement comes from reliable and experienced people,
I can't help thinking some day I may come across the exception that
proves the rule.

So let's go back to about two weeks ago. You remember my garlicky invaders,don't you ? And you remember how lax and lenient I had decided
to be with those invasive new-comers. Yet, enough is enough !
Taking advantage of my easy-going temper, they started making 
themselves comfortable : once their headquarters set up on the west
side, they headed off to the other three cardinal points ! Overnight
their legions took power and reigned over the whole garden.
The camelias and the hydrangeas which had already gone through
tougher times (  2013 countless storms) started turning stunted !

I had to trigger plan W ( W stands for " weeding " in my own gardening
gibberish).

Mr Google had told me elbow grease was the only solution.Just
thinking about it gave me the creeps. Digging out all those
sneaky trouble-makers meant squatting and holding the trowel for 
hours, then blisters, painful knees, backache , in short all the little
acheys endured by budding gardeners.

Well, I thought after all wild garlic already existed before Mr Google
dominated the world. Secretly praying for an easy way out, I asked a 
neighbour of mine for wise advice. He waved out a bottle of strong
weedkiller and warned me :
" You'd better rush to the garden center, cause there are just a few left
and the product will soon be recalled ! Damn ! Those ecofreaks are
just sermonizers !! ( too rude to tell you the rest ...)

I came back home none the wiser. While browsing through gardening 
reviews, I came across an old wives'cure  to kill weeds : a mixture
of boiling water and spirit vinegar.
Considering the extent of the damage, all the nearby shops would 
go out of stock if I went on a spirit vinegar binge !!

While I was weighing the pros and cons of all those hit-and-miss
suggestions, the wild garlic was having the time of its life ! I had already wasted  too much time on my search of information !

Eventually I came back to square one, rolled up my sleeves and dug out all the garlic !! I took me three days but what's done is done !

A few days later ... long carrot-leaf like stems were growing everywhere.
Guess what ! Wild carrots !! Too late for April Fool's Day trick !!
Just carrot tops swaying proudly all over my once spick and pan
garden.
The neighbour came out of the blue, saw the disaster, smiled and said:


" Well, wild carrots and wild garlic, that's a hearty meal you should treat
your green friends to ! "

I seemed I could hear : " A word to the wise is enough " ...