Month: October 2013

After looking at all the work Peter has done this weekend, it has put me to shame. Nothing done Saturday, apart from making up a silly planter. Absolutely NOTHING done yesterday except baking, going out to lunch, and generally lazing about.

It’s another awful morning here in the Capital. But nothing planned to distract me from the garden, and there are still lots of bulbs to be planted. Although, I do have some One4all vouchers to spend. Hmmmm, and I notice there are a couple of garden centres that take these.

Enjoy your day, whatever you get up to!

Just some shots of the garden as i have been clearing out all the summer stuff and cutting back, the bulk of the stuff was Dahlias and Begonias and throwing out lots of bedding stuff etc but got the grass cut and edged, some bulbs down  and started the process of cleaning out the shake and rake area but happy with the days work, here’s hoping tomorrow is dry aswell and i can get more tidying done and more bulbs into the ground.

Threes are company and I am trying to get used to the garden without the oak and Leylandii which were in the garden when we came in 1982.

We have now much more light. as the trees were on the south side of the garden, and I suppose the garden has been improved, but I am still not used to the new look. 

Is it like an old frfiend who lost a tooth in the front of his mouth?

Finally managed to get most daffodils in the ground today as it stayed dry for most parts which is what i needed as this time of the year I rely on dry weekends to get out in the garden. There is well over 20 pots gone into this area and random spare bulbs in around them too. All last years daffs plus new varieties, should be a great display. Also got a pot of Tete a Tete and purple crocus done and a pot of Tete a Tete and Mixed Muscari so hope they turn out ok.

I plucked this little baby from its mother plant in Lanzarote four years ago. It’s doing well. It’s alive, so with MY record, that’s considered ‘doing well’. Conrad has identified this as Agave attenuata.

I think its about time to bring some of my tender stuff in under cover. Most will go to my polytunnel, a few to one of the greenhouses to overwinter with a bit of heat, and the very odd thing will find its way indoors. I bought this Impatiens bicaudata at Great Dixter when I was there in early August. Flying hand luggage only with Ryanair, I took most of the compost off it and then wrapped it tightly in clingfilm, to reduce its bulk and keep it safe from snapping. Once home I potted it back up and then proceeded to cut each and every stem off it, leaving the poor thing with just a single stalk to its name. The cuttings went into water and rooted very well. These were potted up and within a month or so they were big enough to take cuttings off. I have repeated the cycle 3 times now and have a good stash of this showy busy lizzie and if I can get them all through the winter you can expect to see them on Terra Novas plant stall at next years plant fairs! Looking at the pic of this gorgeous plant its hard to believe I butchered it less than 12 weeks  ago….

With the miserable weather in the last few days it is nice to spend some time in the glasshouse. I have a few tender bulbs now flowering and hopefully the weather will not get too cold as the only protection they have is a small oil heater and a few newspapers.

The leaves are falling at such a rate that it is impossible to keep on top of them. We bought a leave blower a few weeks ago and it has made the job of collecting them a lot easier. I have a lot of cannas to bring in but I think I may leave some out and hope that they will come through the winter.

The veg garden is still providing us with french beans and sugar snap peas and we have harvested a huge amount of apples this year. The pumpkins are lovely to eat and we have had lots of soup and some roast with carrotts which are also doing very well. Parsnips were a total disaster this year.

The garden is now in total meltdown and in need of a good clean up, so plenty of work over the next few weeks, weather permitting.

Gardener’s World is on tonight on BBC 2 at 9.30 if you are staying in, but what ever you are doing enjoy the rest of the weekend. 

I just LOVE recycling things. 

Thr tree was to go on Monday, but due to rain it was not cut down till Wednesday.

Two men did it very efficiently, and they were gone soon after lunch.  One cut, and his colleague dragged the branches out to the street where they had a large mobile shredder.  They cut the trunk then into large logs, removed them, and finally vacuumed up the garden.  I asked them to vacuum the house while they were at it, but they didn’t.

I am a bit sad after the tree, but I must admit we have more light.

They also removed a Leylandii which was near they house, but it was relatively small.

So bad in fact that Scrubber gave up and came in and now as he looks out there’s a hint of better weather but having come in  and showered and changed he’s not venturing out again. Everywhere is sodden.

I started to find out where i had a long ribbon bed with chives-it had closed in but i dug the sides and will soon clear it. Then I took up a lot of bamboo canes. I noticed four fine Mulleins in one bed so transplanted them down the scrub. Then noticed a rock that needed a little more exposure and did that which led to my removing a big old fern which led to revealing more of the rock behind it. Then I went looking for a small fern to replace the big one and was able to divide a nice little one into two by which time i was getting very wet so ran down and hastily jammed in a camellia-got it for nothing as was told it was dying -but it has rebudded well- near two others. Now the sun has decided to come out so I shall go down and look at the newly exposed rocks and maybe get in a little walk! Im not going back to work!

It’s raining cats and dogs at the moment and doesn’t look like it’s going to clear up any time soon. In the meantime, the pumpkin pulp and stringy bits are on the stove. 

Let’s hope the rain stops so I can get my new planter planted up.

Paraserianthes lophanta, a type of Albizia is a native of South West Australia and thinks it is Summer as it is in flower in the garden today.   It has lovely yellow bottle brush type flowers that are soft to the touch.  I got it as a seedling from Phemie Rose.  I kept it in the glass house until it outgrew its space.  It is in the garden now 8 foot high for the last 2 years.   I’m sure that a bad winter would wipe it out but heres hoping for a winter like last year.

I went a bit AWOL yesterday in two local garden centres – i bought six new shrubs, i’m adament at having a winter garden with colour  and more greenery- there is nothing as bad as looking out at bare stalks….. i’ve not been much of a winter gardener but am fully intent on changing that this year.

I bought a very healthy Garrya Elliptica, otherwise known as ‘The Silk Tassell Bush’ (What a nice name for it) It’s evergreen with interesting catkins on it which have yet to appear.

I also got A Pyracantha Rogersiana which has lovely yellow berries on it  – vibrant colour for the winter months.

Also got a Sky Rocket – lovely shade of green.

A Hollyhock, Lavatera ‘Rosea’, and another kerria completed my list – more for next Spring but i couldn’t resist.

And now the hard work begins – planting and finding good spots in the garden for them………

Came home yesterday evening to this beautiful bouquet of flowers. 

They were sent by my daughter, my grand children’s mum…….to thank me for looking after them. I was so Happy as she knows I love fresh flowers around the house. 

Can anyone tell me what the tall green flower in the centre is? 

Haven’t been around for a while as my whole time has been eaten up minding my grandchildren.  BUT……..it’s now mid-term and the children are with their mum next week so IM FREEEEEEEEEEE……..

so the plan is to get out there and see what I can salvage. 

As we are surrounded by huge Sycamore and Birch trees you can imagine the amount of fallen leaves that are in the garden. So that will be my first port of call before we break our necks trying to get to the actual garden. Hopefully by this time next year I will have plenty of leaf mould to be getting on with. 

Ive noticed flowers are blooming on my Solanium jas. ‘Album’. Only bought it this year and planted it against some trellis. The leaves have turned a beautiful purple colour, so was waiting for them to fall when I noticed the flowers on it. Also some more buds are opening. Lovely to see that so late in the year. 

The garden is hanging in there with a small amount of colour. My Cosmos are still blooming and even my Gaillardia are still giving a great show

hopefully the wet weather that’s forecast will keep away so I can get out there. I’ve my wellies lined up …….ooooh can’t wait. 

Happy Gardening everyone and enjoy your Bank Holiday weekend. 

My fatsia is looking particularly well now. It’s a great architectural plant to have in the garden. When it outgrows its space, I just cut liberally. Wouldn’t be without it, that’s for sure.

I notice that the Liquidambar is showing much better colour re foliage, now compared with last year.Perhaps it is due to the good summer. The Trachycarpus fortunei which was delivered this week, has been planted. I was debating where I would put it. The actual planting was an easy job. All of the Pelargoniums bar three big ones have been housed. Now it is a question as to what I will plant in their place.

This Algae has been ever present in some areas around my premises the past three years. It thrives in damp shady areas and even when it looks dead like during this lovely summer still manages to resurrect itself after rain.

I’ve tried chemicals, and jeyes fluid but boy its tough. Does anyone else have it? or better still know what works to kill it apart from Napalm !!!

Help

Autumn

The leaves are falling, falling as if from far up,

as if orchards were dying high in space.

Each leaf falls as if it were motioning “no.”

And tonight the heavy earth is falling

away from all other stars in the loneliness.

We’re all falling. This hand here is falling.

And look at the other one. It’s in them all.

And yet there is Someone, whose hands

infinitely calm, holding up all this falling.

Herbst

 Die Blätter fallen, fallen wie von weit,

als welkten in den Himmeln ferne Gärten;

sie fallen mit verneinender Gebärde.

Und in den Nächten fällt die schwere Erde

aus allen Sternen in die Einsamkeit.

Wir alle fallen. Diese Hand da fällt.

Und sieh dir andre an: es ist in allen,

Und doch ist Einer, welcher dieses Fallen

unendlich sanft in seinen Händen hält.

I took some cuttings from a plant we had while we were in Spain and it has struggled up to last year and this is it today ….now it is going to drop all the lovely leaves and start all over again .   I am going to try and pot it on and see what happens ..

Today I moved  the Amicia into the polytunnel.   I’m taking no chances with this one as the last one died in the winter of 2011.  It had been out in the garden for years.  I have also taken some cuttings.   What a great afternoon in spite of this morning’s heavy rain

I came across this growing in altamont and searched everywhere for it

I tried seeds ,but they failed to germinate

Then myrtle kindly offered me a piece from her garden ,which she sent with Rachel

It sulked for a while when i planted it first,but now just look at it

Thank you myrtle so much

Yes my wood chipping pile is big, not as big as it looks in the photo as it is on raised ground. I tried raking it downhill this morning but the arms gave out very quickly. Such a big pity that under this heap are Erythroniums, Cyclamen, Primulas and lots of other Spring plants.  The heat in  the pile is amazing almost too hot to  stick your arm in.

Anyway win some etc. A few Autumn photos added. Amelanchier and Cornus

Selaginella helvetica also known as Swiss moss.

In the far side of Agela’s corner I have a set of slabs laid out as stepping stones. The plan was to plant different ground hugging plants in between these slabs.

I bought one small pot of this plant and split it into three. As you can see it totally filled the space between the slabs since then. This area gets very dappled sun at the height of the summer an that’s it.

So if you have an area needing ground cover that is heavily shaded you won’t go wrong with this one.