I am rather fond of these Marguerites 'Paris White' grown from seed in the Spring. Although we some minor night frosts, they are still in flower and a gorgeous sight in late November.
They have now grown into huge bushes and although they are usually grown as annuals in our climate I feel very tempted overwinter them. I could leave them a little longer but that might just be tempting fate as I will be away for most of the week.
This mini hedge is made up of 5 plants:
No pictures again as the weather continues to be damp and cool.
The battle with leaves at the rectory is nearly won! The leaf composting bin that was constructed in early autumn is nearly too small and it measures 1.25m square. All the leaves that I am dumping have gone through a shredder with a compression ratio of 15:1, so you get an idea just how much foliage is being shed in the rectory garden.
I have cleared out the greenhouse and given it a bit of a clean inside and outside. As there was moss growing between the glass panes and the frame, I had to take out glass panels from the roof to get the moss removed. It is not exactly sparkly but a lot better.
This winter I will try to overwinter the marguerites (grown from seed in the Spring) as they are fine bushes indeed. I have lifted them, cut them back and potted up in fresh compost. They are supposed to overwinter in an unheated greenhouse, so I am hoping for the best.
There has been a good supply of blackberries this year but the brambles have taken over parts of the garden, so I have been ruthless with cutting them back and feeding the canes through the chipper. One heaped wheelbarrow equates to two buckets of shredded green waste. A very satisfying job and my new thinsulate thornproof gloves came up trumps, only two thorns got me.
We had the first night frost last night but the dahlias are still standing although I am willing them to blacken. They are really past their best and I am keen to lift and store them.
As the gardening year draws to an end, I always feel a bit sad and I find myself with time on my hands. Luckily I have a little trip to the city of lights coming up next week, perfect for some rest and catching up with family. I may pack my secateurs as well as a shopping list.
My own little garden still manages to bring a smile to my face at this time of year but I suspect it is a fluke, a one off courtesy of the warm spell that started a few weeks ago and is only just abetting.
For a start I have managed to cut flowers for the house! And no, we are not talking early Christmas decorations here but summer stunner...
I was asked here a while back about my favourite tulip. Since perusing tulip catalogues is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine or should I say a much loved research task, this is a difficult question for me. There are simply so many that I like, I will share my current favourites with you.
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| Cotinus 'Grace' |
or better the hunt for golden October continued with a perfect walk in Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire.
The current mild weather surely has nature confused and the first flower that greeted me was this tiny bellflower (?)
