A new month and a new season, Winter is with us. There were some gloriously sunny days this week which was a great opportunity to plant the last of the tulips: fifty or so ‘Purissima’ bulbs. This is an early white variety which I managed to infiltrate among the white hellebores with not too much collateral damage. My next outing was Friday afternoon which provided a gloomy backdrop for this week’s six.
One
I think this is the cheeriest of the six! The annual reveal of the persimmons. I was surpised to have any this year after the number that dropped in September. But here they are again and the parakeets have been squawking around letting me know that they are almost ripe.
Two
The first real frost arrived last week and the last of the dahlias has duly blackened. This is the first year I have lifted all the dahlias. They may be planted out again, but there’s a strong chance that they won’t! For the moment they are loosely wrapped in newspaper in the garage.
Three
I had a cutting patch this year, China asters were my favourites but I couldn’t bring myself to cut very many of them. I used, for the fourth year, a wide spaced jute netting to help support the flowers. It looks like it’s time to admit I’ve had my money’s worth!
Four
The vast majority of the leaves are down now, thanks in part to Storm Arwen which blew through last week. The leaf cage is full and these leaves will sit here for a year. They will be just about ready to use as leaf mould by next Winter. It is used to mulch the blackcurrants and raspberries.
Five
Moody skies, moody mood! I still have hundreds of small figs left on the fig tree. The storm helped shake a few to the ground and I have been picking off the lower level ones for some time. More to do but some will be unreachable.
Six
This is the green manure that has been growing for about 3 months. It’s time to cut it down and dig it over into the ground. This mix contains crimson clover, broad leaf clover, white tilney mustard and westerwolds rye grass. The informative seed packet tells me that the clover will fix the nitrogen in the soil and the rye grass and mustard will improve soil structure. I cut down now so that the mix doesn’t sneakily set seed when I’m not looking.
There are a few jobs to be done before a tactical retreat from the garden is made. Rose pruning has been started and must be finished. The autumn fruiting raspberry canes need to be cut back and after the frost there are a few soggy plants in the border that need to be cleared away. Here’s hoping there are a few more crisp sunny days to come.
Six on Saturday is the creation of The Propagator who handily provides a helpful guide for participants. Thanks to Mr P for hosting the links every weekend.
n20gardener 
I’ve never grown China Asters, but I’m tempted to for their retro charm. Like you, I would probably be reluctant to cut them though as I’m not very good about picking flowers for the house. I like to see them in the garden. I’m tempted to stay indoors, but your list of jobs that needs doing has spurred me on to get something useful done while the sun is shining,
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My daughter came today and now it is nearly dark! So I’m hoping tomorrow will also be sunny. The china asters were easy to grow from seed – or was it beginners luck 🙂
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Ah !… the come back of your colorful persimmons in winter ! I remember last year photos, it was superb. I hope they are tasty too of course
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Confession: I never eat the persimmons, they are left for the birds!
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Ooh ! I love them ! ( I’m the only one at home though)
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I thought you’d emigrated to warmer climes when I read parakeets 🙂 Still, more interesting than the starlings which have colonised our village in recent years. I expect they can be quite destructive though? I grew crimson clover on my allotment bed in 2019, never got a chance to dig it in due to the first lockdown and travel restrictions, but I believe it looked very pretty and was buzzing with insects all summer.
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Aah the parakeets, lovely to see the flashes of green but my goodness to they squawk when they get excited!
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I get the impression you have quite an on-off relationship with dahlias! I remember you swearing you were never going to grow them again, but I think you’ve had some good ones this year! The persimmons look wonderful, how do you eat them, straight off the tree or do they need coooking? The full leaf container is a satisfying sight!
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I must be honest and say that the persimmons are all left to the birds! I don’t like them and they don’t fit in with my winter eating! So the parakeets and, last year, redwings get to have a good feast. I think the dahlias do grow well but I haven’t managed to fit them in with the rest of the garden. They always look too dominant!
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Pingback: Six On Saturday: A new season rolls in — n20gardener – ° BLOG ° Gabriele Romano
I had to smile at your dahlia comment. I won’t be growing any again after last year’s experiment, though I do like to see them in other gardens. I don’t cut flowers to bring indoors either, preferring to see them in the garden with pollinators enjoying them too, but I am thinking of making one of my raised beds into a pollinator bed using some annuals for a change. There are a few perennials there already and a couple of roses, but it’s a bit of a mess as I can’t quite decide what to do with it. Some planning is required over these colder months.
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My cutting patch is a raised bed in the veg patch and it is much more useful than any of the distorted carrots that ever grew there! The china asters were from seed and worked well. I will be planning again soon!
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I have never even seen persimmons and would love to do so, to grow them and to taste them – though I doubt if they would grow for me. I certainly have not heard of anybody growing them in Ireland.
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I inherited the tree when we moved here and it has fruited every year. Unfortunately they are not my favourite and so I leave them to the birds – which fortunately proves entertaining.
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Persimmon are SO rad! Although they were not grown in orchards in the Santa Clara Valley, a few trees grew in home gardens. They were one of the best trees for foiar color in autumn, and when the leaves fell, the fruit was the same bright orange.
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It’s a cheery sight on a gloomy day – like today.
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It is unfortunate that, unless dried, the fruit does not last for long.
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