The first lingering frost arrived this week. A scraping the ice off the windscreen and frozen bird bath sort of frost. A ‘don’t walk on the grass frost’. But another of the bare stem roses arrived too. So I did walk on the grass in order the plant the rose. Here’s my six:
One
The frost came on a clear sunny day and as I was scanning the garden front and back for suitable greenery for the house I remembered that I have a rather large fir tree that sometimes deigns to drop a few fir cones. I gathered two and looked longingly up at the rest.
Two
I periodically wail about the lack of shrubs in the garden but whenever I get the chance to put something into a newly cleared space I choose a rose. This week ‘Souvenir du Docteur Jamain’ arrived. I must thank the good folk at Ulting Wick garden in Essex who tweeted about this rose for a north facing situation. It’s a climber and I’m hoping it will romp away all over that brown fence of mine.
Three
I just got my photo of the cotoneaster and the ivy into last week’s six in the nick of time. This week the berries have been stripped and the leaves have all gone. My festive offering for this week is holly. But no berries.
Four
I still have a drop of colour in the garden. The hydrangea is turning down its bracts (I think I’ve got that right but please correct me if I’m wrong!) and showing off the pink undersides.
Five
My neighbours’ viburnum are beginning to flower quite beautifully now. Ours has one single solitary flower head. All suggestions as to how get more will be gratefully received.
Six
The buds on the rhododendron are forming. This is a very large specimen on the north facing border. The north facing border is the focus of my attention for 2019. Watch this space for indecision, digging and hopefully, developments.
All the links to other SOSs from gardens around the world can be found at our genial host’s site The Propagator Blog. If it’s cold outside stay inside and have a good read!
I garden in London and so get a little complacent about frosts. But this week the lawn has had a light frosting and it was clearly a sign that cold weather gardening had to start. Last year’s fleece was in shredded tatters in the shed and I hate all those white flaky bits. I hot footed it to Homebase and found some delightful green bags of 35gsm fleece with very handy draw string pulls. I usually fleece up the agapanthus armed with a stapler but these jackets were easy to pull over the plants and the fetching shade of green is slightly less obvious than white. Job done.
I was certainly lulled into complacency by the balmy days I experienced in Suffolk last week but the cold evenings are changing the colours of the garden. The persimmon tree is looking beautiful even as the leaves are falling.
The previously sun scorched hydrangeas are also taking on their winter hue.
But elsewhere the summer container plants are still in good health and I will leave them out throughout the winter. In mild years I have been able to carry the geraniums over into the next summer.
The white antirrhinum sowed from seed is still in flower at this end of the garden but elsewhere I have collected seeds from another plant that has done its bit for summer.
I recently planted out some gaura and pennisetums in a west border and alongside them I put in some Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’, which still thinks there’s time to put on a display. Thank you!
Daphne Eternal Fragrance. I had resisted buying this all year on the grounds that I wasn’t sure I had the right spot for it. But there it was on the bench in front of me with a label that said suitable for containers. I’ll find a space for it soon.
I have moved the scented leaf pelagoniums into the potting shed and taken a few cuttings for insurance. That meant two summer containers were sitting empty. There in front of me was a tray of winter pansies.
Recently added to the wish list was Brunnera macrocephala ‘Jack Frost’. Described as good for shade and for ground cover, I thought it would be ideal for under the snowberry tree. These were lurking just around the corner from the pansies. Speaking of lurkers – do the slugs like brunnera?
I was almost at the exit point when I spotted the pots of Gaultheria Procumbens ‘Big Berry’. I’ve had these in winter window boxes before with some ivy. The red berries are usually plentiful.
I had to walk back to the beaming cashier past the bulb section and remembered just in time that I needed to top up the alliums and fritillaries.
I count myself as quite restrained – I can’t give you a full six from the garden centre purchases! My last for this week is something that is giving me cause for concern. These Liriope muscari ‘big blue’ went into the garden in autumn 2016 and have not flowered once. The RHS site promises ‘small violet-purple flowers carried in dense, erect spikes to 30cm in height in autumn, followed by black berries.’ To quote our esteemed leader ‘Nothing, nada, zilch.’ Any suggestions?
I’ve planted the same group of plants either side of a small path.. The Agastache ‘Alabaster’ were in the garden already and they have now been joined by Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’, Gaura lindheimeri ‘Whirling Butterflies’ and Pennisetum villosum. Fingers crossed for next summer.
On the diagonal opposite to this area is what was fondly known as ground elder corner. After three summers of digging it out I think I have the upper hand and so I am beginning to put in some permanent plants. First to go in is Trachelospermum jasminoides, a firm six on saturday favourite. I’m hoping it will very quickly cover the great expanse of unattractive brown fence.
Also adding some late colour are these Lillies. Yet more naming debates: are they now Schizostylis, or Hesperantha? I know which one I prefer. These came from the old garden and are bulking up nicely.
And since repetition is allowed and because the late colour is so fabulous, I give you again the Salvia ‘Amistad’ and the Rose, Darcy Bussell. The Salvias mooched along all summer but they have really established themselves in the last month. Darcy Bussell just keeps on putting out new buds.
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