This six thing is a good discipline for me. At the first sign of cold weather I am very tempted to hunker down but I know there is plenty to do and walking round the garden this morning was a good reminder to get on and do it. Here’s what I found. Be warned: there’s a bit of a brown theme.
One
I have been mulching and manuring this week and the less than productive veg beds were beneficiaries. I still have more to empty out, but the calendulas need to be pulled up first.
Two
The gooseberry bushes need to be pruned. I have watched the RHS video three times now and so I should be fully qualified to be let loose on them.
Three
A week of cold weather, rain and a light frost has moved the garden firmly into winter. It now looks soggy, brown and collapsed. It’s about now I start having ‘the cutting back’ debate. Does it get done now or in the spring? I will try to do it now as I am always surprised by how early the garden comes back to life and I inevitably end up cutting back both the dead and the emerging shoots in spring.
Four
This is one of the allium heads I missed in the summer cut back. I have managed to get all the alliums for next year planted but I still have about 75 tulip bulbs to put in the ground. I overestimated the numbers for one grouping and the extras will be planted up in pots, which is on my list for this weekend.
Five
Whilst most of the garden is shutting down some plants do manage to keep up the show over winter and even look good in the rain. This is euphorbia characiassubsp. wulfenii.
Six
There’s also some colour in the front garden coming from the cream edged leaves of this variegated pittosporum. Thankfully I can just enjoy this display.
I hope there is something to enjoy in your garden at this time of the year and also that we all get some time to be getting our (northern hemisphere) gardens ready for next year. The Prop’s blog will give the links for today’s SOS and there’s sure to be some colour from gardens in the southern hemisphere if your soul needs an uplift!
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?
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