EARLY NOVEMBER IN THE GARDEN - SIX ON SATURDAY
1. Last of the Long Border
I think this will be the last picture of the long border for this year. It's all looking like the party is over and the guests have gone home. I was attracted by the yellows of the fallen ash leaves and the lime of the Bergenia with a few Glory of Heemstede Dahlia in the centre, but it didn't last long.
Last night we had a heavy frost which blackened the Dahlia leaves and turned the ash leaves on the lawn brown. Which brings us neatly on to number 2 on the list.
2. Lifting the Dahlias
This was the job for this afternoon. Digging them up, cutting down the stalks and putting them out in the greenhouse to dry off a little before packing them up in spent compost for the winter. The Cannas I pot up and move to the greenhouse.
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| Dahlia tubers being left to dry - sorted by variety and labelled! |
3. The Rose Garden
It's been raining here a lot this week. It would be good time to get in and give this lot a good weeding now the plants are dying back and I can see the little blighters, but the ground is far too wet.
Stuck indoors gives me the opportunity to do a little planting planning. I love the roses I've got in the garden, but the linking planting of perennials has been dependant upon what I could propagate easily from what was already in the garden. This means that there are a lot of orange day lilies, sedums and pale pink geraniums which were put in to fill up space, but now I've got most of this garden established I'm looking to improve on those.
I've started with refining the colour scheme for this part of the garden and then I'll work each section up into a more detailed planting plan.
4. The Arboretum
I feel like I should change the name of this area, because now I'm writing about it I feel bound to point out every time that the name is a joke. It's not an Arboretum, its just a very odd collection of trees.Anyway, it makes it onto number 4 this week because I've now managed to clear the ivy and perennial weeds from this section. I used to think that hand weeding a woodland would make me certifiable, but I've realised that I'm only as
The next step is to plant is up with suitable woodland plants. I think a bulk purchase of ferns will be needed.
5. Persicaria Red Dragon
This will get knocked back by the frosts sometime soon, but for now its one of the best looking things in the garden.
6. Cutting hedges
The hawthorn hedges are about to get their annual cut. They look positively wild. This job, done by Mr B, will take him a few weeks to complete, but they will look lovely when he's finished.
That's it from my garden this week, but there are plenty more gardens to view on The Propagator blog who hosts Six on Saturday.
I like the look of your plan. Do you think colour first then figure out what plants to use?
ReplyDeleteI do tend to think about colour first because its important to me, but I also think about height. Do I want something tall at the back of the border or in the centre of a bed that is viewed from more than one side? Do I want medium height plants to come right to the front of the border or do they need something shorter to cover the bottom of their bare stems?
DeleteNext step is to make a list of possible plants to use - things I already have and things I might grow or buy - sorted by height and colour. Then I make a more detailed plan and refer to the list of possible plants to complete it.
I find it easier to do this than standing in the garden looking at the borders deciding what to put where. I tend to want to put in plants where I can see a space which might not be the best place for them.
Red Dragon is a real winner in my garden, and so easy to propagate too. I usually have a plant spare to offer to friends. It must be such fun to have a big garden to be able to accommodate a great range of plants. I think at this time with everything happening out there, it keeps us sane to focus on the garden, and a little spot or a large spot of weeding is very therapeutic.
ReplyDeleteIt is fun to have the space for lots of plants. The only problem is the expense!
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