Winter preparation ... lots to do

Great photo’s Lizzie, the sedums in particular look fabulous.
We’re busy putting our windswept garden to bed but like a naughty child it refuses to go to sleep, keeps popping up with something else to make us smile.
All sorts of pretty things hanging on. My nemesia have never been so good, lavender going on forever and a rambling rose that will be the other side of the country soon.

It feels so cold today, I’ve just taken the geraniums out of the pots, binned them and fled back inside! I have some pansies to replace them, maybe tomorrow...

My wild sweet pea has started flowering again! I don’t tie it to a trellis but let it trail free among the rhododendron and azalea bushes, it looks lovely in the summer. It’s flowers tend to be small and mainly white and purple but when in full flower you can hardly see the bushes holding it up.

That sounds beautiful!

Gave myself a day off and went foraging with some friends new to the area- it was so so beautiful, sunny and almost warm, up there at 1250 metres.

The first primrose of spring is blooming in my garden today.

I must clear the three half barrels at the front of the cottage and plant them lasagne fashion with tulips, daffs, iris and crocus. These arrived from Holland today.

Dahlias in profusion are still flowering, i just picked a bunch of dark red cactus ‘Chat de Noir’ mixed with dark pink Michaelmas daisy and a couple of sprigs of pittosporum, very pretty!
DH is cutting the grass and I must go an do some weeding. Not easy with worn out knees!

And another gorgeous autumn day- sunny and so bright, and despite frosts last few nights, bees and butterflies are out feeding on the remaining flowers- so will not cut them until they have clearly gone. And hawkmoths as well, like little humming birds, so cute.

It's strange but with the recent mild weather some of my plants think it's spring. My hydrangeas are putting out new flowers,
and primroses, welsh poppies and wallflowers are all flowering.

I think these plants are in for a shock!

Morning all

I listened to a programme yesterday and they said to do nothing in the garden now, but didn't mention flowers in pots, do they still need watering?

Sevensider my Star Jasmin is flowering too!

My Magnolia is going insane. So many more beautiful blooms than it had early summer (or ever for that matter). I'm kinda regretting the hit is is undoubtedly about to take but am seriously enjoying it at the moment. Wonderful! I've a few bulbs still to put in and hopefully the next few days of forecasted mildness will help me achieve that. Really fascinating to watch the quirks and tricks of nature.

Severnsidermy Aubretia is in flower again!!! All my begonias and fushias are still laden with blossom too. I am going to need the pots and baskets soon for the violas i have bought and are currently sitting in the unheated greenhouse waiting to be potted on, the flower world doesn't know if its coming or going at the moment!!

I'm taking my keylandii down to about 4ft. I cant/won't pay tradesmen 200 pounds plus per day. I'm doing 1 tree a week, I'm aching and sore but won't give in. It's times like this a man friend would be useful. I have 25 leylanii, so will take time.

How tall are your Leylandi now ethel ?

Ethelbags1 we are the same here. My husband does it a bit at a time. Why get a man in when you can buy a Japanese saw from Axminster tools is his motto. Blue handles with the best blades for the smaller branches, up to 4 inches diameter. It does take ages because there is all the sweeping up etc afterwards.

The pruning saw is the most versatile as it has a flexible blade so you can get at the back part of the tree.

I’m behind with the tidy up because I’ve had three weeks away since mid September. I know, lucky me. I usually do a cut back but I’m thinking I’ll leave more dead heads, seeds etc for wildlife then a big tidy in February or March.
Leylandi - I dislike them intensely. They aren’t beautiful and the hedges planted by neighbours threaten to plunge us into darkness.

I need to thin out Salvia’s that are getting woody, prune lavenders by 1/8 of their sizes (says Monty Don), and plant pots of daffodil bulbs.
We have 2 resident squirrels who are scratching about in the garden every day and are intent on digging up any bulbs I plant.
*Advice please - will mesh or chicken wire over prevent them getting the bulbs out?
I have spent a bit of money getting unusual daffs this year - Not for the squirrels ?

I don’t think squirrels are so keen to eat daffodil bulbs are they TillyTrotter, they always leave them alone in my garden, although they love the tulip bulbs? I do mesh my tulips, I just use pea netting scrunched up and pegged down, and that works.

Thanks Casdon.
Trip to DIY to get some fine mesh ✅
I haven’t seen them eat the bulbs, they eat ornamental crab apples on one of the trees instead - but they certainly scratch them up to the surface. Probably to see if they are tulips or daffodils ?

etheltbags1

I'm taking my keylandii down to about 4ft. I cant/won't pay tradesmen 200 pounds plus per day. I'm doing 1 tree a week, I'm aching and sore but won't give in. It's times like this a man friend would be useful. I have 25 leylanii, so will take time.

Goodness, etheltbags, I won't argue with you ?
Well done!

You can come and do our neighbour's after if you like.

wow ethelbags, be careful! When we cut ours back in the UK, we always got professionals in! How tall are they???

Another gorgeous Indian Summer day here- after a heavy frost last night. Friends coming for a traditional 'torée' lunch - so been making a big fire as we need plenty of embers to cook the sausages wrapped in cabbage leaves and potatoes!

I do trim the hedges (including neighbour's 100 foot x 15 foot nightmare) and gather leaves, but I don't do an autumn tidy up any more.

I leave it until the spring and all the plants do better with their extra 'winter shelter'. I like the look of the seed heads and remaining foliage too.

It's raining here after a bright early morning start so we won't be taking down a wet bean rack (or three) in the rain.