Garden Update

Sorry for the lack of updates recently but there hasn't been too much to report due to weather and just mundane jobs being done. On the subject of the weather, Friday just past was quire a busy day.
On arrival at the gardenm the remperature was -2 though the sun was shining and the sky was bright blue. However by about 12 noon we had some hailstones, followed by snow, followed by hailstones again, then more snow then even more snow, though thankfully it didn't lie in spite of being quite heavy at times.

So what has been happening - well the first frosts did for the dahlias, which is a shame as they all still had lots of flower buds waiting to open - I suppose it's been on of those years. The tubers were all lifted, cleaned and are now residing in boxes of straw under the greenhouse staging

 

The greenhouse is beginning to fill up now, and is currently home a large quantity of Canterbury Bells which will be space fillers for the borders, 36 dahlia tubers, 51 young strawberry plants taken from runners, 4 pots of pinks (from a neighbours garden), 2 rooted honeysuckle cuttings from beside the summerhouse, 2 Astrantias that may of may not make it through to Spring, 5 tree peonies, 2 ordinary peonies (all from seed), 12 x Echinops (from seed), 2 x Lavender (from cuttings) 12 x Gaura (from seed) 8 pots Campanula carpatica (from neighbours garden), 4 x Alchemilla mollis, 3 pots of mint (from root cuttings) 11 x Geranium Johnsons Blue (from root cuttings), 9 pots of Crocosmia "Lucifer", 9 blackcurrant cuttings and 2 globe artichokle slips - with a lot more to come in the following weeks.

 

So what else is going on - I've started putting the borders to bed for the winter now, cutting down most of the perennials, and will be starting to cut back the climbing roses next week.
Sally has some ideas she is yoying with but the veg garden idea is now a central island with either 4 large, 8 medium or 12 smaller "triangular" beds radiating out from this central point, the whole area to be enclosed with a hedge of Rosa rugosa. Alonside this will be planted up with an assortment of fruit trees including greengae, plum and damson, and the large slope is now being cosidered for planting up with Flowering Cherry trees undersown with a wildflower meadow mix which will have paths strimmed through it. -  watch this space !!

 

 

October already - where'd the Summer go ????

So it doesn't look like we'll get a summer, Indian or not. There is a definite autumnal feel now, with the first grass frosts and the leaves starting to change colour. I just wish someone would tell the ******* caterpillars - all over the PSB and Sprout tops.
Anyways, apologies for this weeks lack of photos - both cameras are off on duty elsewhere at the moment, so you'll just have to put up with my typing again this week.
Before I update you on what has happened in the garden this week, I should tell you that I am now working at Scotsburn on a Friday and not a Tuesday - this will allow Sally to touch base with me each week as she has an early finish on a Friday for the rest of this year.
So on arriving down at the garden the first thing I noticed was that Richard has had the hedgeclippers out and the box hedges have all been trimmed - he did not, however, pick up all his trimmings so that was first on the list - 5 barrowloads of box trimmings and I cut back a vouple of shrub roses en route too.
Then I cut down one of the large clumps of Peruvian Lilies before tidying up and weeding the "lupin wall" just below the herbaceous borders, and removing all the spent foxgloves from the edge of the "rose bed".
I then cut back the dwarf lilac by the gate and, after finding a couple of large, hammer in type vine eyes, I finally got around to securing the pear tree by the gate.
On the subject of pear trees, the mystery tree growing alongside the pear trees in the fruit bed, would seem to be a "medlar" - this is to be confirmed but deffo looks like that's what we have.
More tidying up in the afternoon and cut back a "doing nothing" tree against the WF wall - will finish the job next week with the chainsaw and paint stump kille on the remans. I then planted the winter jasmine alongside and poked it behind the support wires on the wall to help it climb upwards.
Picked some more Runner Beans, and dug up a few carrots and parsnips - not too may as Richatd and Sally are off on holiday at the weekend - have a great time and see you when you get back - don't forget your sketch pad Sally -  I am expecting a completed design for the kitchen garden when you return !!