My Little Garden 30th Oct 2021
Tomorrow we turn back time, or to be more accurate, change from British Summer Time to Greenwich Mean Time, and gain an extra hour to do whatever we please with. If you’re a morning person like me, you might appreciate the lighter mornings for a couple of weeks, but the benefit is fleeting, and not worth the effort involved in changing all the clocks!
As it’s been half term week, my granddaughter minding duties have been minimal but I’ve had lots of gardening jobs, mostly of the bulb planting variety, and I’m definitely feeling my age with various aches and pains. Nothing a bit of warm holiday sunshine wouldn’t cure…..
As well as gardens for clients, I’ve also being doing a bit of bulb planting at home, adding some more narcissi to the front garden and a few varieties of Iris reticulata in pots. I’m happy to report that after my ruse with the empty decoy pots, the squirrel has left them alone and hopefully things will stay that way. Tulips will be the next task as we head into November and the colder weather.
Everything in the garden seems to be hanging on to its flowers and leaves a little bit longer this year, so my six choices this week remain partly floral, but with foliage colours starting to creep in as well.
- Roses
After thinking that the roses were done for the year, a few more buds have opened including these on Rosa Ballerina. Ok, they’re not as perfect as in summer, but still a very welcome sight.
2. Geraniums
Ann Folkhard and Anne Thomson are both giving Rozanne a bit of competition for who can flower the longest this year. This is the Ann F but they’re both quite similar and a little unruly if not cut back appropriately.
Overall I prefer the colour of Ann and Anne to Rozanne, but they’re all brilliant in terms of lasting colour through the seasons.
3. Smoke
Cotinus coggyria ‘Royal Purple’ aka The Smokebush in a very brief interlude of sunshine.
4. And Fire
In the form of Cornus ‘Midwinter Fire’. When the leaves are gone the orange stems will provide some winter colour, but for now the leaves are a stunning gold.
5. Embers
Begonia ‘Glowing Embers’ to be precise. In pots by the front porch and still absolutely covered in flowers. I need the containers for spring bulbs but they’ll have to wait another couple of weeks yet.
6. Dahlia
Honka Fragile is lovely but flower production has been a bit disappointing. I think this may be the last one, so it seems fitting that it rounds off my six choices for the last weekend in October.
And that’s it for another week. I’m looking forward to a lazy weekend avoiding the rain and catching up on a few indoor tasks (after I’ve read all the other Six on Saturday blogs of course).
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Enjoy your weekends!
