Remember summer

Actually it was probably September or October when I took this. Now the leaves have withered, just a few cling on to life. But come the spring I hope to transplant some of these plants into pots. I think the fushias will have survived because they have woody stems. Then the hanging baskets will go to the local nursery to have them filled for the next season. It’s always at this time of year that I start to think about spring. That is until we get to the cold blast of January to March. That’s when hubby gets enthusiastic and plants all the seeds we bought and collected in Autumn. Sadly the plants either don’t emerge or die off because they are too cold. Or he puts a whole packet of seed in one small pot! It’s amazing we get anything to grow!

Wishing it was warm

Finally the temperature is plummeting. Warm days this November are fading as the Jet Stream of wind changes position and cold air tumbles down from the Arctic. Some parts of Britain might see wintery showers soon. Then my garden plants will be hit by the chill. In the meantime I can only think of the glorious plants that bloomed in the spring and summer and the seasons ahead of us. Looking forward to the future again.

Still going!

What is going on? Begonias and Lobelia in November! I know some gardeners cut everything back and compost things after the summer. But I can’t do it. I love seeing things grow. The baskets will eventually die back. The tops of them are already looking a bit scrappy, but any sleepy and cold bee or hover fly can maybe sneak a sip of nectar. Our back yard is sheltered by the house, large bushes and a fence, I suppose the plants huddle together forming a microclimate. We also live towards the bottom of the hill so we don’t get hit by winds sweeping down from the north. It’s a haven. Looking forward to next summer. X

Looking back

I didn’t venture out today because its really cold and I’m still a bit unwell. I was scrolling through my photos from the summer and came across this double hanging basket next to the house. It grew and grew and was magnificent in July and August. Now? The frost came last night, a glaze of white on the tiled roof opposite. I think all the baskets will wilt, the delicate annual plants are starting to wither, but the slightly woodier ones like fushias are still there.

Photos of the back to follow, and if I get out into the autumn landscape before all the leaves fall I will post some shots of the trees locally.

Raspberry flower?

It’s Mid-october and things were mild but now they are getting colder. Last week we had temperatures in the high teen centigrade and this week they have gone down to 12 or 13 in the day time and 5 or 6°C at night. Leaves are finally starting to change colour but still some plants seem to think its Spring!

My Raspberry plants for instance have come back into flower. I don’t have a close up lens, but I managed to get a photo of this raspberry flower. It’s a bit cold and bedraggled after the cold, heavy rain we had today, but despite a tinge of brown on the edges of its petals its still trying. It probably won’t turn into fruit as there are no insects around now. Still interesting to see.

Still gardening

The garden is still thriving although the evenings are drawing in. It gets dark earlier and stats dark longer. A lot of the flowers are fading but the plants are staying green. The worry is that as it gets colder they will die off, but it is to be expected here in the northern hemisphere. I do love cramming plants into our small yard and I thinks it creates a microclimate that keeps the temperature up and supports the growth. We’ve also had some heavy rain which has perked them up a bit over the last few days.