Having had an unexpected rest from gardening due to a chest infection that has now lasted for around 6 weeks, and a computer crash following an update! Which ended up at the repairers for around nine days. Thankfully I am now starting to recover and have managed to cut back old plants that were overdue and cleaning out pots. As I had to leave a lot of the work I noticed that plants seem to be having a second round of flowering – I guess you never give up learning especially when it comes to gardening.
Clematis’ 3rd flowering of the season & unnamed trial fuchsia
While clearing through some drawers during my enforced rest I found an old note book I had for my gardening in 1995! I had left notes to myself reminding me about getting fresh compost and not old bags because I had had a bad experience that year losing several plants. Also notes about cutting fuchsias and burying them until the spring amongst many other good ideas which obviously I took to heart as I seem to be doing them up to now..
1995 notepad & part of the container garden
With the weather cooling down quickly and leaves turning on my hydrangeas I noticed two Calla Lilies which have been in the garden for four years and have got to this stage in bud. Now that a lot of the other plants have finished they are taking pride of place, and yesterday (last week October) discovered that one of them has now flowered. FUCHSIA FuchsiaBerry has had a lot of fruit. I have tried them a couple of times and they taste quite smooth almost the texture of a cherry.
Still flowering laurentia & an unnamed trial antirrhinum
The Strawberry ‘Irresistible’ which I trialled about four years ago from Thompson and Morgan is producing fruit for the second time this year. The double antirrhinums, Sun Diascia ‘Eternal Flame’ and the three unnamed trial plants from this year – unnamed bidens, fuchsia and trailing antirrhinum are all pictured here. The latter, a peachy pink colour – have been flowering for the whole season. I wonder if they have been named yet?
In September I received an Invitation to attend the Bournemouth in Bloom presentations, thankfully Alan and I were well enough to attend. What a big surprise when I discovered I had won the Gold Award and overall winner for my Container Garden and Silver award for my Hanging Basket and Patio garden. I was thrilled to bits and thank you Wendie Alexander for the lovely piece on Facebook.
Bournemouth in Bloom awards & Strawberry ‘Irrestitible’
This year I have planted up some plants for the winter. We are usually visiting my Sister in California through October/November not getting home until the beginning of December, then of course we are into Christmas, so I have already planted tulips ready for the spring and thought that I would plant the daffodils in the garden so it doesn`t look so bare and then they can establish without much help.
Autumn colour & diascia’s 2nd flowering
Alan has been busy taking the watering system out of the front and drying the computer timer, taking the battery out and storing for next year. I usually throw the battery away as you can`t tell how much power is in it and it has been working for over five months. We leave the watering system in place in the back garden just putting the timer away as it is more sheltered than the front. My two tier stands have been taken down and sprayed with protective oil and the baskets cleaned and put away until next year. I take all the chains off the baskets and spray them, then hang them in my shed.
Calla Lilly & useful notes in 1995 notepad
Now is the time to start thinking about next year`s plants etc and look forward to the new spring/summer catalogue from Thompson & Morgan so the dark evenings will be used thumbing through the catalogues…and then of course there is Christmas. I have just received the Christmas catalogue from Thompson & Morgan and they have some wonderful flowers/plants in there, must start planning for some of them!!
Autumn tones & Tomato ‘Sweet Aperitif’
Hope all my gardening friends are keeping healthy and enjoying the autumn, take care until the next time………………….Jean
I started gardening 65 years ago on my Dad’s allotment and now live in Bournemouth, where spend a lot of time gardening since retiring. In 2012 I won the Gold Award for Bournemouth in Bloom Container Garden. I am a member of Thompson & Morgan’s customer trial panel.
My last post should not say Netherlands it’s meant to say from the year 1974. Sorry predictive text o n iPad and I didn’t notice, as writing this in bed without my glasses the day after chemo! It’s 8am and I want to look at what seeds I can grow, Mark has agreed to shake the compost for me and look after a few pots. X
Hi Jean,
What lovely pictures. And it’s fun when we read old notes and diaries, I have kept some pictures of when we moved in and how poor our gardn was, to what it is today. Before my dad died, he let me read a copy of my grandad so diary that my auntie had translated from Weksh from Netherlands year 1974 the year, I was born, most of it was farming, but there were snippets about his flower and veg patch and it’s fascinating that I garden the same way as he did, even though he never taught me his tequniques as he died of TB when I was 4. When ii read my gardening diaries from the last 48′ months I realise how obsessed I am about the weather. Probably because I have to go to work by bus so am either freezing, wet, blowing away, or melting!
Congratulations on your awards, thoroughly well deserved.
Take care
Love Amanda