My garden in November

I didn’t get around to sorting out my bulbs while the weather was still mild, even though that mild weather lasted a good couple of weeks into the month. Realistically it’s unlikely that I’ll get to them this year, so that means this season but it’s definitely a job for once they’ve finished flowering. I think they’ll flower ok this winter, but would benefit from a repot and some attention.

With the end of the more tropical November weather ending our focus was getting the garden ready for winter, which meant moving a lot of pots around. Those which I’d dotted around the garden to test out locations have now mostly moved back into the shelter and additional cover of the established border, but I was pleased to spot the burgundy Mottisfont rose trying with another bloom. It’s still trying and I’m not sure if it’ll succeed or not, if it does I’ll nab a photo. But that attempt did secure it a spot where we can just about see it from the window!

My succulents are now overwintering in the gym, as they did last year. This year they’re in larger pots and have been joined by the bargain chilli plant (20p and not a chilli in sight yet!) and two young Amaryllis plants from my dad.

There’s actually nine pots in there this winter, and without it feeling overrun with plants so that’s something. I’ve made use of our new garden table and some surplus gym flooring for some of the pots, others are alongside the windows - and most importantly I must remember to set a reminder to check on them and water them, though much less than in the summer months.

Elsewhere in the garden things are growing, or not growing as you’d expect. The small crab apple has shed its leaves but not yet all of its fruits, so it looks a bit like a strange Christmas decoration - I need to look into and potentially make time for pruning this, as the poor thing really did have its work cut out with all the fruit this year, and some of the branches are twice as long as they were.

In, what I deemed the ‘sick bay’ both of my once yellowing bay trees have recovered brilliantly and are so much more healthy than they were back in May. It’s amazing what some light, regular watering and a bit of a feed can do isn’t it?

What I didn’t realise though until I moved this one into the gym, is that it’s had babies or extra blooms at least under the main growth (next to the blue mat in the picture), when it was on the patio we only looked at it from the other side so it just goes to show there’s benefits in many different viewpoints, and more specifically it’s a reminder to rotate my pots!

My garden in October

Last month I teased you and said we had plenty of crab apples but didn’t have a photo to share - this month then, let’s start with them. It’s only a small tree, but it has definitely been fully laden this year - unbelievably I took this photo after I’d picked two kilograms of fruit (and in case you’re wondering that’s a large washing up bowl full).

Those first apples have been made into the most gorgeous coloured chilli jelly, and I’m still hoping to get another picking in to make some plum, apple and chilli jelly before it’s too late to harvest the fruit. I’ve still to share more on that jelly making episode, but look out for that soon.

I’m surprised that our pepper plant still has peppers, there’s at least another ten on there though some are very tiny. They’re not ripening however much I hope they will, so I might have to bite the bullet and bring them in to see if that helps to sweeten them any. If not, we’ll be trying them green even though green peppers are my least favourite pepper.

We didn’t have any peaches on the small potted tree this year, there were a couple of fruits early on but they didn’t make it. It’s continued to earn its spot in our garden though with the colour changing leaves as the year’s gone on. Such gorgeous colours.

This month we had some more unusual looking mushrooms appear in the grass overnight. First there was one, which was joined by a couple of others - then a few days later, they were all looking decidedly less attractive. We’ve had smaller, flatter mushrooms appear in the grass before, but nothing quite like these - and none of which I’m even tempted to try to eat!

We’ve also had some fog this month, though thankfully that didn’t hang around for too long either.

The few olives we have on the potted olive tree have started to turn from green to an almost berry red, I assume this is normal as despite having another olive tree for many years I don’t think I’ve ever seen fruit as large on this on that, but then again it could be a completely different type and variety. Either way, I don’t think we’ll be going into Olive Oil production anytime soon.

It’s a year or so since I shared my herbs by the back door, and they’ve really established themselves - both the plants, and the practice of having herbs growing close to the kitchen. Since it was first planted up I’ve added two varieties of thyme, and some chives as well as refreshing the flat leaf parsley plant. The mint, is of course taking over, but that’s what it does - and it means we use a lot more mint than we ever have before - it’s been a great addition, and it looks great too.

We’ve a small flowered rose bush further down the garden and it’s been flowering prolifically this year and it’s still going strong - I think October has been its strongest month. It’s growing into a fairly substantial bush and I’m not unhappy about that.

The mahonias are getting ready to put on their show too - we have three in the garden - the photo above is early in October, and below is later in the month, and while this one is near our wheelie bins it really does brighten up emptying the bins!

The fuchsia bushes which I was so worried about earlier in the year (when I decided to cut them almost back to the ground) are thriving - and it’s hard to believe that they were giving me so much garden grief. They are definitely a case of ‘isn’t nature wonderful’!?

The rowan tree is also putting on a show and it’s been great to watch through the window - though the weather has hardly been cold here. There was a threat of a cold snap, but that was only brief - we do have our heating on downstairs, and it takes the chill off, but so far we don’t have the upstairs radiators on (and it’s early November!)

I said last month that the succulents had been the stars and real discovery in the garden this year, so I could hardly do a monthly update without them could I? These two plants which overwintered in the garage last year in individual pots, have really thrived and I’m sure doubled in size now they’re in a bigger shared pot and have enjoyed the summer outside. They’re still outside, though I have plans to put them and all the other succulents (I think it’s six larger pots this year - last year it was only two and these two in their small pots) away for the winter, but I’m leaving it as long as I can…

The wallflowers look as if they’ve really established themselves this year, and with many more stems than last year I’m hoping for even more of the pastel ‘Chelsea Jackets’ flowers when they’re ready, which I think will be a while yet. That’s ok though, as I can wait as there’s still plenty else to see (and do) around the garden - and I really should add sorting out my bulbs to that mental list, especially while the weather is mild.

My garden in September

Moving the pots around the garden last month was a big success, we have had a few more roses but mostly the pots have added some interest, if not flowers, to our view while we’ve made full use of the garden sofa while we can. The succulents on the patio, and elsewhere in the garden, have been the story of the garden this summer for me, and a new favourite that’s for sure. I’ve been adding to them, and they’ve been flowering and it’s been great to watch, though I have to find some winter homes for them all - about six or seven pots - in the garage, which is easily double what we had last year, oops.

At the start of the month some new garden furniture arrived - and sadly it’s remained unused and in the garage, which if you read my September update you’ll know that they’ve added to the challenges we’ve had sorting out the garage!

But they were too good a bargain to turn down, and we spent an afternoon ‘birthing’ them from their very large and heavy box. Everything was cable-tied together and the only way to get them out was to lay the box down and pull it out whole - it made us laugh though. The chairs needed a back plate screwing in place, and seven out of eight of the holes (across both chairs) were in the correct place. The final one needed a bit of persuasion, but we got there.

Ah yes, more succulents - enjoy.

We’ve been prepping the garden for the winter months, and this month that’s mostly meant trimming the lavender bushes. All eight of them. Which is a lot of trimming. I’m surprised though that I haven’t managed to take any pictures of them, and they’ve taken a few sessions to get through them all. Though when the garden bin collection happens next time I will have the sweetest smelling garden bin!

There’s other ways I’m noticing that the season is changing, we have many more spider webs in the garden and the daddy long legs are also making themselves at home. I’m ok with this one in the bay tree, much better than them spying on us through the windows!

One of my small roses is still flowering, and still has buds as well as the smallest rosehips. It’s sheltered by the mock orange and hebes which surround it, and so that’s perhaps why it’s still going strong.

Just along from the flowering rose is the pink fluffy smoke bush, which is fast becoming a favourite. We’ve a couple of dark leaved smoke bushes too, but this one in the inside border just makes me smile. I also need to cut the buddleia bush before the weather changes, but not yet as I’ve no space in the garden bin. The butterflies will be pleased by that I’m sure, though I’m spotting them in other parts of the garden too, still enjoying the sun.

Amongst the weeds, and corks, in the bay tree pot I spotted a cyclamen growing - I don’t think I’ve seen one in this pot before, and I was thinking we don’t have any in this garden yet. Well now I have one, but I think I’ll need to add some more at some point.

The rowan tree sums up autumn, the colours, the berries and I love the leaves too. We can see this tree from the house which is great, and while I won’t be doing anything with the berries - other than watch the blackbirds forage them - I do plan to do something with our crab apples this year.

There’s loads of crab apples this year - our little tree also got the mask year memo - and my plan is to make some chilli and/or herb crab apple jelly, though having read the recipe through properly I’ve now ordered a jelly strainer to make life easier - I’ll share how I get on when it arrives. Wish me luck!