A Couple more Autumn Tasks Done

 

Beautiful sunrise on a somewhat cooler morning .

                                  Good morning my lovelies !

Cooler nights ,but still quite pleasant by day and the earth is still warm .

I thought I'd get my Garlic sets planted out .

I'm growing Germidour Garlic this time . Some of my recently planted red onion sets had been a bit muddlified , probably by birds looking for grubs , so I have now covered everything over with grids and chicken wire . It is still warm when the sun comes out and it got quite hot while I was doing this .

Preparing the greenhouse for the Winter .

Then had to pull out quite a few heavy plants and hanging basket and the chair , to get the insulation bubblestuff fixed up . I usually staple it up at the top end of the greenhouse but we couldn't find the staple-gun anywhere .

So I moved all the plants back in .....and then I found it !  🙄

So now that will have to wait until I get another burst of energy .

I did just have enough stamina left in me to crawl under the greenhouse bench and drag out the candle lantern .

I just need to fix up some windbreak mesh across the door , to stop a whoosh of cold air blowing in as I enter the greenhouse . ( a very useful tip that I learnt from my botanical brother )

Went for a lovely walk to ease out my aching back and get some fresh air .....

 ......and clear my head of worries .

It was already getting dark as we arrived home .

Beautiful Sparkly Morning

 

Good morning my lovelies ! 

It's another beautiful sparkly morning here , in the far South West of Cornwall  .

It doesn't feel too cold , but I notice a very slight dusting of frost on the edges of my Echium leaves .

There is no frost anywhere else and this will soon be gone .  A rare and unwelcome visitor to this part of Cornwall . Be gone Jack Frost ! 

Rosa Bonica is still flowering away over by the Summerhouse  . It is such a cheerful rose and when the flowers finish it has gorgeous orange red hips  , which are lovely in Winter flower arrangements .

Delphiniums that we bought in a plant sale have turned out to be the most beautiful blue .

What's going on in the shed ?

What's behind that silver foil survival sheet ?

Well , the answer is .... a whole lot of sunshine !

Spinach ,Pak choi , Dill .

More ...

All enjoying the sunshine this morning  .

Beautiful Pak choi . 

All for simple salads and stir-frys .

There is even another Dwarf French Bean plant in there flowering away ! It is one that I missed when I was pricking the seedlings out  . 

Fantastic !  That will be another three little beans  to add to the greenhouse bean harvest in a few days time .  Every little helps !

Bee resting in the warm Autumn sunshine . I'm going to do the same today . 

Arm feeling sore after my Covid Vaccine , whole shoulder muscle  , almost down to my elbow . 

Paracetamol .

I think I will put my feet up and do some Autumn stitching .

My favourite time of the year .

Wishing you a peaceful weekend  . 

Winter is coming

 

They are saying that it is going to turn chilly tonight . It has been a lovely sunny afternoon and a clear blue sky.  I took this pic just now , around 4pm and I can feel the temperature dropping . There is not the slightest breeze . We don't often get frost here , but I thought I'd better throw some fleece over the cacti in the greenhouse . I don't think I need to light the lantern yet though .

I brought some wood in to fill the log basket and remembered why I wasn't supposed to be doing much this afternoon . I had my Covid Booster Vaccine this morning and my arm is feeling a little bit bruised , but only when I do something stupid like carrying in a load of logs in or if I accidently bump it somehow . It will soon fade . 

                   Ouch ! 

So I took myself off for a walk around the garden , to check the outside tap is wrapped and to throw some covers over a few precious plants  and just to enjoy the loveliness of  Autumn .

The surrounding fields of maize have now all been cut and taken away leaving lots of broken bits scattered about for the crows . This Buzzard surprised me flying overhead , being chased off by the crows . You can click and make my pictures bigger by the way .

I have been thinking about maybe leaving the bean poles up through the Winter this year . The Runnerbeans surprised me this year , by coming back from the previous year . It seems that they can be perennial .. They are still green now , although they have stopped flowering .

I have left the chicken wire up surrounding them and have been throwing in lots of fallen leaves and grass clippings . 

It will all make great compost for next years crops .

We have been picking and enjoying lovely fresh sprouts . Some for the freezer too , but I like to have everything freshly picked as and when they are ready and in the right season ! 

The Crab Apples are a blaze of colour !

I love the Common Alder tree , with it's catkins and teeny tiny cones . I think it is my favourite tree and I felt truly blessed to find one in our garden , when we first came to live here .

All trees are my favourite tree !  ha ha !

The Bees ! The Bees ! They are delighted to find my Mahonia bush full of golden , honey scented blossom . 

I picked a small spray and some of the last remaining Roses . The sound of the bees and the sweet scent of the Roses took my mind back to the warm days of Summer .

I am surprised at how many roses there are still blooming . As they fade , so the hips bring welcome cheery colour into my Winter garden .

The greenhouse is all ready for the Winter . As prepared as I can make it anyway .

The Labyrinth needs mowing , but it will just have to wait till my arm feels better .

A big  ol' Bumble Bee  having a rest in the warm sunshine on a garden seat .

My thoughts turn back to covering  up the Agaves , just for the night and uncover them again  in the morning . Look at the Acer " Bloodgood " losing it's leaves . Another job that I can't do at the moment with my sore arm .

Acers know when Winter is imminent  . 

They just know .

They are always right .

Agave salmiana ferox 

I really need to replace this tatty old cloche , but I just can't find one big enough Fortunately this Agave is one of the more hardy ones `.  This will have to do for tonight , but I think I can do a better job of it when my arm is better .

Agave number two , totally surrounded with a choir of Giant Echiums . I can't wait to see those all in flower next year or maybe the year after . They have completely swamped my Dahlias ,which I had planned to take up, but which will now,  just have to remain where they are .

Agave number three , both of this cloches are really a bit too small for these Agaves .Once again I need to find bigger ones . Where ? Where can I buy giant and really sturdy cloches from ? 

I am going to try and rig something up with a clear tarpaulin . Just thinking about it . It needs to be easy to throw on and then take off easily again in the morning . 

This is still flowering away happily . . . . but may not be happy with tonight's temperature . Impatiens tinctoria will eventually die right back and come back in the Spring .

Rosa Bonica - has lots of beautiful orange red hips . Lovely for Winter flower arranging .

Thinking about making Advent Wreath .

Tomorrow I will gather all the things I will need . 

Sorry to go on about my sore arm , it will be fine again very soon :)

Wrap up warm and I wish you a peaceful evening .  x