Survived Storm Austen - Musa Basjoo Update - Protection Cornwall

 

                                                      Musa basjoo

We survived ! ⛈️😱🌧️I checked all around the cottage this morning and everything looks a bit battered but o.k as far as I can see .

So my Musa basjoo is about three years old now and this will be it's second winter planted outside . It is the (for Cornwall) left in the ground most hardy one !

It came through the terrible Storm Gorretti earlier this year ,with a simple cloche over it held down by bricks .

This year it is quite a bit taller . I fixed up a double row of pig-wire and plastic trellis fastened down with some metal rods . 

I placed three old compost bags in between them as a windbreak . 

I thought that would do it ...but as the storm winds picked up I decided it needed something more !

                              I pushed Rosie up alongside . 

That is one heavy wheelbarrow . I can hardly manage to push it even when she's empty !

So after one very wild night , I can see that the biggest leaves have shredded in the wind . . . but they are designed to shred in the wind . The two new leaf shoots look fine . 

 I will see if I can make the windbreak a bit taller . As it gets colder and those shredded leaves wither away , I,ll then be able pull a cloche over the top  of it . We have milder winters here ( though you still need to wrap up warm ) and when the winter sun shines it would not be good for it to have the cloche over it all of the time .

Generally the older and bigger the plant is , the more hardy it will be over the winter months .

You might be lucky , leaving these in the ground , but far safer to take them up and get them under shelter .

    Musa ensete "Maurelii" are all potted up in lovely fresh compost and dragged into the woodshed . I did this on the 23rd September so that they have time to adjust and get their roots down before going dormant .

 I will lash on polystyrene all around the tubs as the weather turns colder .

                                        Snug as a bug in a rug !

It is still blustery here and I think Storm Boelo will be causing havoc up north this time .

       I have just hung some washing on the line , double pegged everything !

Take care in these Storms , especially on the roads,  stay home if you can .

                             Love and Peace 🕊️🤍

                                         love Debbie 💐x

Still Waiting for Storm Austen - Getting prepared ⛈️🍁🍂

 Torches , matches and candle lanterns on the table .... Ricardo made a delicious spaghetti bolognese and cooked up extra mince to have as a shepherd's pie tomorrow ...possibly cold if the power goes off in the storm ....still delicious !  

 Storm Austen is expected to hit at around 3am tomorrow morning . We are on the Lizard Peninsula  .  So it is very likely going to be a very rough night . 

We have been busy putting away the garden furniture ....dragging in the big furniture into the garage and this table and chairs I managed to squeeze into the greenhouse and I might get a few more plants in there  .

I dragged the Spuds in Tubs under cover in the woodshed . Some of these potatoes will be used on tomorrow's Shepherd's Pie . 

I reorganised the woodshed and was delighted to find a nice pile of kindling that I'd forgotten about . I filled my basket .

  I'll light the fire later on , to get the cottage cosy and warm before the storm .

And now we are being told that there is another storm coming in , straight after Storm Austen ..... Storm Boelo .

I think we are as ready as we can be now .

 

I think pretty much everywhere in the U.K. will be feeling the wrath of this storm , so take care and keep safe .

                        Peace and Love 🕊️🤍

                                   Love Debbie 💐 x

Waiting for Storm Austen 🍁🍂⛈️

                      

                                           No gardening today .

                      Having a restful day. Doing a bit of patchwork . 

          There's a storm coming in tonight .  Hope it won't be too bad .

                      Lit the fire for the first time this Autumn . Cosy .

                                        Peace and Love  🤍🕊️

                                   love and hugs Debbie 💐  x

Storm Austen is on the way ! ⛈️🌧️

The calm before the storm .  The first named storm of this winter . Storm Austen .

So we've been busy in the garden , doing a few last minute jobs before Storm Austen comes in .

Ricardo did a great job tidying the labyrinth .

The Cosmos are looking lovely now , but I needed to sow some Sweetpeas in there for a nice early display in the spring .

                             I always sow mine in the Autumn .

        

                   I scattered them around the cosmos .

There are some Cosmos seeds in there as well as the Sweetpea seeds .

           I covered them with a layer of nice fresh compost .

We can enjoy the Cosmos flowers for a bit longer  .

Not sure how they will cope with the strong winds over the next couple of days . 

   At least the rain will get them all to germinate . I will wrap fleece around the teepee as it turns colder , to protect the seedlings .

This is the first time I've ever grown Cosmos and I am delighted with them . I hope to grow some different varieies next Spring .

 Let me know your favourites !

Meanwhile in the shed ........

Something has been nibbling all of my lettuce seedlings !  I can't find any snails or slugs so I am completely baffled  😔   

 I hope I can save them , I have sprinkled a few slug pellets down around them .

 Heartbroken  😔

However we are having  some luck with the late second planting of Spuds in Tubs !

Not as many as the first early planted ones , but we have had two meals of the most delicious buttery yellow fleshed new potoatoes and there are more still to come !

   Ricardo took charge of growing these and he's very pleased with himself !

I worked really hard clearing brambles .

 

 A whole wheelbarrow load ! And I fixed up the wire fencing around Agave ferox.

It is so big now ,that I think I will only be able to throw an old coat or an old duvet over it if we get an "Arctic blast " warning . 

  I'm hoping it will  put up a massive inflorescence , flower spire soon .

I am amazed at the Acer "Bloodgood" It being late October and it still has it's leaves !

Musa basjoo -  

Last job of the day , was to fix up a double row of pigwire and old plastic trellis stuff to protect Musa basjoo . 

...and squeeze some old compost bags in between them as a bit of a windbreak .

If it turns really cold , I have a plastic cloche to put over it .

And I brought in the washing off the line and that is all I'm doing for today !

             Peace and Love  🕊️🤍

                                 Stay safe in the storm !  

                                         Love Debbie  💐 x

 

❄️Insulating my Greenhouse ❄️

 The sunset this evening was glorious !  Our evening walk and picnic along the cliffs .  I thought I'd share a picture that I took .

It has started to turn very cold in the mornings and tonight the temperature is forecast to go down to single figures .....sevens, eights and nine degrees....and maybe six degrees celsius . 😮 Ricardo says he's heard ......possibly five degrees celsius ! 😬

So I limped up to the shed to pull out all my greenhouse insulation stuff .

I have been re-using all this stuff over and over again for years . I did buy another windscreen shield thingy . 

I slotted that up behind Lord Buddah . It is the North facing window . 

There is another one on the East facing side .The Epiphyllums are all along that side.

I'm hoping to ripen up those Sweet Peppers on the left hand side , we have one more lovely sunny day ☀️forecast for tomorrow ; then rain , rain and thrice rain...possibly forever after tomorrow . 🌦️🌧️⛈️🌦️🌧️

I also want to pick and extract the seeds from the Epiphyllum seed pods on the right hand side . I'll be sowing them at some point during the winter on a heated windowsill propagator .

Then , with the help of my dad's old hockey stick , I rolled out the insulation stuff along the greenhouse rafters . This really does help to keep the warmth in .

Next I put old polystyrene packaging along the benches to stand more tender precious plants upon Mostly Cacti and Succulentsand a few South African bulbs .

( Note second toe along now turning black after falling down the stairs this morning....I think I might have broken it but they can't really do anything for broken toes . So tonight I'll tape them together with a plaster and take some paracetamol . . . . goodness how it hurts ! 😬)

So , a bit of shuffling about of pots and I think I have made a fairly good start .

I'm hoping to find a bit more polystyrene maybe at B&Q , supermarket or maybe the rubbish tip . Anyone got any old polystyrene they can give me ? !  😃

           I need a bit more to go along the sides .

Then all I need to do next is throw over the frost fleece fabric as and when we get a particularly cold night warning  .

I also have a candle lantern on a breeze block ....but rarely ever need to use it .

I must remember to get some more candles and a packet of matches next time we're shopping .

So it's all looking pretty good in the greenhouse , for tonight anyway .

   .......as for myself - with my old stone hot water bottle wrapped safely in a towel ....my feet will be cosy and warm all night long !

                   Peace and Love 🕊️🤍 and sweet dreams ✨✨✨

                                  love Debbie 💐x