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 

Weeding again and the Planting out of Leeks

 

                                                    Weeding again !

I had sown Coriander and Dill here , but it wasn't the only thing to germinate in this bed . I think maybe it was because of weed seeds in the manure I had put down here last Autumn .

                                                        Coriander 

                                                             Dill

I harvested a lovely dish full of the Coriander and Dill to add to a couple of salads and cleared the bed ready to plant out my Leeks . I have plenty more of these delicious leaves growing in the veg trug .

                         The Leeks I grew from seed , almost pencil thickness .

I don't want to leave it any later than now to plant them out . I don't trim the roots or the leaves . 

I simply make the holes and drop the baby Leeks in ! I don't fill in the holes , but do make sure there is a tiny bit of compost/earth over the roots at the very bottom of the hole . 

Then I water each one carefully with the watering can to settle them in .

                                                It works for me ! 

I sat back to relieve my aching knees and this darling baby Robin flew over my shoulder and sat on my hand for a few moments then hopped about to see what he could find to eat . It was a very magic moment that took my breath away .

                                      I was very glad of that kneeler !

                                             Oh ! Yes ! You are so sweet ! 

  I planted out as many as I could here . I will have to think again , about where I can plant the rest of them .

I also planted some Purple Sprouting Broccoli in this bed . The Leeks and the P.S.B. will be ready to harvest next Spring , during the so called "hungry gap" when little else is growing in the veg garden .

I watered everything in , made sure the baby Robin was out of there , then threw the netting over it all , fastening it all down well .

We didn't get the storm that was forecast , but we did have some rain . Then the next morning was extremely hot , too hot for me to work in the garden until the evening . I think it will be the same today and so later on I will be weeding the Fennel bed . My brother bought me the seeds and I,m very excited about having Fennel again ! 

I don't know about you , but it's the wheeling away of the wheelbarrow to the compost heap and the putting away of the tools at the end of a gardening session like this , which is the hardest job to do ! 

Early May update

 

I,m busy sowing seeds right now, it's all go!, go ! go ! I thought I,d give a little update .

So the first week of May I spent a long morning preparing a bed for sowing  Fennel , my Kale seeds  , two kinds , the lovely tall black Cavolo Nero  Kale and dwarf curly kale ,and a row of Brussels sprouts .

I,d like to be totally no-dig , but I cant afford the amount of compost I,d need to cover all of my vegetable beds . I do make as much as I can myself over winter ,seaweed is brought in , Autumn leaves , horse manure ,but it never is enough .

Also , I had to dig out some almighty weeds ! 

One bed at a time and slowly over the next couple of weeks I will get all of the vegetable beds planted up. A couple of them still have Autumn planted onions coming along nicely and leeks still to be  harvested .

Half of this bed has had a thin layer of bought in bag of compost added on top and the other half has well rotted manure . There is a small area that has had nothing added to it . It is just good old plain earth .

I,m looking forward to seeing the seeds germinating, especially the Fennel , a birthday gift from my brother .

All covered up ,to keep the pigeons off and the rabbits out .

13th May --- we,ve had some lovely rain and the Kale is germinating ! Yay !

Pottering about and sowing a few seeds

 What a beautiful morning , Spring is in the air . I,m off into the porch to prick out and pot on my Rainbow Mini Bell Sweet Pepper seedlings .

                       They all germinated ! So I will have some to share .

It gets lots of sunshine in our front porch and so the sack of compost which I store in there is the right temperature for these pepper seedlings .

I notice a little green shoot coming on the Dahlia in the pot next to the pepper seedlings .

                                 Very excited to see that little green shoot !

                               Meanwhile Benny is on guard up in the shed .

The Leeks are doing fine . Today I have sown a couple of little trays of lettuce . Lots of different varieties  , but mainly of the Romaine type , as we love our lettuces crunchy crisp .

I,m still just thinking about sowing my Tomatoes ...... I need to think about it a bit longer .  I have my seeds waiting in the wings !  Maybe tomorrow !