I have to say I lose interest at this time of year, it happened last year around this time as well, but come the spring my enthusiasm will return. I still have the following growing : curly Kale, perpetual spinach, parsnips, beetroots, Florence fennel (which are swelling nicely) and a couple of cabbages. Oh and purple sprouting broccoli and brussel sprouts, but they have to grow through the winter and hopefully we will have some sprouts for Christmas.
The best thing I ever did was grow so many flowers up there because it's so colourful and many flowers still have lots of buds to open for a while yet. I have stored all the squashes and the pumpkin in the greenhouse, where I also have more little chillies growing, in fact lot's of little chillies !
I must get that Pumpkin weighed ! it was very heavy.
The 'Pink Giraffe' Dahlia is still a lovely sight, I have three up on the plot.
Dahlias and Echinacea, grown from seed this year and still looking lovely
Covering the beds for winter.
Clearing the beds, and planning for next year.
Not so tidy, but still lots of colour.
Florence Fennel, almost ready to harvest.
....................................................................My hydrangea from the garden. faded and looking delicate and so pretty
The colour from the front, such delicate colours as they age and fade.
Colours from behind, a nice minty green, I like this better.
I have actually been spending more time working on the garden than the allotment just recently. I have widened a couple of my borders so I can plant more annual flowers such as Cosmos, I bought a packet of seeds recently that are double flowering and they look stunning, so can't wait to sow them next year. The borders already have lot's of perennials, so I thought it would be nice to add some annuals as well, especially cornflowers which looked really nice with the colours of the Cosmos this year. We also cut down a couple of large shrubs which were old and very woody, we now have to try and get the roots out.
That's about all for this update. I hope you are all enjoying your gardens and allotments and getting on with the preparations for the winter months. The best thing is the planning for next year, and looking through the seed catalogues deciding what to grow next.
8 comments:
Hi Maureen, the flowers and squashes look great. Would love some dahlia seeds - like you I'm hoping the Spring will see a return of the gardening bug, but for now let's just enjoy those gorgeous flowers.
P x
Hi Maureen, I’m way over due a post update myself.
Just thought I would alert you to not to long term store your winter stash of squashes/ pumpkins in the greenhouse. I did this last year with my butternuts and they got frosted and started to spoil.
A frost free shed, a cool or cold spare bedroom, a garage or even a cold loft would be better for them. Anywhere really that doesn't have much temp fluctuation and that remains relatively cool.
Like you I also find it hard to get enthusiastic at this time of the year, I think its the reduced light levels :(
Hi Maureen I know what you mean we sort of run out of steam about this time of year. You have lots of lovely flowers and pumpkins.
Your allotment is still looking lovely and colourful. I had cornflowers in my garden this year and I'll be growing them again next year.
PAM, I'm glad to see that I am not alone with the lack of enthusiasm at this time of year. I guess like the plants we need a rest too. I will post the seeds on to you soon.
...................
KELLA, thanks for the info on storing the squashes. I wasn't going to leave them in the greenhouse I was just giving them some more sunshine (???) and a bit more time to ripen, but then I didn't know where best to store them, so thanks. I hope the jewelery is selling for you.
........................
JOANNE, thanks for the comment, that's a good way of putting it 'running out of steam'
.......................
JO, thanks for the comment on the allotment. Cornflowers are so lovely aren't they? this year I grew some dainty annuals, I have some larger perennial cornflowers it's a clump that has been in for years, but they aren't so pretty as the dainty ones, so I will grow lots more next year.
Good to know that Austen is there to help. Those pumpkins are quite large. Do you keep the seeds for snacks?
Flowers, and more flowers. I guess you can never really plant too many. They attract good insects to the garden - so they do double duty.
Start studying those seed catalogs, Doc. Spring usually has a way of sneaking up on you.
LOVE they hydrangea - i've never seen one that wasn't beautiful - i grew up with these in the deep south - and my grandmother in louisiana had them everywhere - those and lantana [all time fave] - getting a little anxious about my avocado seed plantlings - haven't taken root yet - although i know i'm doing it correctly - well, i think i am - it could be all the cold storage stuff that goes on with store bought produce and maybe that's the problem with my little avocados - but am hoping they will begin sprouting little legs soon! great post, lady - always a pleasure coming over to your place!
PROSPERO Hi, thanks for the comment. I haven't kept the seeds as a snack yet, maybe I should. I guess they have to be roasted first ? The flowers did attract lots of bees which is always good.
......................
Hi GYPSYWOMAN, I too love hydrangeas, but this pink one was a lovely purple for years until I fed it with ericaceous feed this year and it turned pink !! I have never grown an avocado seed before, sounds like a good experiment though, I really hope it grows for you. Don't forget to post a photo if it does.
Post a Comment