What a beautiful start to the first day of Autumn. River mist engulfing the garden and the adjoining fields, but by 8am the sun could be spotted trying to burn through. An hour later after the dogs were walked, and not lost in the mist as they ran through the fields, it was a perfect temperature to be outside working in the garden. Tidying up a bit is what needs to be accomplished now and today I set myself the task of working round the front of the house trimming back the Virginia Creeper that not only grows upwards but also along the paving. One long stem was given a sharp tug and came away with roots – now been potted up. With a bit of luck I’ll have a new plant by Spring. My least favourite job is pulling weeds out of the paving but with a bit of perseverance I’ve managed to clear a huge amount out, swept up leaves and weeded the edge of an adjoining flower bed for good measure. A good morning’s work completed and as I always view autumn as the start of the new gardening year I am enthusiastic to tidy and clear other areas of the garden that are starting to look a little shabby.
I’ve spent the last few weeks taking cuttings from all sorts of plants. Many have rooted easily and are now potted up into small pots and in their winter quarters in the unheated greenhouse to protect them over the coming months. Some are proving more troublesome, Lavender cuttings are looking as though they are really sulking. I’ve pulled some out of the pot that had in fact rotted but maybe one or two are looking as if they have roots. I am trying to resist the temptation to tip them out and see! Lemon Verbena on the other hand have rooted very quickly and I have just potted up four very strong little plants. A small triumph!
The Autumn bed in the Orchard has been looking colourful with all manner of yellow “Daisies”. Rudbeckia herbstonne towers over everything else, it must be between 6 and 7 feet tall. Helianthus Lemon Queen grows to around 5 feet and can just be seen in the photo and the plant on the edge of the bed with huge leaves and yellow flowers is Silphium perfoliatum. This plant grows to around 4 feet and is so sturdy, it doesn’t need any staking.
Terracotta pots that have been grouped by the house all summer are almost needing clearing out, but not for a week or so perhaps. This selection houses a dahlia that has just been rescued from a border where it refused to flower. Maybe a bit late for blooming this year. Scented leaf pelargoniums are a favourite and apart from displaying them in the greenhouse I also fill up containers with them. These have all had plentiful cuttings taken from them for next year. There is also a Grapefruit Mint with lovely lavender flowers – a gift from a neighbour – and the leaves really do have a sort of grapefruit scent. Again I’ve taken cuttings. The silvery leafed plant against the wall is Plectranthus Argentatus. I didn’t know I liked this plant until last year when I visited Whichford Pottery on a day when they were selling off plants from their greenhouse, as well as pots. Cuttings of Plectranthus were being sold in small terracotta pots so obviously I had to buy one. That one original plant just about made it through last winter and the greenhouse is now full to bursting with its offspring. I absolutely love the texture of the leaves, not so sure about the small flowers but I do trim some of them off.
I’ve been studying the bulb catalogue for weeks now and have finally taken the plunge and made a selection of tulips to plant in terracotta pots. I’ve chosen late flowering varieties in the hope that they will be at their best next May when the garden is due to be open for the National Garden Scheme. I’ve probably ordered too many and by the time you add in the Alliums, Reticulata Iris and Narcissus I think it’s going to be a busy autumn planting!
Tales from a Country Garden 