I’ve been away again hence time for catch up in the Magic Garden today. I’ve moved the yellow dogwood out of its pot & into the “winter” border at the back together with a new hellebore I bought. I have also planted out the remaining crocus bulbs & little irises so am expecting little bursts of colour around the garden early in the year. Ben was not that enthusiastic about gardening today but was happy to keep an eye on me.
Sunday
I am away again for a few days but have caught up a bit more with ‘maintenance’ in the Magic Garden. We are in for a cold snap so I have carefully moved plants under protection. The amount of bloom still available is cheering. The birds are enjoying the feeders and hence so am I! Ben is less impressed..
After a long gap..
I’ve been away and busy, but the last few days I’ve been catching up on jobs in the Magic Garden including some drastic changes such as taking out the holly bush and moving some perennials around including the globe thistles. I’ve taken a ‘before’ overview photo but will need it to be daylight for an ‘after’. There is a fair amount of bloom around still with the snapdragons going strong and the wee rose that my Hedgewatch friends gave me. The cosmos is still blooming too if a bit ragged now.
Saturday
It was very wet again overnight as we start November with largely grey overcast skies. I have been enjoying my snapdragons as they go through their 2nd year. I will leave them in place and see whether they come through another winter. My self sown nasturtiums are going strong & providing colour at the back of the Magic Garden. Along with what I think of as ‘summer’ flowers, my orientale hellebores continue to flower rather surprisingly. The Christmas box are both coming into flower too in the winter border.
Sunday
We started the day with some sunshine so Ben was out enjoying the first sunpuddles of the day while I got on with domestic tasks. I cleared the end of the sweetpeas & having taken the seed heads off, chopped the echinops back to the ground where the fresh shoots are showing through already.
Saturday
Another dry day so a little more time spent in the Magic Garden. I picked what I think will be the last of the blackberries before clearing leaves & sludge from the pond. The fuchsias are looking lovely while at the back of the garden the nasturtiums are still giving value for money given they are self sown from a couple of years ago!
Thursday again
I am allowing the annual sweetpeas to go to seed now. They are still flowering despite the plants clearly being at their end. The cosmos are still doing well & I will carry on deadheading them.
We’ve had a beautiful day here today and I spent a few hours in the Magic Garden allowing Ben to keep an eye on me and soak up a little sunshine too. I added more allium bulbs to the Magic Garden and filled in some holes with spare used compost. I planted out the last of the wee asters I bought from a supermarket. I then had a go at the bit beside the backdoor where the blueberries are. The blueberry’s leaves have turned beautifully red. I firmed in the kiwi I planted last month and the perennial sweetpea adding both compost and leaf mould. I also potted up the Edgeworthia chrysanthemum ‘red dragon’. I’ve brought it indoors for the moment as I suspect it is rather tender.
The michaelmas daisies are continuing to do well and the wee white aster is doing well.
Thursday
Back to mild and after a wet day yesterday some sun today. There were a few insects in evidence and there is plenty of bloom still with the end of the Michaelmas Daisies & wolfsbane. The little rose that my Hedgewatch HQ friends gave me is blooming its third flush of flowers.
Ben came out with me this afternoon but not this evening when I went out to worship the Hunters Super Moon.
Monday
Cold and frosty this morning so I’m glad I brought the banana plants in yesterday. There is still plenty of bloom in the Magic Garden and other colour. My hellebores are clearly confused as they are blooming full out.
Sunday
I’ve been a bit busy lately but the Magic Garden is still my little haven even as autumn continues to walk in. I’ve moved the lemon verbena and pelargoniums into the summerhouse as they are too tender to be outside now and the banana plants have come indoors with the larger lemon verbena bush.
Wednesday
Its been cold and wet and windy
Sunday
It’s been another dry grey day in the Magic Garden. I enjoyed watching the birds today, picked some more blackberries & apples (and had a lovely crumble) and photographed some of the flowers.
Saturday
I’ve had a week away and in the meantime the Magic Garden has turned autumnal but with the addition of some small asters to join the Michaelmas Daisies the blooms continue to brighten the gloom. Ben I think is glad to have me home & investigated the Magic Garden cautiously..
Sunday
Grey chilly day but at least it was dry! I planted out some autumn bedding and enjoyed the amount of colour still in the Magic Garden
Saturday
A wee bit of time to enjoy the Magic Garden - grey skies but not the rain threatened. The birds are enjoying the feeders & Ben watching them.
Friday
After a grey start to the day it turned a bit damp & then foggy so I appreciated more the amount of colour left in the Magic Garden & the flash of yellow from the goldfinch youngster & its parent & the occasional bloom.
Indian Summer
We seem to be having a bit of an Indian Summer with glorious sunshine all day albeit with a chill to the air. The Magic Garden still has plenty of colour in it and the bees & others are still busy. I’m cropping tomatoes & courgettes which feels good for mid-September. Ben has enjoyed a day in the sun.
Monday
The autumnal feel continues with mizzle this morning and the nights drawing in. The hellebore under the apple tree is confused though and in full bloom and the Bramley apple tree is also confused with flowers as well as apples on its branches.
Sunday
It’s been a foggy wet weekend here but I’ve still got bits & pieces done in the Magic Garden including planting out a new crocosmia Carmine, a Japanese anemone & a rudbeckia. I am really pleased with how the Magic Garden looks even in the gloom.
Wednesday
The nights are already drawing in as we’ve arrived in September. This is the season of Michaelmas daisies although Michaelmas isn’t until the end of the month. I love these purple daisies and have them planted in the north quarter of the Magic patch. Traditionally St Michael was the archangel to stop the incursion of the Devil. For some reason the Devil was thought to come from the North so churches at the north end of towns were traditionally dedicated to St Michael.
