End of month view: November 2014

November appeared a quieter time in the garden. Although the mild weather has meant that some things are still flowering that really shouldn't be (I'm looking at you nasturtiums), much of the garden has moved into shadow, and the main changes can be found in the kitchen garden.

Early in the month I took down the bean poles and prepared some parts of the veg beds for broad bean and garlic planting. I also threw on some phacelia tanacetifolia seeds to the area in the bottom left of the photo below. They have germinated and have survived two frosts but not sure if it will survive a really cold snap. But I had the seed spare and I figured why not sow and see what I reap

At the top left of the photo above you can see part of my new Brassica cage that Kevin build to spec to suit my long but only .75cms wide vegetable beds. The long sides, where the paths lay, lift up for easy access and the whole thing is light enough to me to lift off entirely if I need.

Throughout November I've been harvesting kale, fennel, chard and spinach, carrots and kohl rabi. And now that we have had some frosts, I'll be able to start cropping the parsnip in December.

I do have some winter potatoes under fleece (the pointy white thing in the top photo, to the right of the mini greenhouse) but I'm not sure they will get enough sun to do much. I have seen some foliage at the top of the pot, so you never know.

As I mentioned, much of the garden moved into shadow during November. By now the only borders that get direct sun are along the left side, the Strawberry and Herb borders, plus the vegetable borders alongside the garage. The top half of the pergola gets quite a bit of light, which might explain why the tall sunflowers continued to flower until the last couple of days.

I still have sweet peas flowering, though they finally seem to have slowed down in the last few days. Oddly, the plants looked like they were going to end in September, but had a sudden renewed desire to see the world and really took off in the mild October. Not that I'm complaining...

The Shady Border (part of it above) gets no direct sunlight at this time of year. It's not in dark shade, but it is shady, hence it's name. As it is getting stripped back to it's bare bones, I'm contemplating how I can improve on the structure and give it more all-year-round interest. In fact, this border is going to be my focus for next years EOMV, as I feel it needs work and the focus EMOV gives I hope, will help me develop this border.

There were a few plants of note in this and other parts of the garden though. A little dirt splashed, but Primula 'Guinevere' has re-flowered. This hasn't minded being in the boggy part of the border, so seems to be ok having it's feet wet.

You have to get up close, which is of course half the fun, to see the red berries on the Sarcococca confusa. And coming up at the same time are the flowers for this winter, which I think may open in December. I'm looking forward to that wonderful fragrance to lift my spirits on a grey short winters day.

And there are also the black berries of evergreen Lonicera similis var. delavayi basking in the sun on the pergola. I wonder if the birds will eat these?

I only planted the corms in October, but clearly this Cyclamen hederifolium was keen to get going.

I'm however, confused about the next plant that is about to re-flower, Rehmannia elata, Chinese foxglove. It's not meant to be hardy and it's getting very little direct sun, but it's clearly determined to have a second show. I suspect the predicted cold whether in the next week will do it in before it does flower again. Such a shame really.

And lastly, those nasturtiums. Those damn nasturtiums are still going strong. Despite 2 frosts now.

I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and pull them out if the frosts predicted this week don't do them in. I have some bulbs to put in their place, and as pretty as they are, I think it's time they gotta go.

I'm pleased to see that as the garden puts on it's first full winter coat (the first full year of the garden existing), it still has food to harvest and flowers, berries and foliage to enjoy.

Overview from the study

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End of month view is hosted by Helen Johnstone, aka @patientgardener. Visit Helen's blog for her November 2014 EOMV and links to other bloggers EOMV posts.

End of month view: August 2014

Well, August was fun, wasn't it?! Lots of grey skies and lower temperatures and then some rain. How darling. At times it felt like autumn had come early, but it did redeem itself on the last day, just in time for End of Month View.

In the Kitchen Garden, despite the weather, August brought lots of French Beans, both climbing and dwarf. In fact, it's been one of the best years for French beans in years for me in some time. This is a purple HSL climbing variety Dianah Blue. I have found when living in Oxford that this bean did well when others didn't. It's certainly taken to the Sheffield climate without any problems.

The following is my favourite French bean, heritage variety Ice Crystal (also known as Ice Crystal Wax). It is an incredibly prolific dwarf bean and is proving to give me the 'glut' I hoped for at the end of July. It is a very pale yellow-green, almost white at times, which might not look as exciting to eat as green or purple beans, but wow, it is so crisp and sweet. And did I mention prolific? It also doesn't seem to run to seed quickly and the 'older beans' still taste just as good and don't get stringy. This is my 'couldn't be without' French Bean and I'll be saving seed from this. As long as the weather improves enough so the seed can set that is.

I've also been regularly picking courgettes, kale, carrots and beetroot. And, like the rest of the country, at least going by the number of concerned tweets on Twitter, I haven't been picking tomatoes.

Nope, none of the buggers want to go red. Despite being careful about regularly pinching out side-shoots and feeding them weekly with comfrey liquid, they just aren't going red, not even the ones in my mini-greenhouse. I think the grey August skies really have had an impact on the tomatoes. So here's hoping for a sunnier September.

I was excited to see that I do have my first aubergine fruiting. I had hoped to start harvesting them during August, but with the weather I reviewed my hopes and decided that just getting some fruiting would be a start. This one is growing in my mini-greenhouse, the ones in the raised beds aren't growing much at all. So I'm hoping that September will bring a harvest, even if a small harvest, of aubergines. One can live in hope.

I'm growing Kohl Rabi (variety Azur) for the first time and it's coming along well, as is the second sowing of Beetroot Cylindra which were recommended to me by Jono over at Real Men Sow. They grow more like the shape of carrots and I'm finding I can fit in more and get lots of lovely sweet tasting beetroot.

I started rooting Strawberry runners in pots late August, following the instructions, again from Jono, of siting the pots within the patch and using stones to hold down runners to help them take root. Jono really is worth following if you love growing vegetables; he writes engaging posts with lots of really helpful tips.

I've started collecting the Pea Lativan seeds and drying them out. And I've been sowing Phacelia tanacetifolia as a green manure, in places where crops have finished harvesting.

The greengage tree is really taking off now and send up lots of new growth, particularly since I pruned it apical bud at the beginning of the month to open it up more. It is there, it's just that Helianthus 'Lemon Queen' behind it is being a bit of a bully.

The nasturtiums have continued to flower their socks off. This is another plant that has done better this year than ever before.

I've added Potentilla 'Monarchs Velvet' to the compost border. Helenium 'Ruby Tuesday', also in the compost border, has finally started flowering. Such a gorgeous colour. I seem to have developed a hot colour planting palette in this back end of the garden, under the pergola and around the compost bins. It was by accident, but I'm liking it and will reflect on how I can improve on it for next year.

Flowering in the herb border is Origanum amanum and Echinacea purpurea 'Rubinstern'.

Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' also came into flower just before the end of August.

The obelisk was cleared of the Peas that had been growing up it (the ones I'm saving, as mentioned above). This section is looking a tad boring at the moment, apart from the beautiful Allium 'Millennium' that I picked up from Hardy's Plants at the beginning of the month.

I will be planting autumn flowering cyclamen corms here so that this time next year the ground under the obelisk will be covered in pretty.

Sedum 'Mr Goodbud' continues to be the star of the Cornus Border. 

The shadier end of Long Shady Border is quite lush, but I realised that there wasn't that much flowering in August.

I do love the delicate papery petals of Geranium nodosum 'Clos du Coudray', but you have to go looking for it. Which is, of course, no bad thing, it just would be nice to have a couple of flowering plants standing out when you look at it from further away.

On a whim, I added the pink Anemone hupehensis 'Splendens' to this part of the border. It says it will grow in part-shade, so I'm hoping that the part-shade position where I planted it acceptable! I would be grateful for any suggestions of other flowering plants for late summer/early autumn that like shadier borders.

Moving to the other end of the Long Shady Border, which gets more sun at this time of the year than the shadier, shady end (there really are several types of shade!). At this time of year, after the yellows and blues from earlier in the year, it turns to a more pink to white theme, again by accident. Now flowering are plants like Saponaria officinalis 'Rosea Plena' and Astrantia major 'Rubra'. The Astrantia has in fact been flowering for months but more appreciated now as other plants have finished flowering.

I have also had a second flowering of Astrantia major 'Hapsden Blood', after pruning the dead flowers from it's first flowering in early summer.

Finally, Sedum 'Bertram Anderson' is flowering in the Alpine Wall. It is looking a little straggly this year, I'm hoping it will fill out more next year.

The light levels change much more quickly from now as autumn sets in. I look forward to seeing how this effects changes in the garden by the end of September.

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End of month view is hosted by Helen Johnstone, aka @patientgardener. Visit Helen's blog for her August 2014 EOMV and links to other bloggers EOMV posts.

End of month view: April 2014

April has brought with it a mix of sunshine and showers, all of which has seen increased growth and more colour to the garden, particularly in contrast to the end of March.

Overview from the conservatory. More foliage and flowers.

In the Strawberry Border the strawberries have started flowering. I've decided that the Salvia transsylvanica (left of the lime tree pot) doesn't look right in this border and I need to move it. It also grows quite quickly and covers the strawberries. I've also got some self-sown poppies that are getting a bit too big for their boots, so I will probably pull them out once they have finished flowering.

Strawberry Border

The Herb Border has filled out considerably, though much is hidden by the forget-me-nots. I do love forget-me-nots, but I think some editing is needed! The herbs have grown enough since planting last summer, that I can now rely on them for my cooking. Which is just what you want from a herb border.

Herb Border, with an invasion of forget-me-nots

The Shady Border is also filling out, but there are also places that are looking bare. I think once the Solanum, which is semi-evergreen, has grown up the fence more it should help fill it out. I think I need to be patient and see what else might come up before I add anything further...

Shady Border

However, in another part of the Shady Border, I need to move something. I seem to have planted Sarcococca confusa too close to Lamium orvala. I think the Lamium that needs to move, as I like the idea of the evergreen Sarcococca growing up the fence. A task for May.

The flowers of Lamium orvala peeking through the Sarcococca.

Some plants I'm particularly happy with and which have grown nicely or is flowering by the end of April are:

The nodding bells of Clematis 'Blue Eclipse'

 

The leaves of Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood' are fully out and adding colour to the Shady Border

After being pot bound, the Luzula sylvatica 'Marginata' is flowering wonderfully.

I love the airy nature of its flowers.

The alien like flower spikes of Darmera peltata (Umbrella plant), which come up before the leaves.

The pulmonaria under the damson tree, not just for the flowers

but for the many bees that have enjoyed the flowers.

The cornus cuttings that I took last month appear to be taking off,

so I may have quite a few free shrubs as a result.

Saxifraga x urbium flowering in the Herb Border.

Tulipa 'Abu Hassan' shines brightly under the young greengage tree

In the Kitchen Garden, I've started my small section for perennial edibles. I've planted out perennial Kale Daubenton, and added non-flowering sorrel, which I got from Alison of The Backyard Larder. Alison sells quite a number of edible perennials and I recommend her to you. I also have some wild garlic which I thought I might add to this section.

I've planted potatoes, Pink Fir Apple and Stemster, sown chard and beetroot, including Beetroot Cylindra which was recommended by Jono over at Real Men Sow. And there are plenty of brassicas, legumes etc getting bigger by the day in the mini greenhouse. 

We also finally finished sorting out the space between the pergola and the fence. This isn't technically our land. Long boring story... I've spoken to the neighbour and this fence is very new and it's unlikely they will ever move the fence back, or if they do so, it will not be for years. They don't mind me growing plants in the in-between space.

The Back Border, or should I call it the 'Illegal Border - immigrants welcome'?!

Legally it is their land and you never know what might happen in the future, so the game plan is that I plant only plants I'm prepared to 'lose'. This includes a couple of climbers, Clematis alpina 'Pamela Jackman', which is deciduous, and an evergreen honeysuckle Lonicera similis var. delavayi. These grow up the pergola and the honeysuckle will add some winter interest with its leaves. I'm also adding some perennials and I'll throw in some wildflower seeds. The only plant I don't want to lose is the grapevine, but I have planted this well inside our border.

Finally, there is the difficult to photograph, Dianthus cruentus, that are almost ready to flower. These are the infamous dianthus that Cleve West planted in one of his Chelsea Gardens' several years ago that were much admired. I was one of those admirers, and when last summer Sue Beesley tweeted that she had some, so I said yes please and picked them up at her Tatton Park stand last July. Twitter can be wonderfully useful for sourcing plants! Behind them are the recently planted eating pea 'Lativan' which should climb up the obelisk and be both pretty and edible.

Dianthus cruentus, if you look hard enough for the red-pink spikes

My visits to Stillingfleet Lodge Gardens and Harrogate Flower Show during April resulted is quite a few new purchases for the garden, mainly for the Shady Border. They include several Epimediums, a low growing Cornus canadensis for the Cornus Border, and Luzula sylvatica 'Taggart's Cream' to complement the other Luzula already in the Shady Border.

mmm, more plants, mmmm

These will be planted during May. And if the lack of frosts continue, we might see the courgettes, pumpkins and Climbing French Beans also planted out and growing on by the end of May. See you then!

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End of month view is hosted by Helen Johnstone, aka @patientgardener. Visit Helen's blog for her April 2014 EOMV and links to other bloggers EOMV posts.