My gardening diary
MONDAY We’re ge ing a late show from some of the annuals that came back from Alice’s wedding and we’re making full use of them in the beds directly in front of the co age. Because they’re in big pots, digging planting holes is problematic but the dahlias and rudbeckia will make a fine show.
TUESDAY Neil and I have become health-conscious recently and we’re trying to adopt a more healthy diet. Top of the list is to eat more vegetables and we’re thinking hard about what we can grow, apart from salads, in the tunnel over winter.
WEDNESDAY If the weather’s dry enough, there’s a last chance to harvest seeds. Late-flowerers, such as Nicotiana sylvestris, still offer abundant seed. When completely dry, it’s collected in paper bags or old envelopes and stored in a cool, dry place.
THURSDAY Annie has a ‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’ apple tree in her garden that’s bearing a massive crop. We have to go out every few days to collect the apples as they ripen, but before the wind crashes them to the ground.
FRIDAY An aster given to us by our neighbour, Ruby Kingdon, has flowered magnificently this autumn with big, deep-purple daisies on tall stems. Sadly Ruby died this year, but her Michaelmas daisy lives on.
SATURDAY Graham cut huge chunks of branches from our ‘Golden Hornet’ crab apple to use at Alice’s wedding. I’m wondering whether or not to continue the pruning now or wait until the winter.
SUNDAY At long last an opportunity to get to grips with some weeding in the shady part of the garden, and then plant out a few of the plants that have been awaiting their turn – meconopsis and astrantias among them.