My gardening diary

MONDAY

Having collected seed from Selinum wallichianum, I wanted to try an experiment. I’m sowing two half-trays: one will come under cover in the greenhouse, the other will live outside. I want to see if cold will break the seed’s dormancy, or whether warmer conditions will speed up germination.

TUESDAY

Digging up hemerocallis to divide them. We had very little trouble with hemerocallis gall midge last year, though it was disastrous for some gardeners. The only treatment is to pick off buds and destroy them. WEDNESDAY

We’d planted out a collection of varieties of crocosmias new to us in one of the small beds close to the kitchen. They’ve grown so successfully that they’ve become congested. We’ll dig them up, take off the top corms (they’re the productive ones) and pot them up three to a half-litre pot and plant out in the spring. THURSDAY

It was so enjoyable growing flowers for Alice’s wedding that it ought to become the practice here at Glebe Cottage. Trying to plan when to sow and what to sow takes some doing. Larkspur, calendula and love-in-a-mist can all be sown this autumn and grown on in pots.

FRIDAY

Posting photos on Instagram and Twi er of our seed-grown dahlias, we had a response from Dahliagardenmx. Their garden is in Mexico City and their images of species dahlias are mouth-watering.

SATURDAY

We grow very few houseplants but find streptocarpus very rewarding. They’re also good fun to propagate from leaf cuttings. Most of our plants come from Dibleys Nurseries in North Wales, who are masters at this genus.

SUNDAY

Collecting all the biggest ‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’ from our tree. None of them are huge despite our making an a empt to thin them earlier. They should store well and take us into next spring.