Recovery after the big storm
Grows a huge variety of spring bulbs in his Northern Ireland garden.
Storm Ali very definitely announced the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. A lot of the ‘Bramley’s Seedling’ apples fell, but there are still quite a good number on the tree and, hopefully, these will continue to grow for another few weeks.
The dahlias also took a hammering, but I’ve deadheaded them and they should still recover and produce some late flowers. The damson tree growing in the hedge at the bottom of the garden fared better in the wind and has produced a good crop of sweet fruit.
In the cold greenhouse tomatoes are still ripening. Zonal geraniums are in flower, as are ivy-leafed geraniums. The recently rooted cuttings are growing on strongly in 10cm (4in) pots. The vallota ( Cyrtanthus elatus) in a 25cm (10in) pot has five flowering stems, each carrying four to six orange-red flowers. On the windowsill, lithops (living stones) are producing their lovely daisy-like flowers.
The first autumn crocus flower has appeared. This one’s in the open garden and is earlier than its comrades in pots. The colchicums are also in flower outside. Luckily, they flowered just after the storm. They’re also attracting hoverflies.
Some dahlias grown from seed are only flowering now. I’ve marked one that has an attractive, red-yellow collarette flower. I’ll lift the tuber after the first frosts and grow it again next year. The late-flowering schizostylis gives a nice touch of pristine white at this time of the year.
I grow a few plants of an ornamental cabbage – almost overnight they were attacked by caterpillars, leaving the leaves looking like laced curtains! I hand-picked most of the caterpillars off and removed them to our bird table. The cabbages were given a good hosing and, as a precaution, I’m rooting some cuttings in case replacements are needed.
A moss-covered brick at the bottom of the garden has provided a foothold for a self-sown cotoneaster seed. This seedling, growing under difficult conditions, has a few branches up to 10cm (4in) long, bearing very healthy looking, dark green leaves. It’ll be interesting to see how it progresses over the next couple of years.