Smaller chrysanths are winning me over
Overflowing water butts, drab, grey gloomy skies, then the garden ‘sparkled’ with a few frosts; our weather never fails to be interesting! Little dots of red are evident among the hollies; some of the berries will be used for seasonal decoration but the rest will provide a little food for hungry birds. On the back patio summer pots gave way to an autumnal display of chrysanthemums, grown on from cuttings in early spring. I’ve never been a fan of the large, showy types but I must confess the smaller, more prolific-flowering types have won me over.
At one time I couldn’t bear the smell of them. It always brought back unpleasant memories from childhood of a football being kicked into my grandads’ show plants, and the ensuing aftermath!
The winter patio plants have all had a tidy up, ready for their time to shine now the chrysanths are over.
Following a rainy afternoon’s work in the greenhouse all is now ‘safely gathered in’ and fleeced in expectation of colder times to come. Quite a few brave (or foolhardy) slugs hiding underneath pots were shown the error of their ways and disposed of.
Only the miniature cyclamen remain uncovered as they wait their turn to be on display on the kitchen windowsill. Flowering seems to be quite a few weeks later than usual this year so they may be in flower in late winter into early spring.
A pot sown with clivia seeds collected early in the year and left in a shady part of the greenhouse has a few leaves appearing but I just about managed to leave them alone until spring.
Bird feeding continues, but with a couple of magpies appearing to take more than their fair share, the bird feeders have been moved to areas that hopefully will be a touch more difficult for them to get to. All the woodpigeons seem to have disappeared – not a sad loss!
The autumn clear up appears to be a little ahead of time, but with a few leaves yet to fall there’ll still be plenty to keep me occupied. The lawns are in need of some attention, but when I’ve had the time it’s either been too wet or too frosty. I’m sure I’ll get there in the end!