My gardening diary
MONDAY We’ve used polytunnels in the past when we ran a nursery. They were always used to house plants for sale and protect them over winter. We’ve no experience of growing veg in polytunnels over winter, though, so it’ll be exciting to experiment. It seems strange to sow while daylight is decreasing, but it’s worth a try.
TUESDAY Leaves from our huge ash tree, which stands like an enormous sentinel close to the house, have all fallen now. They’re collected separately and eventually burned. They’re unsuitable for leaf mould because they take such a long time to rot down.
WEDNESDAY One of the joys of leaves falling is that you actually get the chance to study their colours and shapes at close quarters. I don’t have the patience to press leaves and flowers, but it’s a transient delight to gather a few special leaves together into a pleasing arrangement, even though they may be blown away a few minutes later.
THURSDAY We’re dividing astrantia ‘Roma’ in the raised beds at the bo om of the garden. In most cases, when more astrantias are needed, they’re grown from seed but ‘Roma’ is a special case, being sterile and se ing no seed. Division is the only way to make more, digging up the whole clump and spli ing it into smaller pieces, each with part of the plant’s crown and adequate roots.
FRIDAY Having removed the dead Nigella damascena, which flowered precociously for Alice’s wedding, from their pots, we discovered that the compost had turned green where their seed has fallen and germinated. We’ll grow them on, thin them and put them in bigger pots for early flowers next year.
SATURDAY Shady parts of the garden have first priority for weeding, since it’s here that spring flowers will emerge first. There are already some signs of what’s to come. Brunnera
macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ and silver-leaved pulmonaria, alongside self-seeded foxgloves, are standing out now from the once-weedy wasteland.
SUNDAY Just discovered a pot full of rose cu ings that have all rooted well. A couple of them will be teased away and po ed individually, but we’re planting the remainder as they’re to, hopefully, give us a multi-stemmed shrub right from the start. Ca ro l K le i n