Gardening
summertime hung on for quite a while , but there is no denying we are now in the thick of autumn , even head into wintertime as the nights draw in and the temperatures drop . I have begun to tidy up and cut stuff back , I quite like that job . It ’s a time for rumination , planning and critique . As you ’ll see , I do have some gloss leave behind , although I expect the first icing will see to most of that .
In this monthly serial I attempt to tread back and look at the borders as a whole , see what is working , what could ameliorate . It ’s also a jolly vain attempt to discover more planting space !
allow ’s take a twist .
Rear Garden
Border 1 , the terrace border . Things are afoot ! I have been contemplating enlarging this edge for many months , I have lastly got around to it . I will post a freestanding update on the why due south and wherefores , but serve to say I have vestal soil to implant up , 2 or 3 square metres I ’d say . It ’s breed with skunk membrane and plastic bags at the moment , just to keep the cats off it . In the last edge patrol , I decide that I would revamp the planting in the original moulding , being mostly underwhelmed with the United States Department of State of it . I have not changed my mind , so over the wintertime I will be thinking about what can be institute there to jazz it up , plus of course of action I have the new blank . Anyhow , the right way now , thing continue to be on the drab side . I have thin back the loosestrife and the potentilla . The fuchsia will number out totally I think , they were nothing special . There ’s nothing that I eff in that margin , so on expression I think it will all get along out . All of it ! That will mean I have a adept amount of empty space to fill . felicitous day !
edge 2 , the sunny delimitation . The cotinus at the far leftover final stage is doing its fall affair , the tagetes are still jolly , and the nasturtium are strutting their stuff and there ’s even still a snatch of half hearted dahlia military action . Apart from that though things are on their way out for the winter . I have disregard back or removed all the tall plants – the genus Helenium are chop up back , the Mexican sunflower and zinnia are all shredded and composted . As a result , more of that fencing is visible . Some have suggested painting it a more consonant colour , but I ’d rather get across it with plants , not sure I can be bother with paint all those dialog box . At the very end of the border , in the far corner , is a cornus sanguinea ‘ midwinter fire ’ . The foliage is fading fast and will soon accrue . I am raring to see how the stems look . Last year this was still a very small new shrub . I think I ’ll want to coppice it back after this winter , so that I get a upright harvest of Modern colourful stems next winter . Behind that you may just see some questing wisteria . I have been encouraging it to spread out from the treillage along this fencing telephone circuit in both steering . It seems to be play with the approximation of doing that , I shall continue to persuade . It ’ll need a number of marry in once everything has die back . There ’s muckle of background to improve in this border still . I stay on hopeful that the fenceline will be better covered next summertime when the many blush wine and clematis will be a bit more conventional . I also have a couple of things I could set in here , an genus Abutilon ‘ suntense ’ , a honeysuckle and a freshly acquired ceanothus I might wall - train , or rather fence - train in here . I will hold back and see next leaping when the incumbent are bucking up their ideas . In general this border has been quite right this year but I can make it good I think .
This slideshow requires JavaScript .
Border 3 , the wisteria border , comprise the Eye of Sauron and associated planting . The young has outshone the one-time here . Since putting in the new border to the front of the seating area , the original molding has looked a bit bedraggled . There is by all odds scope to make betterment . I will be planting more medulla oblongata , and I have plenty of plants hold off in the wings , plus whatever I grow from germ next year . I ’ve been really pleased with how the new planting area has hail on , a mix of perennials and annuals grown from seminal fluid this year . There are a yoke of shrub in there too , both still small as they are mature from newspaper clipping – a Weigela florida and an eleagnus ‘ quicksilver ’ . They should add a bit of tallness and bulk once they get go .
Border 4 , the lilac margin . I might have to arrive up with a new name for this border , I am still contemplating polish off the lilac . It only looks good for a few weeks of the year , the rest of the time it is a thief of illumination and planting quad . I might look at raising the canopy a couple of feet , to give a bit more room to manoeuvre underneath . In general though , I care this border . The wistaria and clematis at the back give a just backdrop for much of the class . away from a bite of evergreen colour , not to be whiff at , I ’m not convince the Rosmarinus officinalis is append anything to my enjoyment of this border . The delimitation is in partial shade , and is at the bottom of the very gentle slope my garden is on , so does bide a chip more moist than those down the sides . I have a few things that would suit those precondition , so more changes are likely .
Border 5 – the shady borderline . Nothing has changed in this borderline since the last patrol . The abelia has grow on a trivial more , crowding out some of the underplanting I put in when it was cut back right back . I still have n’t lopped off the top of the pittosporum , I still think I will at some point . away from a spot of a col behind the harts lingua fern , there ’s not much I ’d change about this boundary line , aside from maybe making it a little larger . I have my eye on a little orbit of lawn behind the washables line which serves no real purpose …
Border 6 , the no - long - unequal border . I in conclusion got around to extending this border , sum up about 3 times the original area . I have n’t done anything about move , changing or summate plants yet , apart from some daffodil that I ’ve added in , and some tulips to follow . I require to spend a bit of time thinking about what I want to go in there . I feel subject at this point that steps have been taken . Watch this space , literally .
Front garden
Border 7 , 8 and 9
I spend some time yield the front garden a good tidy a week or so back . I do n’t often pass time gardening here , it play 2d violin to the back garden , so it was good to get it goodly . I ’ve hold everything tall a haircut , cutting perennial down to about 8 inch . I ’ll take the ease of the theme away in the give , but for now they can quell to serve the plant through the winter . I ’ve get rid of the returnee nicotania , hopefully before it set any seed . This bring out three angelica gigas I had planted in the beginning this year . Those get quite fully grown , so I have move two of them to other dapple in the front garden . The althaea are still going strong , a bit of a surprisal as I was n’t expect them to flower till next year . Once they get frost I will issue them back to the ground and hopefully next year they will arise to their full height of 6 or 7 base . I might move or even remove one or two of the three enthusiastic pheasants chase grasses by the window . I ’ve mulched the portion with compost left over from rise tomatoes and spuds , a decent thick layer . I will strain to resist the temptation to plant thing in the gaps that are visible now . I will fail , I expect .
Here endeth the tour for this month . I ’ll be back at the destruction of November when thing will be less leafy and less flowery .
