Happy New Year

Woo Hoo It's 2016!

Wishing you all the very best for a very happy year.

End of November

We have had a LOT of wind and rain in the past couple of weeks with the just the odd dry spell. When we did have an occasional break in the clouds the sun shone through and lit up the grasses and seedheads in our gravel garden.
Most flowers are well and truly over now but there is still beauty to be found in the fading flowers and drying grasses. I'm going to leave these alone as long as possible so that the birds and insects can find food and shelter within the plants.

I hope you are still enjoying some lovely plants in your garden this autumn.

Growing poppies from seed

It's so easy to grow Poppies. These are the unripe seed heads of Papaver somniferum.
There is no point collecting seeds from pods like this because they are still unripe and won't grow.
You can read more about when to collect the seeds at Country Garden UK

It's worth waiting then collecting ripe seed because Poppies are a lovely addition to any garden. They come in all shades of pink and red from the palest pastel pink, through bright pink to deepest red.

Do you grow poppies in your garden?

I'd love to know which is your favourite.

Cynara scolymus

When autumn sets in it's good to have some sturdy plants for texture and form in the garden.

These are Artichokes Cynara scolymus 'Green Globe' and they are mainly grown for their large edible flower buds. You don't have to restrict these to your allotment or veggie patch though. Artichokes are decorative enough to be grown in garden borders with shrubs, perennials and grasses. When everything else is looking battered by the wind and rain the thick fleshy scales of these plants still look attractive.

Artichokes are easy to grow from seed. Choose a nice sunny spot and keep them well watered. They will clump up and live for several years (protect in winter if your garden is very cold) until they eventually run out of steam. 

Do you have any plants with distinctive textures in your garden?

Sedum spectabile

The faded seedheads of Sedum spectabile take on autumns rusty tones. 

I think that it's well worth keeping the fading flowers on some of your perennial plants as long as their stems remain stiff. These dying stalks provide texture, colour and interest for a little longer and on a foggy/dewy or frosty morning they are beautiful. 

In addition the seeds they produce provide food for birds and other small creatures. Spiders spin their webs between the plants and tiny beetles find a home inside the seed casing.

Do you keep the faded flowers and seed heads on your plants in autumn? I hope you are enjoying the beautiful colours and textures in your garden and neighbourhood this week.   Gillian 

Colours of November

It's November and there are big changes in the garden. Now the leaves are turning every shade of gold and brown and food for wild birds is becoming scarce in the hedgerows. I guess it's down to us to supply some bird seed and fruit to keep them going. I wouldn't want to be outside all night in this weather without food or shelter. Would you?

You can read more about some of my garden visitors at November Camouflage.

Thanks for reading, sharing and commenting.   Gillian

Ginkgo biloba is Looking Good

Ginkgo biloba has the most amazing buttery yellow foliage in autumn. What could be more perfect? What a combination...clear blue sky and bright yellow leaves.

I'm making the most of the mild weather before the cold sets in.

What's happening in your garden this week?

Long Flowering Annuals

It is November and some of my summer flowers are still going strong.

Particularly good at the moment are Cosmos, Salvia viridis and Scabiosa atropurpurea.

Visit my website to see more about how I put this lovely bunch together. Are you still cutting flowers from your garden too?
Happy Gardening. Gillian.

Seed Heads

It's tempting to tidy up the garden in November. If you can then please leave a few seed heads and stalks to provide winter homes for wildlife. They hide in all sorts of crevices to shelter from the wind and cold weather. Even snails need a little protection in winter! Thank you. To read more about THE GARDEN IN NOVEMBER why not visit my website.

Parthenocissus quinquefolia

The deciduous climber Parthenocissus quinquefolia has five leaves on each stalk. They turn the most brilliant shade of red in autumn to make a spectacular show for a couple of weeks. To read more about how easy this plant is to grow see LOOKING GOOD 30th OCTOBER 

I hope you have some lovely autumn colour in your neighbourhood or garden this week. Gillian

Food for Insects

Dahlias are brilliant for providing food for Bees, Butterflies and other insects in autumn.

Plants with single flowers are closest to the original species (like this yellow dahlia here) and are best of all. They provide a nice flattish landing pad for the insects which means that all the pollen and nectar is easy for them to find.

I must admit that I do grow lots of other Dahlias with many more petals because I find them very attractive but it's clear to see that they won't be much use to most garden wildlife. Earwigs like to hide inside the folded petals but these fancy cultivars are pretty much useless as a food source for insects. In the vase full of Dahlias above you can see that a passing bee has landed on the only flower with an open centre. The others just aren't suitable as a food source.

Did you know that butterflies like to feed on rotting fruit too? So if you don't have suitable flowers for them you can offer them a few pieces of apple or blackberries instead.

Do you grow Dahlias in your garden? 

I hope you are enjoying a lovely mild autumn in your garden too.

Happy Gardening    Gillian.

Bramley Apple Tree

We are lucky enough to have a lovely Bramley Apple tree in our garden. 

We planted it years ago... our children chose their favourite fruit trees when we moved to this new house and garden. It was tiny when we planted it, just a whip costing £4. Now it is very productive giving us baskets of crisp juicy apples for baking our favourite puddings. We all love delicious apple pies and crumbles with home made vanilla custard and of course GRANDMAS APPLE CAKE is the perfect autumn treat too.

Do you like the idea of growing and eating your own produce? If so I can thoroughly recommend planting a couple of your favourite fruit trees. They are inexpensive to buy and very easy to grow.
Now is the right time... autumn is the ideal time to plant trees.

Have you planted fruit trees in your garden?

Thanks for visiting I hope you enjoyed reading.

Until next time Happy Gardening!

Cotinus coggygria

If you are very lucky you will catch a glimpse of a beautiful shrub just at the right moment... just after the morning rain when the sun reappears. I spotted this Cotinus with dramatic purple foliage in a nearby garden.

You can see more photos on my website Country Garden UK .com

Do you have shrubs with striking leaves in your garden?

Hydrangeas for Autumn Flowers

October is the best month to see some beautiful Hydrangeas in flower.
You can see lovely mature specimens in gardens open to the public
and good garden centres and nurseries have them for sale too. 

You can read more in my blog post Hydrangea 'Silver Dollar'
I hope you still have lots of lovely flowers in your garden this autumn.

Do you grow Hydrangeas?

Photographing Dahlias

The same Dahlia photographed from different directions .

Which do you prefer?

As usual you can read more about Dahlias on my website Country Garden UK .com

Looking Good in October

UK Weather in October

It’s starting to feel much cooler now and we can expect maximum daytime temperatures of around 13 ̊C. At night the temperature falls slowly reaching just 5 or 6 ̊C by dawn.
Here is Lancashire usually have our first frosts at the beginning of October and all parts of the UK can expect at least a couple of frosty days this month. Days are much shorter and even on clear sunny days the sun sets early. We can expect just 90 hours on sunshine this month which is less than half the sunshine we see in July.
Low pressure weather systems bring plenty of rain showers and occasionally heavy downpours. On average there are 15 days in October with some rainfall. Occasionally blasts of Arctic air reduce temperatures and send snow falls to the high ground in Scotland and the north east.

October in the Garden.

October is great for planting container grown trees and shrubs, biennials and perennials. Bare root plants are usually available to buy now in plant nurseries and good garden centres. As long as the ground is not frozen it should be easy to work and your new plants will have several months to establish a good root system before they burst into full leaf and flower next spring.

Growing:

• Harvest fruit and vegetables.
• Collect and save seed as it becomes ripe. Leave some seed heads on for winter.
• Take hardwood cuttings of deciduous shrubs such as buddleja, cornus and roses.
• Dig over empty areas and plant trees, shrubs and perennials.
• Plant new evergreen hedges. Trim established evergreen hedges.

In the greenhouse:

• Sow the seeds of hardy annuals such as Sweet Peas for early flowering next year. Save half the seeds for sowing in spring.
• Pot up some herbs such as parsley for use in your kitchen over winter.
• Lift tender plants and keep them in a frost free greenhouse over winter.
• Plant spring flowering bulbs such as alliums, lily and tulip bulbs.

Wildlife:

• Leave some seed heads on your more sturdy plants throughout autumn and winter to provide seeds for wild birds.
• Leave some leaves and twigs in a quiet dry place such as under a hedge to provide shelter for hedgehogs and other small mammals.

Click this link to see more articles GARDENING IN OCTOBER  

What's happening in your garden this month?  Happy Gardening.

Blue Beard

Bees and Butterflies love Caryopteris. It's a brilliant shrub to follow on from Lavender.

You can read more in my blog post HEAVENLY BLUE.

I hope you still have lots of lovely flowers for the insects in your garden.

Lavender and Bees

Buddlejas are Best for Butterflies

There are so many plants we can pick to grow in our gardens that sometimes it's hard to choose. Buddleja is one of the easiest shrubs to grow. It is very rewarding in terms of flower production in late summer. There are other benefits too .Each flower spike is actually made up of hundreds of tiny tubular flowers. Bees, butterflies and many other pollinating insects go mad for them. On a warm sunny September day you'll see butterflies clustering around Buddleja bushes to feed.

So if you want to attract beneficial insects to your garden then Buddleja is Best!

I've already mentioned that growing Buddleja plants is easy. But what about taking cuttings? If you know someone with a beautiful Buddleja in their garden then ask them for a few cuttings when their plant has finished flowering. Click this link to show you how. Success with Cuttings

As usual you can read lots more on my website Country Garden UK .com

Keep the Colour Going

Heleniums come in all shades of yellow, orange and red. These are some of the brightest I've seen, especially on a sunny day. They are hardy perennials and are brilliant for a splash of late summer colour in your garden. What's more the bees and butterflies love them too.

Not so Mellow September.

You can read lots more about Heleniums at Country Garden UK

Just type Heleniums in the search box on the blog.

I hope your garden is colourful this sunny September. 

The Best Sweet Peas

Summer is drawing to a close but my Sweet Peas are still producing some of the most beautiful blooms. I must admit that they are running out of steam now that summer is almost over. Shorter days and cool nights let the plants know that they need to start producing seeds before it's too late.

Young vigorous Sweet Peas produce lots of flowers, A few months down the line not as many flowers are being produced and their stems are becoming shorter.

This year I have had the best sweet peas. Every year I grow different varieties and they are all lovely but this year something magical happened with the colour combination I put together.

Click here to see the Sweet Peas I grew this year or to find out How to Grow Sweet Peas
And there's lots more about Sweet Peas on my website Country Garden UK

Which are your favourite Sweet Peas? I would love to know.

Dragonflies in the Garden

There are some beautiful golden dragonflies in the garden today. They dart about over the still surface of the pond and quickly skim some of the nearby hedges buzzing with wildlife. They are hunting for smaller insects to eat. It's frustrating that they fly so fast but even a glimpse is worthwhile. After all they need to dart out of the way of wild birds also looking for breakfast!

They are amazing creatures.

Dragonflies are fascinating to watch and if you are lucky and keep quite still they will return to the same perch over and over again. In this case the insect is perched on a ripening seed pod of one of our native wild flowers Iris pseudacorus, the Yellow Flag Iris.

If you would like to see more just click this link to Country Garden UK.

I hope you are enjoying this sunny September morning.

See Through Plants

In a country garden it's good to have beds and borders that don't look to manicured. If you want a relaxed feel to the garden then a natural look is often the way to go. One way to achieve this country garden style is to grow what I call See Through Plants towards the front of a border. The best plants for this are tall but not solid, they have slender stems that move with the breeze and you can easily look through them to see what's on the other side.

Many See Through Plants are at their best in gardens around the UK right now. Teasels, Verbena bonariensis, grasses such as Miscanthus and Stipa gigantica and even tall annual flowers such as Ammi and Cosmos all fir the bill.

You can see more at Country Garden UK

Do you grow any See Through Plants in your garden?

September 2015

A new month always means a fresh start for me. There's a list of things to do, places to go and people to see. And what I really want to do is spend some more time in the garden.
You can see my Top Ten Gardening Jobs for September at Country Garden UK if you would like to read more.
What are your plans for September?