Tag: Sedum

Hips, Berries & More

Published on by Catherine26 Comments

It’s almost mid-October and perennials in the garden are slowly melting away. Several have tucked themselves in for their winter slumber while others are beginning to change their colours and drop their leaves. Garden jobs continue and bulbs are about to be planted in the borders; I expect there will be more to say about that in the coming weeks.

It has been a miserable start to Autumn and there’s no word that describes recent weather better than ‘dreich’. Last weekend’s storm is past history; it howled through the garden and left no damage this time. My sisters and sister-in-law were not so lucky, with damage to gardens and/or their homes. But on Thursday, the clouds rolled away and the sun put in a welcome appearance with forecasters assuring us that we will now have settled, rain-free weather for the next 10 days. Hopefully a change is underway, just in time for mid-Autumn walks in the park with crispy, vibrant coloured leaves beneath our feet. I can dream, can’t I?

But right now it’s time for Six on Saturday!

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Not Quite Autumn

Published on by Catherine28 Comments

There’s a distinct chill in the morning air and by 7:30pm, the day is slipping away and darkness is creeping in. Ahead is the season characterised by fallen leaves, nippy mornings, the aroma of pumpkin spice and tempting mugs of hot chocolate. I don’t mind rainy days as long as I know that sunshine will follow. I don’t mind misty mornings because the wind wont be blowing. Of course we don’t always get the weather or seasonal conditions that we want, but I’m already looking out warm sweaters and cosy socks, scarves and gloves. I’ve placed an order for a few seasonal pumpkin spice candles and perhaps, just almost, I’m looking forward to autumn.

The garden still has pockets of lovely strong colour, but on the whole, I can see it fading. By next month most of it will have gone and it will be time to prune, lift and divide perennials, and plant bulbs for next year. But for the moment, I can enjoy what’s in bloom and plan ahead for those misty mornings and perhaps a few lazy indoor days. However, lazy days are not happening right now, so here is my choice of six photographs for Six on Saturday:

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September – the Ninth Month

Published on by Catherine19 Comments

How fast the months have passed and how strangely the seasons have shifted, surely a reminder that change is a constant in our gardens. Whether you believe in climate change or not, it’s hard to ignore the signs in front of us when we step into our gardens. The plants in my garden are both protesting and celebrating the strangeness of the seasons. Some plants have surrendered to the heat and drought, while others have been more prolific and vibrant than I could have hoped for. Here, we had an abundance of rain early in the summer, only to be surprised by the heat and prolonged dry spells that followed later in the season. Now, in the ninth month of the year and moving into Autumn, it has been an unpredictable year.

What will autumn and winter bring, and how will I plan for next year’s planting? Will your planting plans take account of the changes to the seasons, or do you think this year was simply an anomaly?

But let’s forget about the year ahead for the moment and get on with this week’s Six on Saturday.

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Rushing into August

Published on by Catherine24 Comments

This is a very quickie post today. Too much to do, too much happening! Why is retirement so busy?!!

It’s been another dry week here, a mix of sun and cloud, not too cold, not too warm, with light winds. That’s suited me, but even so, I couldn’t get into the garden until late on Thursday.

But on with Six on Saturday!

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Rain Please

Published on by Catherine33 Comments

Heavy rain is forecast for this weekend and although I’ve enjoyed the abundant sunshine recently, the garden has quickly become like a wasteland. I can’t believe I’m complaining from this rainy country about having no rain for a couple of weeks. Frosty mornings, blue skies and loads of sunshine – how can anyone possibly be grumbling about that! The garden soil is like concrete and digging holes to get plants in has been a tough job. The garden hose isn’t enough to give the soil the depth of water it needs.

There is very little growing in the garden, plant growth is way behind and they’re clearly suffering, so I hope that this weekend’s rain works its magic and green shoots will finally produce spring flowers and allow summer-flowering perennials to start growing. Six on Saturday this week has been a challenge, but here’s what has caught my attention this week.

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