Saturday 31 October 2020

In the garden at the end of October - Six on Saturday

The Propagator under whose wings we shelter has been busy refurbishing his nest, but will still be keeping a beady eye on his brood.  You should see his sweetpea seedlings...

Another week of rain and wind, and having developed a mood of acceptance, find pleasure in the garden at the close of the month.  I have heard over and over how grasses are so wonderful this time of the year.  Apart from Hakonechloa and Phalaris, I have none with the lovely seedheads, and don't really have an urge to grown them here as the garden is so small.  I have enjoyed watching the waves created on other plants particularly the fuchsias which have arching flowering stems, and Salvia Amistad as they are buffeted by the gusts.

 (1) Orchid Coelogyne fimbriata

This little orchid is enjoying the rain. This plant comes from The Writhlington School Orchid Project, acquired when one of their students came to talk to our gardening club. Our Chairman bought the plant and I was delighted when Alison gave me a nicely rooted cutting a year or so back. It is my only little orchid and I ought to learn more about looking after it!  PS I put all the links in, so that at a later date I can come back, and find the posts or sources for further reading. Isn't it great that a school project has given many students a wide range of skills and knowledge through this project.  They have an Etsy selling outlet, and I may just be pointing a few people in that direction should they wonder what to get me for my Christmas present!

(2) It time again for planting garlic.  I was delighted with the success and harvest from growing garlic the first time this year.  The cloves are still firm and look like they will keep in good condition until I can use them up.  I have therefore selected the best plump cloves and planted them out.  Mr S found my marking each one with an old icelolly stick quite amusing, he now understands why I sometimes buy him a multipack of mini ice cream lollies!  I've been saving these for a few years, and really if I don't use them for something like this, I may as well throw them out. I use these to keep track of where I was planting for spacing etc., and no doubt will be checking on where those first green pointed garlic shoots emerge during the next few months.


(3)  'Fledgling' plants are enjoying the rain like this Geranium sanguineum 'Nana', newly planted a few months ago, and flowering for the first time.  Hurrah geraniums are not the go to plants for garden molluscs!


(4) Each good gardener deserves a rest sometime.  One of my favourite birds to watch from the conservatory is the Robin.  My grandma used to call it Robin redbreast, and I thought this was very strange and almost thought she was being funny using 'baby language' to big me at eight or nine years old.  Well just how wrong was I...leaning lots of interesting things about Robins from this book, including the use of the term Robin Redbreast.


(5) Every good gardener deserves good socks.  I'm starting some socks for a gardening friend, and I have some West Yorkshire Spinners yarn called 'Robin'.  A little bird told me I could sneak that in as  it is a 'rainy gardening day' activity! I have no greenhouse in which to potter.

(6)  Jo Hynes is coming  to talk at our Garden Club next month.  She has the National collection of cyclamen, and I have checked, and sadly she is not bringing any plants for sale.  



Ought I to get myself organized and pot some of these little seedling up to share? I've just noticed the two have different leaf shapes.  Yes I have some named varieties but these two  came from seed 'foraged' a few years ago.  If I had a woodland, I would have one half carpeted with hederifoliums, and the other half with coums, with a few patches for other springs bulbs.



15 comments:

  1. The garlic is beautiful and plump. Should be a great crop next season too.

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    1. Alliums generally seem to do well here, and last year that variety 'Gourmet Keeper' was good to the very last clove. I don't know the name, so I have come up with one.

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  2. My childhood story re the Robin Redbreast was that the robin had fanned the embers of the dying fire in the stable at Bethlehem when Jesus was born and that his breast feather were burned as a result of his efforts and bravery so they are a mark of its good deeds. I'd enjoy being with you for Joe Hynes' talk. I know her through her interest in snowdrops.

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    1. I haven't come across that story so far in the book, but they did mention The robin removing thorns from the crown of thorns at the Crucifixtion. The book is filled with so much including very good ornithological observations and facts. I borrowed it from the library and highly recommend it.

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    2. Jo is such an interesting speaker. I heard her at the HPS talk: https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2019/01/cyclamens.html

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  3. We have planted our garlic at the same time! It will allow us to see the progress...😉👍🏻

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    1. OK Fred, that's a good plan. I'll post on these on my SOS during the growing year.

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  4. We've been eating a lot more ice lollies lately purely for horticultural labelling purposes! Your garlic sounds as though it did much better than mine.

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    1. I think early planting is the answer. I really ought to have planted it a full month earlier as last year...we shall see.

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  5. I love garlic planting time, it starts all over again! I love eating garlic too. Love the robin book, I might have to look that one out, are they migatory, as you don't seem to see them in the summer? Stay safe and well Sis x

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    1. I shan't give any spoilers regarding what and where Robins go in July and August...all is explained in the book. There is a month by month 'diary'. Add this to your Christmas list, or see if your library has this before the lockdown if you have the chance.

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  6. Love the cyclamen seedlings, Noelle! I save the wooden drink stirrers for all sorts of different purposes

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    1. I take home those wooden stirrers too..so useful for all sorts of things. When we have a post office again, I will be happy to send seedlings or in the summer small corms or seeds to anyone who asks.

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  7. How are you managing your garden club meeting during these times? Our club has not met since March, I have held Zoom meetings since August.

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    1. We are an 'educational' group, and all our procedures, distancing etc following strict covid guidelines, with a big hall, it is possible to position the chairs 2 metres apart, and we no longer serve drinks etc. Our Geology group too has been able to meet. We had guidance from an umbrella organization covering village halls etc. and we had a task force of three from the committee speerheading this. Our first talk after the first lock down was in September. I guess the next one during the four week period will have to be by zoom.

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