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 . Isn't it great that a school project has given many students a wide range of skills and knowledge through this project.  

(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.