We are sighing with relief as rain arrives every few days. Gardening is once more a great pleasure, as I am sure several of us will admit to when you read other posts linked in to Jim's weekly Six on Saturday post.
1. The garden has perked up nicely following cooler temperatures, a little rain, and some cloud cover. The colour change had started to creep in a few weeks back, the Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire' as it feel its chlorophyll needs stashing away, do doubt brought on early due to the drought.
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| Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire' |
2. You have to bend to see these little gems, but it is worth it. From one small pot several years ago, I have from time to time split the clumps and they finally form a 'fairy circle' around the Ginkgo Tree. The Acis autumnalis have just started to come up, and strangely not that evenly, as regards to timing. Next week the whole ring will be up and flowering.
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| Acis autumnalis |
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| Cyclamen hederifolium coming up |
4. Am I scraping the barrel with this one, or scraping a fungus off a terracotta saucer? I read that 'The bright yellow fruiting bodies commonly seen in houseplant soil belong to Leucocoprinus birnbaumii, a saprotrophic fungus known as the flowerpot parasol or plant-pot fungus'. These growths are likely to belong to Leucocoprinus birnbaumii, the "flower pot" fungus. I saw this on another base of pot and saucer, a few weeks ago, and went slightly wobbly at the knees wondering whether this would be fatal, not so I read but it is the tell tale sign that I may have been overwatering!
5. Athyrium otophorum var. okanum got moved to the garden from its pot in 2024, but this year proved dire for its health where it was. This week, I decided to dig it up and hopefully with a lot of tlc it will recover so it is a question of 'In the convalescence bay' rather than 'The exit bay'. At least if we have as hot and sunny a summer next year, I can easily move it to the shade, and water it, but not overwater it! Hopefully it will look like this next year.
On the subject of ferns, my three ferns in lovely pots also looked a little bedraggled a few weeks ago. Each year I have a little moth/caterpillar which feast on it. The leaves then start to get brown and tatty. For the last few years, and again these have occupied the same pots now for probably fifteen years, I trim all the leaves back, and soak the whole pot and top in a bucket of dilute seaweed extract. It only takes a couple of weeks for new fronds to form, and I have the pleasure once more of delicate new green fronds along the shady side alley.
This was a fern that 'appeared' in the Kenilworth garden, the first one one is probably a year older, than the other two, and new ones have formed in the garden here too.
6. The sting from the sun has gone, and I felt it was time to consider a freshen up of the succulents, and with rain now in the offing, they can now be moved back to each side of the front door. Each year I have left them there more or less all summer, but this year they would have been too hot, and have been in the back garden since late May. Some have been repotted, old leaves removed and cuttings taken etc.
The balance are back in the shed or still out in the garden. It is usually 5C above forecast temperatures here, and I only move the succulents into the conservatory when the forecast is for ground frosts.
I continue to reposition, trim, edit, and take cuttings...all wonderful activities preparing for next year.
