Here comes Frank!

My last post was just before storm 'Abigale' and here we are just over six weeks later and storm Frank is upon us! So that is 6 storms in 6 weeks!  We have had lots and lots of rain, the weather is really mild 12C but fortunately where I live, no flooding. Northern England especially York, and Cumbria and even Manchester have been flooded more than once.
Everybody, says rivers must be dredged etc. etc. but I'm not sure much can be done when you have a months rain in just one day. We should be doing lots more to fight global warming. But yes in the meantime, ways to waterproof houses, or even raise them on stilts should be thought of.

The poor plants in the garden have no idea what season we are in!

The Musa Basjoo have started growing again.

I have had these a number of years and this is the first year this has ever happened!

I expect the February cold weather will put paid to these continuing to grow!

The tree fern is showing new growth.

The Passionflowers are doing just that... flowering. New buds appearing daily.
The fence down by the pond has about had it. The neighbours have said they will replace it ( as its theirs) we have said we will buy concrete base panels to help the fence stay out of the damp and dirt.

The Hellabores also flowering away!

 I had planned to cut this clematis back in the spring, it obviously has other plans!!

The fish are still really active and we are still feeding them, they go nuts when the food goes in, that tells you just how warm it is!

The arid bed is looking good from either end, I'm looking forward to when we might have a few dry days and I can take the cover of to have a look and make sure if anything needs water it gets it well before any possible colder weather.

Happy New Year to you x

Storm Abigail, Friday 13th!

Since all of the winds earlier this week and now 'Storm Abigail' which mainly hit Scotland but we got a lot of rain and wind, the temperatures have definitely dropped. Hubby had a half day yesterday so having been told no rain PM we decided to go for the big dig!!!

Weather forecasters can and do get it wrong and they certainly did for Friday afternoon, it was wet, cold and windy, we had sleet and hail to contend with whilst getting the 'Jungle' in!

This is what it looks like now!

I hate this, leaves and mud everywhere. I couldn't get my garden waste bin through as it was so wet and has to come through the house. So this will stay like this until it dries a bit.

So five 'nanas' where cut back dug up and brought in, numerous Cannas and lots of Colocasia and Xanthasoma (Elephants Ears). This only took an hour to do, so I have reduced how much is dug up but I would like to reduce it further.

Bye bye Jungle for now.

Neglected Blog!

My poor neglected blog!

So much has happened since September......

Mum had a fall and needed an emergency op for a replacement hip....

I got flu.....  again!!!

My back has been giving me serious problems...

So for a catch up in September..

lots of beautiful flowering dahlias, I started getting the greenhouse ready

and the arid bed was still enjoying lovely mild weather

October....

was spent 'oop north' with my mum and I didn't get back until the end of the month.
When I got back it became obvious that Tango had deteriorated and sadly the decision was made and he was put to sleep.
Such a fabulous cat, with such personality, sadly missed.

I took this photo at the end of October and as you can see the garden is still looking good.

The Arid bed was covered,

 
since this photo, we have altered how it is attached to the fence. I'm using elastic woggles so there is give when the wind blows

it is working really well.

Lots of colour in the garden, I love this Acer such a stunning red.

My neighbours Pyracantha.

The passion flower went nuts this year and we had lots of these fruits.

So here we are November 10th and my 'nanas' are still out.  This is the latest I have ever left them out. It has been so mild that I felt they where better left out than in a humid greenhouse.

We have had a lot of rain and wind just recently and you can see that this Hiniba has started to 'yellow' around the edge of the leaves.
I have found when we have strong winds at this time of year this usually warrants a change in weather.

So this Friday is the day, when we do the big dig and get the plants into the greenhouse. We could probably last a bit longer, but I have to have help to get these in and hubby has a half day.

Dummy Run

As I might have to go up north to help look after mum, who has had a bad fall and is currently in theatre having a hip replacement done, we thought to have a dummy run with my arid bed winter cover!

It fits!!!

Just need to get some elastic toggles and we will be ready!!!

Preparing for Autumn!

The jungle garden earlier this month, definitely not as good as past years, but I love big leaves.

the second bed, a bit further down the garden. I made some mistakes in placing of plants, but that is easily solvable.

The Arid bed has done so well this year even with all the rain we have had, which tells me I got it right. Ants have been a 'big' problem which also tells me it is a dry location. When I was at a garden fayre in the summer, I found these flexible green poles that all link and clip together.Which will do for this year. We have purchased a rather expensive, hard wearing clear tarpaulin which should last years and is big enough to cope with the growing plants.
So we are ready if we have to cover up quickly.

I have had a good clear out and tidy up in the greenhouse earlier this month. Now the potting bench has been moved out I will have lots more space. I still need to jet wash the glass before I put up the bubble wrap.

The pots of Agaves at each end of the arid bed, I put under the bench which holds the propagator and basically forget about them, the same goes for my  Aeoniums. They are totally neglected over winter.
But still enjoying the garden.

The Paulownia Tomentosa have done well this year!

The Prickley Pear is flowering again!

My neighbour has decided that my side of the fence is also hers!!

I will have a little chat with her.

Beautiful Dahlias

I wonder how many people hated Dahlias in their parents gardens and always said, they would never grow them.

Well I did, and lo and behold here I am growing them...

I love there bright colours

and quirky shapes

A Day Out............

in the garden.....
I have been neglecting the garden terribly ,for two reasons, 1) The Rain! and hasn't it!!!! 2) Sewing, I am so enjoying my sewing, I used to sew a lot years and years ago, but with children it sort of got pushed to one side, but I have started again and am really loving it.

So today being the sunny day of the bank holiday, I decided to go outside and do a bit of tidying up, I was supposed to finish tidying the other side of the shed, but didn't fancy that so did some snipping and chopping in between taking pics!

This is Nicotiana Langdorf. I saw it when I went round Highgrove and really loved it, managed to track down some seeds and lo and behold here we are. The only problem is, Highgroves where about 6 inches tall, mine are a metre!!!

This is Brugmansia San Guinea, It got left out last winter mainly because I had to dash up to be with mum. But it has gone mad this year, just waiting for flowers now!!

Beautiful sun through stripy leaves!

Tree spinach, and yes apparently you can eat it, great filler with a pretty pink tinge to the leaves, but next year I must remember to put it at the back of the border, its taller than me now!!!!

Forgotten the name of this but has the most beautiful furry leaves on top

then you turn them over, lots of spikes!!!

Isn't this to die for dinner plate aeonium (Aeonium tabuliforme) its still in the pot I bought it in, I haven't had the courage to take it out

but it has grown huge now!

Meanwhile down by the arid bed, I repotted the Agava Americana and it has grown and grown, so muc so I have to be careful walking past it.

The babies are doing so well too!

Lots of colour in the Arid bed.

Finally the prickley pear has been loving all this rain and is growing like crazy!!!