Winter gardening...

...when possible...

Visiting Starling, comes for the goodies on my bird feeding station.

It is some weeks since I last tapped a post from the Garden at Molokoloko.   No wonder, it is winter here so gardening is much less busy than at other times of the year.   Let me amend that, less busy on the surface of things though much is happening beneath that is not so visible to us.

This is the first winter I have had a functioning greenhouse.   It is an unheated greenhouse which offers some protection to more tender plants.   Protection from frost, wind and rain.   I am trialing some lettuce seeds, and some winter salad leaves.   So far, so good.   In fact, so far pretty darn good.

Looking fine and dandy - tasting lovely too.

This seed is a winter lettuce variety.   I am very impressed with it.

Lettuce leaves and a variety of winter salad leaves

These are keeping me with super-de luxe- fresh bases for salads, and then - today, I thought that disaster had struck.  Last night the temperatures dipped lower than we have had this winter.  I went to check on the greenhouse this morning and this is what I found.

Frozen Lettuce

Can you see the ice on the inside behind the lettuce?   Click on the photo, it will enlarge.   I really thought my luck had run out but I had reckoned without these being a winter variety of lettuce.   They did perk up and I had a great salad this evening with my supper.  The variety mix of salad leaves was even more tasty for the extra cooling they got last night.   I have taken the precaution of adding a blanket of bubble wrap to the lettuces - better not to risk a freezing twice!

All wrapped up.

There isn't too much I can be doing out in the garden right now.   I just walk around it making sure I can pick up anything that has been blown over by the wind, defrosting icy bird baths for the birds, that sort of housekeeping type of job.   Later I will dig the veg garden over, not yet.

I do see that many of the bulbs I planted in autumn are beginning to push up little shoots, in some case much more than that.

Maybe hyacinth among the winter pansies,
we'll see when they develop a bit more.

There is just a stirring of life, plant life, where I planted on JP's grave.   I planted snowdrops, among a multitude of other bulbs, on his grave.   I wonder if those will germinate.   It may be too dark.   Also, I believe they work better if planted in the green (planted when still in flower).   When the bulbs lie dormant they tend to dry out...well, another case of 'we will see'.   I say that a lot in this garden.

Frost, apart from being very cold and sometimes destructive, is pretty.   Quite often it is necessary for some of our plants to activate germination.   I particularly refer to the Yellow Rattle and to the Verbena Bonariensis seeds.

Frosty seed head (Rudbekia)

The frost in my south facing garden today didn't completely melt all day, in spite of the sunshine.

Red dog-rose hips behind the little silver birch.

Frosty Rosemary and Sage.

The one thing we can do at this time of year is indulge ourselves in seed and plant catalogues.   We can plan, dream and drink tea...or coffee.

Alpen Poppies from Switzerland

A dear friend gave me a packet of these Alpen Poppies (Papavero Alpino) for my birthday in September.   I'll definitely be trying some of those.

What a gardening year it has been.  So much has happened.   Looking forward....yesterday I was given a bottle of rather decent Port....DnA - I think I will HAVE to plant that Morello Cherry tree now so I too can make sour cherry pie to go with my bottle of Port!

D up their Sour Cherry tree in the summer.
Picking fruit for the divine cherry pie.

Divine Sour Cherry Pie with Port

So...now you understand?

If you have ever eaten that Sour Cherry Pie you would more than understand.

Looking backwards...

New willow weave fence to protect the greenhouse

I painted a wall white

And hung it with Med-Inspired baskets

I picked, and picked and picked sweet-peas....

Abundance of sweet-peas

And a commemorative picture of my best friend...forever in the garden now...the garden he helped to 'supervise'!

JP...My best friend ever (of the canine variety)

Next year...who knows what it will hold?   New plans, new plants...maybe  a new puppy...not to replace the fellow above.   That could never be but now I see the bulbs pushing through on his grave...now it is time to start thinking of new life.   A home is not a home without a dog...and a garden is not a garden without a dog either. Along with perusing the seed catalogues I will be searching for that very special canine companion....

Wishing you the very best for 2015...hoping it is a bumper 'gardening' year.

December is here.....

....in my garden....and it's cold.

Photo from Telegraph a couple of days ago.
Not my garden!

Fig tree in foreground, salads behind and above it.

Yes, here's December.   So far I have been too busy with unexpected inside chores to go out into the garden other than for essential forays to empty compost, cut salad leaves or feed the birds twice a day.   I don't remember when a year went by quite as fast as this one.   I seem to be sitting with a list of things I haven't yet done, it is not a good feeling.

As far as the garden jobs to-do list there are two or three pressing ones.

First of all it's time to make festive containers at my front door, maybe I will get something planted up on Sunday.  Then, G and I want to have a go at making our own front door wreaths too this year.   Maybe there will be time to do that too.

The second job I must do this month is dig over and tidy up the veg patch.   I would like it to be more or less ready for when I want to start again in spring.   Talking of vegetables...I am enjoying fresh salad leaves from the greenhouse.   I think I will plant up a few more pots with salad leaves and winter lettuce.

It has been fun seeing birds visit my bird feeders every day.   There is nothing too unusual in the types of bird that visit....starlings, probably a few more than usual maybe some migrants from Europe swelling their numbers, sparrows, they are here all year, a pair of robins adding a touch of festive cheer to the scene...tits, and I think I saw a little wren too the other day.   Collared doves are regulars. Blackbirds come too as do the magpies and jackdaws.   The garden is not sheltered or wooded enough to get many other varieties except fleetingly occasionally.

With the colder weather I have brought inside all my tender plants.   Many are in the greenhouse.   I bought a couple of metres of bubble wrap in case the temperatures really do drop severely.   If we have warning of that  I will add a

Mandevilla

Hibiscus giving an unusual out-of-season bloom

layer of the bubble wrap to the plants in the greenhouse.  Other plants I have brought right inside my home.   Here are a couple of them swanking in their new winter residence.

Then there are are the other houseplants, some of which are looking rather good at the moment.  When it is so grey and gloomy it is lovely to have some living colour inside the house.

African violet has been blooming since the summer.

The Christmas Cactus

There is still a bit of interest outside too.   The purple sage was looking lovely the other day when there was a bit of frost.

Purple sage.

But, the leaves have fallen off the silver birches and the hazel, winter is truly here.   Temperatures are in the single figures Celsius and a sprinkle of snow is forecast over the higher hills a little north of here.  Winter is really here.   There are things going on in the garden, lots of which are invisible to the eye right now.   Bulbs will be showing signs of growth...some of mine have poked their spear tipped leaves above ground already but others are still buried deep.  We are heading towards the shortest daylight day now, 21 December, and after that we will be looking forward to longer daylight hours again.

Pity the poor Swedes near Stockholm who had just 5 hours of sunlight last month!   No wonder D has had to get special daylight bulbs under which he grows his indoor plants.  I think I'd go and sit under those lights too if I lived there.

Keep busy, keep warm and chat to you again soon. 

Autumn to Winter

...this last week  it was wetter and cooler...

Not my garden...Bute Park, Cardiff

As you can see the autumn colours are in full riot at the moment.   All the beautiful rusts, browns and golds...also russet and silver here and there.

My own garden hasn't disappointed - there has been richer colour in it this year than previously.

Dogwood (Cornus) with a garland of raindrops.

Dogwood - I chose especially for the lovely red colour the stems turn in the winter when we are looking for splashes of something warm.

The Euphorbia really must be another favourite of mine.   It thrives on neglect and provides great structure and colour year round.  

Euphorbia

Hazel  has a wonderful mellow yellow as the leaves begin to fall.

Hazel

No, I certainly can't complain that there is no colour in the garden at the moment though I know it has a way to go to maintain interest all year round.   It is a good start, it is still a young garden, only in its third season.

Winter bird visitors have increased this week.   I think there will be more now the westerlies are lying quieter for a few days while easterlies blow in bringing the European migrants with it.

Starlings and sparrows

I have noticed a robin frequenting the feeders too - and today I caught a fleeting glance of a wren.  The collared doves are regulars.   Little blue tits come regularly.

Collared dove 

But with JP gone the neighbouring cats also come.   You can't blame them, cats will do what cats will do.   The birds seem to know when one is on the prowl.

This week I will be away so I won't be doing much in my garden.   I have taken down the sweet-peas with Jonah's help.  Most tender plants are stowed in the greenhouse.   The greenhouse needs a bit of sorting out but it can wait one more week.   I am eating salads from it regularly but I need to make room for some plants from G & D's garden and I think I will put my little fig tree in there for this winter.   I have seen them winter out in the garden here in the south of Wales - I think I'll give mine another nursery year undercover this winter.   It isn't the cold so much as the wet I want to protect it from, excess dampness and water logging are what it hates.

Pot of colour

I am taking a small bag of mixed bulbs with me to Mum.   I hope to plant them up for her and J to enjoy from January onwards to maybe April or May.   By planting a variety of bulbs in sequence in a big enough pot there should, in theory, be a succession of flowering spring bulbs for a few months.  Now is the time to plant bulbs....it is still not too late.  Here is how to plant a container of various bulbs if you want to try this trick too.

Let me leave you with one more picture of autumn colour, not in my garden but nearby in Kenfig Nature Reserve, a wonderful flame of colour among the browns and greys of the dunes....

I am not sure what it is, maybe a very young oak.

Meet you hear again next week or maybe in 10 days as I am away I anticipate I won't have very much garden news next Sunday having only got back that afternoon from Cornwall.

But...see you soon....and will be thinking of Christmas containers, Christmas colours, Christmas wreath making and Christmas decorations...not to mention Christmas bird feeding....lots to think about.

See you soon.

Making the most....

...a couple of hours in the November sunshine....

Froggy the Shed Radio.
(It was a gift from Sarah and Chris when they were little,
supposed to be a shower radio but does an admirable job as
a shed radio.)

There is still a lot of putting to bed and tidying up to do in the garden.   This morning was the perfect opportunity to get on with a few of the jobs.   I tuned the Shed Radio (aka Froggy - above) to Classic FM and got on with enjoying the music and the sunshine.

First I did a bit of seed gathering from the Agapanthas - I want to try and grow some from seed.   I don't know how successful I will be...we'll see.

Agapantha Seed Heads

Then  there was some composting of old plants past their fruitful usefulness.  And a bit of weeding, the ground soft enough to aid my war on dandelions and other tough rooted unwanteds.

After that, a bit of transplanting of Euphorbia which had self seeded.   I promised Claire one for her garden.   After all, they are not fussy about conditions so long as they get a bit of sunshine (this variety), otherwise they seem to thrive on neglect and are perfect for a busy Mum trying to establish a bit of colour in her garden.   There is something very satisfying about being able to 'give away'  plants, especially after the barren start this garden was in three and a half years ago.  The Euphorbia will have almost luminous lime yellow-green flowers in about late February early March....just when we are looking for a bit of fizz to brighten our grey days.

Euphorbia, the big one is about 2 years old -
and the little ones self seeded from adult this summer.

Then I planted the Buddleja  in its permanent position.   At least, I think it will be permanent.   It should grow big and busy, which I am hoping will break some of the wind down this fence where it hammers into the greenhouse.

Buddleja, it has grown even since I received it
a few weeks ago.

It was lovely to be outside grubbing around in the dirt!   The autumn colours are still a little bit evident, especially in the grapevine.

Autumn reds painted on the grape vine

And in the remaining leaves of the silver birches, also their bark is now mature enough to take on the lovely silvery sheen which glows at this time of year.

Little silver birch

The slightly bigger silver birch

The tree on the left is slightly smaller than the one on the right, slightly younger as the bark has not really turned silver yet.

The cyclamen on JP's grave are really doing very well.   It is a very pretty spot here, sheltered too.



It is lovely to have trees in the garden.   I have missed trees since I left my Stur garden in Dorset as this one had none in it originally.   These aren't very big yet but already they are adding impact.   I loved to see the Robin hopping among the branches of the right hand tree this morning.

One of the first shrubs I planted, those three odd years ago, were the Red Dogwood (Cornus) - this year they are big enough to give a lovely splash of red to the front of the patio.   Earlier their leaves were reddish purple and their berries snow white, very pretty and very satisfying when all is grey.

Dog wood (Cornus), planted 3 years ago this month.

Another very satisfying autumn plant has been the Rosa Rugosa.  Mine has the snow white flowers - it was superb this last summer. The nice thing is the roses make wonderful red hips and the leaves go buttery yellow in the autumn.

Rosa Rugosa hips

My aim is to be able to have a bit of seasonal colour and interest in the garden all year round.  I have to learn as I go along...it is so much fun, especially when there are little successes.

Gardening is such a wonderful therapeutic pastime - even when I don't feel like going out into the damp and cold, or scorching heat, I am always glad I made the effort when I do... I feel so much more alive for doing so.

Cyclamen in all their glory,
on JP's grave

Little yellow rose, Bride of Sighs
still covered in fragrant busd

The cyclamen seem to thrive in this garden.   They are quite one of my favourites.   I never had much success with them in South Africa as it was far too hot for them  to survive  for long there.  Here they die back after spring and come out again in autumn...perfect for a bit of colour at this time of year.


Lastly I just checked that everything was OK in the greenhouse.   I really must make it a priority to get everything ship shape in here this week.   At the moment everything is just put in as best  it can fit.   It needs sorting out, some re-potting, some brought into the house...and so on and so forth.   The winter salads are doing OK.   Look at the winter lettuce in the little pots on the gutter shelf.

Winter lettuce in the hanging gutter shelf

Everything is a bit higgledy-piggledy

What I do notice when I open the door of the greenhouse is the most wonderful aroma from all these plants...it is a sensational treat in itself.

Now I hear the thunder rumbling against Mount Margam...time to call it a day.   Time to have a deep soak in a hot bath and plan the week ahead.

See you hear again next week, I'm sure there will be more to tell you.

Grapes....

...anyone?

First tiny bunch from my grapevine

What a wonderful surprise.   Chris found these on my vine yesterday.   The vine was grown from a cutting of my grapevine in Stur originally given me by Mother.  I'm so glad it is doing well here.   Its sister is in a place that is too exposed to the wind.   I plan to put up some protection or, failing that, move the plant.   The cuttings were taken three and a half years ago.   This is gardening at its best, when cuttings 'take' they save potentially £ and £.   In this case, small grape vine as dry root stock would be typically £10 each...but mine cost me not a thing.

November already!

Gardening programs on TV are being wound down...no more new episodes till next spring.

But is November time to relax completely in the garden?

I think there are less daylight hours to be outside working.   As far as I am concerned there is still quite a bit to do.   Chris visited briefly this weekend and as I was showing him around the developments since he'd last visited in the spring I noticed at least 4 or 5 jobs that I should tackle.

These need potting up for a bit of winter colour

I will need to make space in the greenhouse to bring in other tender plants.   I have quite a collection of pelagoniums grown from cutting.   Gels has some too which I should collect and store for her too.  Also the fuchsias need protection from the worst of the elements.

The vegetable patch needs digging and re-planning completely.

The magnificent sweet-peas need to be removed, they really are over now.   I'll miss them but new ones next year will be all the sweeter for the anticipation.   I could sow autumn sweet-pea seed now if I want to get a head start on the season next year.   I will think about it, probably won't bother though.

The Mound needs weeding and the Marguerites need splitting.   Anyone local reading this like a few for their garden?   I discovered they will carry on flowering again and again if you deadhead them.   In fact you can brutally cut them back half way through summer and very soon a new flush of flowers will reward your tough treatment.

Marguerites in the summer

I must plant the new Buddleja and the little Black Beauty in the ground and a new pot, respectively.

L-R: Black beauty and Buddleja

Yes, there is a lot to do out there.   The weather, which has been unseasonably warm, even breaking all records on Friday, is set to drop to the more normal November temperatures this week.   Maybe some parts of Wales will get their first frost....

Meantime in some parts of the northern hemisphere some of us are lucky enough to go gathering mushrooms...yummy.   You do need to know your right from wrong ones if you do this.   I don't know enough about them to risk mushroom foraging...

Maybe a child on your shoulders is
absolutely necessary, I must ask.
(Photo from Dn
A)

It is going to be a busy week ahead in the garden.   Here is a link to some ideas about what to do in your garden this November.

Virginia Creeper in my garden this month.

Happy gardening everyone.