Within a week we’ve gone from warm sunshine where I gardened in a short sleeve t-shirt and watched butterflies and bumble bees to gales, torrential downpours and even a hail storm that left the garden battered and mulched with hail. Aah, the English climate!
In the garden: I’ve been going round dealing with anything that might be vulnerable to the cold and snow. The cold frame is closed tight with a layer of fleece over the plants, the outdoor lemon is now tucked up in a protective coat and, very importantly, the mains feed to the outdoor tap has been turned off and the tap fully opened to prevent a burst pipe scenario. On a more decorative note, the early hellebore flowers I spotted a couple of weeks ago are showing colour.
In the garden: I spotted the first hellebore buds this week and all over the garden the tips of bulbs are beginning to push through the soil.
In the garden: November 19th – While it remains so mild, even if it is windy, I’ve decided to plant out some of the Aquadulce Broad Beans that I started off in Roottrainers in the greenhouse. They are in a sheltered spot in one of my raised beds. I’ve also transplanted a couple of rows of winter salad seedlings just in case they can put on some growth before any cold weather arrives.
In the garden: The cold frame is filling up. So far, there are pots of strawberries for an early crop, containers planted with miniature bulbs and pots of auriculas (which need to be kept cool but dry over winter). Still picking a few autumn raspberries.
