Oh the capriciousness of the British weather! I was feeling happy that proper rain had fallen after weeks without any – and then it goes and spoils it all by whipping up 60mph winds that have left shredded tulip tree leaves all over the garden. Fortunately I went around tying dahlias, sweet peas etc to their supports yesterday, so with any luck the damage will be mainly cosmetic – nothing a broom won’t sort out.
As this is my final 2009 blog it seems appropriate to look back on the year. Without doubt the most dramatic event happened on March 17th when I became one of those ‘garden accident’ statistics. Walking down the steps below the greenhouse carrying a tray of seedlings I managed to miss my footing, fall awkwardly and break both feet! Fortunately I had the phone in the greenhouse and was able to call an ambulance, but the result was that my right ankle had to have a plate attached with several pins to hold it all together. I was off my feet for six weeks just when the garden was most in need of attention. There’s nothing like a determined gardener though, so little by little over the months I increased what I could do in the garden and enlisted help and now I’m pretty well back on form with no long-term damage. Which is a good thing because there’s an awful lot of catching up to be done next year. Happy Christmas and safe gardening.
Only four days to go to the shortest day and then the days will begin to lengthen and we will have turned the corner and be heading for the new gardening year. Hooray!
I Couldn’t do Without – my gardening apron. Hung on the back of the door, it is ready to grab when I go outside. It saves on the laundry and unnecessary wear and tear that would otherwise ensue!
