November in the Garden

Here we are November 6th, Bonfire night passed very quietly but I think tonight and Saturday night will produce more pyrotechnics. Do check your bonfires for hedgehogs and other hibernating animals.  Twenty years ago while checking the family bonfire a friend of mine found nothing, but on lighting the fire out came a tortoise. This tortoise has lived with her ever since except for the occasional bid for freedom. He is now tucked up for his winter hibernation. Just shows how careful one must be. Do keep your pets securely indoors away from danger; let them have the radio or television on to mask loud noises.

My husband is busy raking up leaves and then going over them with the mower to speed up the composting process.  Herbaceous perennials need splitting if they have spread too far and swamped less vigorous plants. Plants that are not hardy need to be brought into a sheltered area. We have agapanthus in the stable and the greenhouse and in the cellar. The dahlias and cannas will be put with them after the first frost. My Echium pinnata is now too big to move so it is a fingers crossed job and will be wrapped in fleece against frost.

I am processing my quince and medlar fruit now before the frost and gathering the apples. We have a bumper crop of Black Worcester Pears and loads of pumpkins and squashes, even after sending quite a lot to decorate the church for Harvest Festival.

There is still time to plant up tubs and bowls with spring flowering bulbs, and next weekend is the traditional time to plant tulip bulbs. We were out buying more compost this week for that task.  I’m afraid I do tend to order too many bulbs most years.

This is quite an exciting time of year as the spring seed catalogues have started to arrive. I will try not to order too many packets.

This little gem of a garden is set in an old walled kitchen garden. Not a huge area, only 1 acre, but it seems much larger. "A Secret garden" springs to mind on walking around. The walkways meander and hedges divide it into different compartments and create a variety of habitats in which to grow the great selection of rare and unusual plants.
Unusual brick follies pop up from amongst the walls and these in turn, are covered with a multitude of climbing and twining plants in which the garden specialises.
This is not just a garden, but a nursery too. Here you can buy plants of almost all that grow in the garden - the list of shrubs and climbers includes unusual plants hardly ever seen for sale in this country.