Firstly a rant,
On Saturday night the RTE news reader cheerfully announced that we will all be enjoying an extra hours sleep in the morning due to the fact that the clocks were going back. However, I didn’t get my well deserved lie in. Instead my whole body clock has been thrown out of whack and I still don’t know if I am on new time or old time. Today, right on queue we were treated to torrential downpours. Winter is definitely here !
Keep calm and carry on
Still, when one lives on an island off the north west of Europe, one must be stoical about these matters. Gardening gets hard at this time of the year but some winter flowering plants are just the ticket to put those winter blues behind you. Plants to put into your Autumn pots, include, primroses, cyclamen, pansies, violas, sprayed heathers, heathers, solanum and so much more. There are lots of colours available to ensure that you have bright and colourful pots to welcome you home every day. There are other plants, such as Skimmia, Buxus, Hollys or even Fatsia which are bigger specimens, and offer an alternative to Autumn bedding. If you’re not sure what to plant, just ask and I’ll help you to make up some colourful pots that will suit your door. Also, don’t forget it’s not too late to plant your spring flowering bulbs and your onions and garlic.
Bare-root hedging
Traditionally November is the time of year to plant bare root plants and hedging. It would be preferable if the weather was a little dryer, since it can be quite mucky in the wet. There are lots of different varieties of hedging available with the most popular ones being laurel, beech and whitethorn. Bareroot hedging can be planted from now until next March, depending on the weather. The colder weather and the shorter days causes the plants to become dormant and they can be moved when they are not actively growing. Bare root plants are usually cheaper than potted plants and it is more economical when planting a hedge, for example.
Rockbarton Gardening Club
We are starting a gardening club in conjunction with Deborah of Terra Nova Gardens. Our first meeting will be held on Thursday 17th November at 11am and all are welcome from those with a passing interest in gardening all the way to the seasoned experts. On the face of it, the purpose of the meetings are to share gardening knowledge and expertise, but really they are also an opportunity to socialise and have a bit of fun with a gardening theme. We have lots of ideas for these meetings throughout the year, including plant swops, seeds swops and more. We’re looking forward to getting started.
Lynda
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call in or ring me.
If you fancy a cuppa, the Chatty Hen Coffee House is open from Thursday -to- Saturday.
Lynda
