Travels, struggles and great achievements

The October weather has really blessed us in the gardens this month. The autumn colour is improving, although the acers suffered from the drought, which caused their leaves to go brown and dry before they had a chance to change colour. Other trees, such as the nyssa, have produced beautiful bonfire tones, whilst the bees are enjoying early mahonia flowers (see pic.) The mild weather has also allowed us to complete many more jobs; border work, grass cutting, pruning etc are so much easier when the weather is favourable.

For the first part of October I spent over a week cutting the box hedging. It is a very back breaking task, so I have tended to cut hedges for half a day, and then change jobs to give my back a rest.

We have also been lifting and dividing borders, both in the Kitchen Garden and on the South Border. We have had such a problem with bind weed, ground elder and mercury that we are hoping to leave the areas cleared for a whole season and beat the weeds. It will look a bit strange for a while but I hope you will understand. This task has also ensured that we have plenty of spare plants, potted up and ready for sale next season.

It was a relief when I was then off on holiday for a week at the end of October, travelling across France with the aim of seeing the French home of Mr Berkeley’s Great Aunt, Miss Willmott. Her second home, near the border with Switzerland and Geneva, is now the town hall for the area of Tresserve, east of Lyon. We met the deputy mayor, and the two ladies who had visited Spetchley about 3 months ago to do research for a book about Tresserve and Miss Willmott. We then had a fabulous time travelling back across the country, even managing to get into Claude Monet’s garden at Giverny on the cheap as the frosts had caught the dahlias. And all the while Debbie was holding the fort back at Spetchley.

The autumn leaf collecting is also looming large, with small inroads being made here and there, although all the leaves have yet to fall. We have been greatly encouraged by the addition of a hardstanding path installed through the middle of our leaf collection area. The area has been a leaf heap for longer than I care to think about and consequently, the ground is very soft. This caused considerable difficulty last year, so I am understandably excited about the new path!!

The gardens are now closed for the winter. We open again on 21st March 2010

Best wishes

Kate

November Tasks

Check through stored veg and discard any that have started to rot.
Use any spare space in heated greenhouses for quick crops of lettuce etc.
Ensure that all tender plants have been taken into the warm, or protected by fleece or straw as we are just starting to get those nippy nights.
check guttering/drains and keep them clear.
lift and divide borders, so that perennials are regenerated for a better display. Then top dress the borders with well rotted farmyard manure, or garden compost. The local recycling centre may be able to provide compost at low cost.
Lift the last remaining dahlias, cannas, and gladioli bulbs.
Plant wallflowers and other winter displays, on warmer dry days
Keep an eye on ponds and ensure fish have a breathing hole by placing a pan of boiling water on the ice. Some people float a tennis ball to absorb the pressure of the ice and prevent damage to the pond.