Back to work

The problem with work is that it gets in the way of being in the Magic Garden - it was barely light when I left this morning and dark when I got home. Ben wisely had made the decision to stay in as it rained hard during the day.

Back with Ben in the Magic Garden

I’m safely back after my weekend in North Wales. The feel of autumn in the air is highlighted by the increasing chill. The variegated monkshood has come into bloom for the second time this season. The other corner of bloom is in the back corner beyond the rowan tree

Tuesday 20th September

Today I have been thinking about my sister Alison who died 4 years ago today. I always think about her when I smell sweetpeas and she is one of the reasons I grow them. This year has been much more successful probably because I just put so many in. I have just harvested some seeds so the next generation is on route already. I have a magenta pink perpetual sweetpea and hope to grow some more preferably of a less fierce colour.

Sunday

I’ve carried on working at the north quadrant and did a bit of instant gardening with new plants - a heuchera and calcephalus at the front and a nepeta in the middle. Along the path between it and the east quadrant I added a silver convolvulus and a santolina as well as a new fuchsia

Heuchera Melting Fire

Nepeta Neptune

Convolvulus cneorum

Calocephalus Silver Sand

Santolina chamaecyparissus

Saturday

I carried on dealing with the northern quadrant and the area where the wasps nest had been. I’ve dug out the area removing all the soil & took out the majority of the plants too, cleaning their roots. I’ve replanted the quadrant although I have thinned out the original collection. As there were a few wasps still having around I was pleased that Ben decided to watch me from a far on the windowsill indoors. The blue tits and long tailed tits ignored me as they attacked the feeders leaving me feeling a little guilty as I am behind with re-filling them.

Friday

Another day at work and so less time than I would like before it got dark in the garden. On the way home today I nicked a couple of cuttings of a white flowered buddleia having passed it every day recently the way to and from North Shields. I have done quite well with my buddleia cuttings this year with the golden balls buddleia plant that’s almost ready to plant out taking the leave.

My collection of heuchera cuttings is doing well and I am looking forward to planting these out - I might have a couple to give away

Thursday

Had a few things that needed to get done today. Task 1 was to deal with a wasp nest in the northern quadrant by donning some protection and digging it out to destroy it. I have used an insecticide in a localised area and enclosed it all for the moment and at weekend will finish a compost exchange to make sure its completely removed. Task 2 was to find windowsill space for all the Easter & Christmas cacti, pelargoniums and streptocarpus plants that I have brought back from Tulach Ard. I’m not much good with houseplants so we shall see how these fare.

Tuesday

Bit of catching up going on today - life seems to move too fast at the moment. I cheered myself up by buying three little rudbeckia plants at the supermarket. I put one in the north quadrant and the other two in the back corner. They glowed in the dusk

I planted out a further set of curly kale plants which is the last ones I’m growing this year. The last set were completely eaten by my slugs & snails.

Another day at work

I’ve been at work today missing out on time in the Magic Garden as it was already getting dark when I got home. Over the weekend I’ve been enjoying a family of long-tailed tits on the suet balls. They are always a joy to have in the garden as they have noisy conversations and seem largely oblivious to Ben and me. They adopted blue tits last year and seem to have just integrated them into their family long term.

Sunday

This morning I went and harvested some more wild brambles from the waggonways and this afternoon, used more of the bramleys from the garden to add to these to make compote now in the freezer so I can make crumbles mid winter. It feels autumnal now with the leaves just beginning to turn.

The asters are providing fodder for the bees and delight for me. Hopefully they will continue well into the autumn as a little focus of flowers in the north quadrant

Saturday

I’m getting back to normal and spent a little bit of time in the Magic Garden. Its been raining heavily during the week and there is a distinct end of summer feel as we slide into autumn. There are scattered honeysuckle flowers reminding me that I need to tie it in to the fence. My asters are looking lovely and I hope will go on well into autumn