This is the fourth and last of my Garden Diaries for 2024. When I created the first one back in March, I had no plan to keep up the series, but now I have completed a whole year I’m pleased I did.
The original idea behind these journals came about while looking through my garden photos. I noticed that I had captured a lot of interesting ‘moments’ that individually would never make it into a full article as they were rather bitty: small gardening activities, little projects and spontaneous plants and insect observations. However, when taken together, these little snippets tell a story about my garden that otherwise would never get told.
Whether they are of any interest to my readers, I don’t know, but I’ve enjoyed creating them, and looking back over them, they do — at least to my mind — capture something worthwhile. I’m not sure if I will continue them in 2025. Let’s wait and see. In case you missed any of them, here are the links:
The garden is winding down, and I’m busy working on a project for a client (not something I do much, these days). Still, there are plenty of late flowers and insects keeping the garden interesting.
Cardonna’s child — It is notable, that the self-sown salvias in my garden flower longer than their parents, still putting out new shoots in the Autumn. This one came from S. ‘Caradonna’,The pond garden — With grey autumn skies and fading perennials, the pond garden still looks beautiful, thanks to the formal hedges and box balls.Sedum ‘Brilliant‘…is one of my stand-out plants this month. I have several in pots and in beds, where they are just… well… brilliant. (more Sedums here)Rose ‘Susan Williams Ellis’ — The roses continue to push out blooms through October and November. This is just one of the beauties I could have photographed this week.Evergreens — As the flowering season subsides, evergreens and topiary take on an increasing role: here clipped box balls and Irish yews are doing well.Bursting at the seams — I had only just published my article on using pots in the garden, when three of my oldest agapanthus containers burst apart. I guess the roots swell with the autumn rains?Cricket — I found this motionless bush cricket sitting among the Chrysanthemum buds. Conveniently, he was unfazased by my camera poking towards him. (more garden bugs here)Garden Spiders — Suddenly they are everywhere: fat bobbles hanging across paths. Threatening to get in one’s hair. Where were they in mid-summer?DIY project — My project this month was making a set of garden steps for a modern London flat… .Cubism — Here they are installed in a tiny courtyard garden. They double as casual seating while providing secure access to a roof terrace beyond. (Full post here)Cup and Saucer Vine — (Cobea scandens). I grew this annual climber for the first time this year in large tubs at the front of the house. It could have done with a longer summer (or starting under glass?), as it has only just got going.
NOVEMBER
NOVEMBER
Autumn is in full swing and we get the first frosts. We hold a bonfire party in the garden, and with one thing and another, I don’t get a lot of gardening done.
Autumn Arrives… and so does the chore of removing fallen leaves from the paths and gravel drive. Happily, an odd job man offers to do it for me every fortnight for a tenner. I didn’t stop him.River Lily — Schizostylis (Hesperantha) cochinea continues to flower through November. Beautiful up close.The nights draw in — My greenhouse has festoon lights inside controlled by a timer for an evening display. Here it is with the plough constellation just visible above it.White garden — The view from my kitchen still has plenty of flowers thanks to late flowering Chrysanthemum, Nerine, Rose and Bacopa. (White winter planting plan here)Rose ‘Emily Brontë’ — continues to open sporadic flowers — very beautiful. (All my roses here)Remember, Remember… Getting ready for a Guy Fawkes party. The children have made a guy to burn.The 5th of November… We were expecting 40+ guests, so set up the patio BBQ and lights, plus seating areas dotted around. On the menu: Hot Dogs, Pumpkin Soup and Mulled Wine.Gunpowder, Treason & Plot — Everyone brought fireworks, so we had a pretty good display. I was too busy to take photos of the evening though.Refurb — This old teak bench was on its last legs, but I’ve given it a few more years using simple decking boards to shore it up. Not the prettiest repair, but it has more of an outdoor sofa vibe now.Notable Seed Heads #1 — Rudbeckia look very attractive after flowering. They can be left for weeks to enjoy the seedheads.Notable Seed Heads #2 — These are the remains of Allium ‘Millennium’. I’m pleased I left them standing this year — they are quite striking.Garden Hoses — I had to repair or replace most of my hoses this year. This one is my oldest, and at 30ft long serves the whole of my front and side gardens, plus half of the back garden.New Buds in November — In the Woodland Garden, I cut back the old foliage of the Hellebores, to discover that several are already forming flower buds.Polystichum divisilobum — Clearing away fallen leaves… I’m struck by the spiral pattern of this fern. (More ferns here)Primrose promises — Wild primroses return in theWoodland garden. They’ll flower through the harshest months.Clipped Yew — I was driving across East Sussex this month, to purchase some chestnut hurdles (more on them another time), when I came across this amazing clipped yew tree. I just had to stop and admire it (and the beautiful house it watches over.)
DECEMBER
DECEMBER
The garden is going through a self-cleansing process, with many of the beds undergoing a reset. Bare earth replaces herbaceous perennials and growth slows to a minimum. Everything is calm and fresh. I help the reset along by cutting back, tying in, pruning, tidying, fixing up… Despite it being ‘closed season’, there are a surprising number of flowers to be found, although the insects and spiders are few and far between.
Turkey Tail Mushroom — I saw these medicinal mushrooms growing on a log when I was out on a walk.Winter flowers — As most of my garden prepares for sleep, the woodland garden is just getting going. This clump of primulas are awqke and bonny, backed by evergreen woodspurge.Hellebore season begins — H. × ericsmithii ‘Winter Moonbeam’ is covered in buds, a couple of which have already opened (Dec 10th)Peach Tree — I tidied up the greenhouse, removing all the fallen leaves of the peach tree. I have (at last) finished training it into alternate upright shoots (see details here.)Dividing Agapanthus — I split the agapanthus clumps that have grown too big and broke their pots. The root-balls are too tough to be divided with the spade, so I had to use a bow-saw.Cold Greenhouse — Here’s one of the agapanthus divisions potted up, along with several from pervious years. I bring all my potted agapanthus into my cold greenhouse over winter, along with other half-hardy perennials such as pelargonium, osteospermum and dahlia.Lawn Repair — A patch at one end of my lawn that has sunk over the years, so this month I filled it with lawn dressing and re-seeded it. Modern ‘recycled’ composts are often such low quality these days. This dressing was full of twigs.Tulips — A rodent got into my dormant bulb pots and ate all the tulips I had saved from last year! Fortunately, I had some bulbs to replant with: Tulip ‘Queen of the Night’.Rose Pruning — The climbing rose on the front of the house (‘The Pilgrim’) needed pruning and additional wire supports. Here it is, ready for the coming year.Early Flowers — By late December, in my woodland garden, a second Hellebore comes into flower. This is an unnamed seedling that I’ve had for over a decade.Late Flowers — Meanwhile, in my pond, the strange-looking flower of water hawthorn decided it was time to appear.Evergreens and Topiary — Many areas of the garden remain attractive on the winter months because of the evergreens and topiary. This is the display around our front entrance. Close up of box spiral — My clipped box spiral is looking good next to the front door.
Please do continue writing and posting your GARDEN DIARY in 2025 (and more)! I am an ardent admirer of your photos and texts from which I can learn a lot. Sincerely hope to receiving your posts also in the future.
Please continue with your garden diaries in 2025. I am such a great admirer.
So I beg you once more not to stop. With kindest regards, Monika
Please do continue writing and posting your GARDEN DIARY in 2025 (and more)! I am an ardent admirer of your photos and texts from which I can learn a lot. Sincerely hope to receiving your posts also in the future.
With warmest regards,
Monika, a German Admirer
Thank you for the positive comments. Glad you enjoyed my Garden Diaries!