Suddenly, it’s all change! After weeks of dreary, relentless rain, it has turned very cold and we had our first frost last night. In anticipation, I managed to give the lawns their final cut and edging of the year. You wouldn’t know it from this pic but it is mostly moss anyway! The trees are bare, the leaves swept and raked, the pure white trunks of the Jacquemontii Silver Birches glistening in the morning sunshine.
I don’t normally go in for sprayed heathers but I wanted some winter basket plants and I was in a hurry! A yellow heather could almost be realistic…..
The blue one however, definitely not! My local nursery makes up hundreds of baskets and tubs for pubs and shops and tell me these sprayed heathers are popular because they will take the weather, look colourful all winter and don’t need any looking after!
I am not normally a fan of these Cyclamen persicum either, but needs must! I was very disappointed with the winter flowering pansies last year which didn’t really get into their stride until March! These colourful cyclamen will take a few degrees of frost but hate rain, so a sheltered spot under the overhang of the eaves should protect them. This is a big pot of 15 Tulips which should take over in April/May if the cyclamen last that long!
The naturalised early Narcissus are already up so I have to be extra careful when clearing up the leaves in the borders. To be honest though, these Silver Birch leaves will break down very quickly and the worms will make short work of them.
Just three weeks ago, the Euphorbia palustris looked like this, lush green foliage and seedheads.
Today, it looks like this! I like taking photos of plants when they are dying down or going dormant, it is often when they look their best! It is also a good reminder of the natural life cycle of deciduous and herbaceous plants. I caught a family of Tits inspecting this plant for spiders and other creepy crawlies this week so they also play an important ecological role as they fade away.
One of the things about writing a blog like this is that you inevitably get things wrong from time to time. Last week I mentioned what I thought was Persicaria microcephala ‘Red Dragon’ and one of my subscribers politely pointed out that it was not! I am indebted to her and everyone else for keeping me right! It has now been re-labelled without the cultivar name which is a strikingly different colour! What I have is the species, not ‘Red Dragon’.
Thank you for all your comments and questions. I read them all and reply to the vast majority. It’s nice to know you are there!
Have a great weekend
David
Davids Garden Diary 
I really love your Saturday diary. Thank you David 💗
Thank you Pat, and thank you for following my blog. It’s good to know people are interested in my efforts and my ramblings! I will do my best to keep posting on Saturdays. Best wishes, David
I am definitely here. I love your pictures and posts. Thank you.
Thank you Anne! Good to know you like the blog. Best wishes, David
That view down you lawn with the Silver Birch drawing the eye is pristine with the frost, a really lovely view.
Hi Noelle
Yes, I like that long view too. I tried to make ‘organic’ curves leading up to the Silver Birches. On the whole, I am happy with the effect but I am too detail conscious and am never completely happy with any part of my garden!
I agree with your usual response to Cyclamen but the ‘Head Gardener’ has them in pots in quite large numbers at present and they look surprisingly good! Meanwhile, I’m sulking over a potted Camellia Sasanqua White which produces no more than three flowers a week at best…
The Cyclamen persicum are a bit of an indulgence I think and unlikely to survive in our climate unless they are in a heated greenhouse or conservatory, neither of which I have!
I am still counting the damage from the recent frost. I spent all day digging up dahlias!
Well even if the lawn is mossy I love the view along the garden – neat, but not TOO neat, and plenty of winter interest.
Neat, but not TOO neat! I like that!! You are absolutely right though, it is never overly tidy or neat, a bit like me! Gardens are mostly what you make them, but nature has a way of disrupting the plan, the vision and the outcome!
l love the long shot with the Silver Birches, very attractive. Sprayed heathers is a great idea. I once visited a country town in Tasmania and in the main Street it looks like a Kindergarten sprayed their dead Agapanthus heads in multi- coloured spray paints. it was quiet effective and a good use of the dead flowers! They were slightly obsessed with Agapanthus in Tasmania, probably with their extra rainfall, they never would need to water them in summer. The Cyclamen is lovely. 🌸🌼
Hi Sarah. The sprayed agapanthus seedheads are a great idea! I wish I had thought of that! Their thick fleshy roots do need a lot of water in the growing season, but conversely need to be bone dry in our winter in order to mimic their natural growing conditions. Glad you like the blog. David
I always wondered what the point of those sprayed heathers were, so thank you for that!