7th November 2024

Welcome to the Garden in November

The gates are closed to visitors and now the work begins!! In the Vegetable Garden the Butternut squash have been so successful that we now have a freezer full of soup. All beans are finished although I did plant a very late crop of dwarf French beans which are in flower -but we shall see. Courgettes have had their last picking, but we still have Chard and Kale which surprisingly, for so late, have caterpillars on them. Leeks are going strong, and we still have Carrots and Parsley. All Apples have now been harvested- some stored and some frozen as juice. We are cutting back the Currants and Vine.

In the Greenhouse all Tomatoes have now been harvested- either green for chutney or red for tomato paste for the freezer. The Peppers are still producing well but the space is needed for the Orchids, Fuchsia and Pelargoniums.

The hedge at the back of the Iris bed has been cut and the Delphiniums chopped down and more Crocus planted in that bed.

The Dell is bright with cyclamen and the Parrotia Persica in the Daffodil area still astounds me with its beautiful autumn colour.

The beds of variegated Hosta have been dug up, separated and replanted and are now covered with a blanket of fallen leaves. Later in the month the same will happen to the blue leaved Hosta.

The Oleander are now under cover as is the Brugmansia and Olive trees in pots.

In the West lawn it’s a good time to look at the beds again and thin out some of the more successful plants which have spread too far and become overcrowded. Any surplus plants are potted for later planting or for sale. This applies particularly to the Asters, Anemone and Iris Sibirica. The Canna will be dug out later this month and stored under cover, but the Ginger will be covered with a mulch and some wire to deter the squirrels- but left in the ground. The Nerines at the front of the house are in full colour and we are still deadheading Dahlia and Cosmos and so far, no sign of frosts.

The Owls are very loud in the evening marking out their territory and the Heron is still a constant visitor. Lots of game birds in the garden and far too many squirrels. Sadly it’s time for some of our lovely Hebridean sheep to depart to ensure there’s enough grass for the rest of the flock and its decision time for replacing the Tup ?

Stay healthy and good gardening

Lynda Tucker