November 30 2007

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After such a terrible year weather wise I was amazed at how well the new planting has done. I spent a couple of days at the end of November preparing the new beds for the winter. I have resisted doing too much around the new plants to allow them to get their roots down and established, so to some extent the weeds have had an easy time. Their were surprisingly few dandelions and docks but the nettles have really gone to town. They have spread like wildfire and I needed gloves to get them out. I also removed buckets full of violets. Violets are our new weeds. They are very beautiful weeds but do tend to take over when you are not looking.
Most of the new plants have thrived, many doubling in size or more.
I planted decorative gourds at the foot of the Leylandi skeletons hoping that they would give us some quick foliage over the dead trees. They did. Along with several fruit. Next year it will be edible squash.
I have planted 5 climbing or rambling roses along the row of Leylandi and they have all survived. Best of all has been the Rosa ‘Rambling Rector’. I have great hopes for this plant. It is such a vigorous rambler and I am hoping that it not only covers a good section of the ex-Leylandi but it grows into the field maple at the end of the garden. Another rose that is doing well is the Rosa banksiae ‘Lutea’ that was given to me at an open garden event, by the garden owner I stress, in exchange for a seedling of Piptanthus nepalensis, the Himalayan laburnum. This rose is vigorous climber, once established and bears a profusion of yellow flowers in late spring.
A struggler is the Sarcococca humilis. I got this as a small cutting from a friend about 4 years ago and I’ve been nursing it in the greenhouse since. I planted it out in spring 2007 and it is barely larger than when I put it in, BUT it is flowering at the moment. So either it has started to grow, or it’s giving it’s last hurrah and is about to expire.
The clematis have also started to get going and several have overtopped the Leylandi skeletons.
Other individuals to have done well are the Coreopsis, the Drymis winteri and the Cedrus atlantica glauca pendula. Unfortunately the Fatsia japonica looks like an elephant has stepped on it and may be a winter casualty.
Now I must finish that bower and make a seat so I can enjoy the garden in the spring.

• 2 Dec, 2007
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