First Frost!

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It’s funny but I do it every year…think summer will last forever and I can drift on admiring the summer bedding and not do any preparation for winter. This year was no different, and suddenly got up the other morning and there was snow on the mountains above the house and all my busy lizzies, begonias etc were dead as doornails! I had been looking at my particularly good basil plants and kept thinking, I will pick the leaves and preserve them either in the freezer or salt them and stick them in olive oil…too late..I prevaricated…all gone!

Looking at Spritzhenrys “elephant” of work in the garden this time of year I feel a bit of a sham. As it is only my first real year working this garden everything has not taken off to that extent yet. I did not put in any seeds except a few marigolds for the summer and the few summer flowers were easily controllable. I have gone raving mad this September/October purloining little plants from everywhere and sticking them in so if only half take on I should see a nice colourful border in 2011. I have wrapped up my mimosa in fleece as until it gets a bit bigger it is pretty delicate when less than about 2 metres and we get -14C on occasion.

I will be playing “musical plants” as my husband calls it again. I put in 10 crocosmia “Lucifer” bulbs this spring as I wanted a nice splash of red and none appeared. So I bought a pretty salvia which has taken on a treat. Last week up come 4 crocosmia “Lucifer” exactly where I planted the bulbs, right beside my salvia……would you coco! So now I must decide whether I move the crocosmia or the salvia as neither will show off to their best side by side, I shan’t do it until next Spring but what a pain!

At least I have got my Spring bulbs in. I have replanted all my conserved daffodils and narcissus and bought some lovely new red tulips which I love. I especially the dwarf tuplips that open right out which look so nice in pots. I have also filled a couple of planters with some nice purple and white pansies as they withstand everything the Pyrenees can throw at them.

This lovely Autumn display came from two tiny plants from Lidl that I bought in the early summer and they are just now coming into flower.

I have been tidying my vegetable patch however and the spent beans (keeping the roots in for the nitrogen) went first…then the ridge cucumbers and gherkins and last week the courgettes and tomatoes. Not one green tomatoe this year, they all ripened, I don’t think I have ever had that happen before. I am always resigned to making green tomato chutney! Still in are the winter cabbage, parnips, swede and leeks. I have planted some onions and garlic for a change. As there is only the two of us I like to have lots of things but not too much of anything (if you know what I mean). A friend from England has brought me some runner beans called “Moonlight” they are supposed to be very good in dry spells, so they should work here!

• 21 Oct, 2010
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