What did well this year and what didn't?

Looks nice! Maybe the chives would benefit from being chopped into four & repotted?

You have had a very good year then Honey, looks really lovely, I purchased a new lobelia from Kew Gardens a few weeks back I am praying that next year it looks as good as yours does, do you know I've never tried my dark tradescantia in the garden, now I've seen yours I'm going to give it a go, its plenty big enough so won't miss a couple of stems, nothing ventured and all that, lol, I refuse to rename my sedum, why do they insist on changing so many names, my brain doesn't accept too many changes..Great blog Honey..

Your garden looks so inviting honeysuckle and a very successful year it's had! I love your 'black' verbenas, gorgeous foil for the pinks around it. Your lobelia queen Vic reminded me I hadn't seen mine this year?? I went looking and found one pathetic little stalk with 4 leaves on, the one in a different part of the garden had vanished without a trace...what's going on? I will dig it out give tlc and replant elsewhere. Love the dark leaved tradescantia outside, a much under valued plant I think. Giving my sedums the Chelsea chop this year has made them much better behaved and non flopping. They are such a strong autumn plant and such good late pollen supply. I like your beautiful dark red pelargoniums on their pillar.

I expect the Chives will be re-potted again at the end of the season Darren. They came from a friend, in a large pot, full of grass! Many happy hours teasing them all apart to re-pot, so I have lots of pots of Chives.

Thanks Lincslass, I hope your Lobelia makes up into something splendid. These, there is more than one dotted about the bed, are in a more water retentive bit, where the pond-man lined a hole with some old liner, then stuck some holes in it. Not sure haow damp is always is, but it gives the damp lovers a fighting chance. Not sure whether I will chance the Tradescantia outside for the winter, might just split some of it and bring in and leave the rest. I did have one of the green ones that lived in a hanging basket, hanging on the pear tree, which is why it was forgotten, and that survived for two winters. More likely died from lack of water than the cold. Like you they will always be Sedums to me!

Perhaps your Lobelias needed a bit more water Resinone? I had one which was planted in part shade, but a very dry area, and that disappeared. These ones are planted in a what is supposed to be a bog garden, not sure how boggy, but hey-ho! They obviously like it anyway. I might give my Sedums the C-chop next year, it's such a pain having to prop them up all the time!
The dark Pelargonium came from J.Parker and is supposed to be a 'climbing geranium'. I did enquire last year why it didn't do that and was told it was the second year that they got bigger! Haven't noticed that at all, looks like an ordinary one to me, but a lovely colour.

So envious of your lake ... erm pond, it looks amazing! You have a lovely garden, your lobelia Queen Victoria looks lovely, mine vanished years ago, is that Ogon near it? :-)

I might give queen vic another chance hs although damp areas don't exist in my garden, that non stop hard drying wind up here is not helpful! But that's the cost of my compromise to have those views.. I gave My sedums the c.c. as I'd never got round to dividing them last year and I hate those big things flopping around smothering everything else or having to support them which never seems to work well anyway. They will flower a bit later but looking so good now.

Thanks Bornagain, the pond is coming on and now I have discovered where the waterfall was leaking I might be a bit happier with it. It leaked several times, I managed to get him back to look, it got plugged with some foamy gunge, but then leaked again! So fed up with him, I took it apart and found the problem, left it to check and now need to put it back together again. The variegated plant near the Lobelia is an Iris.

You are right Resinone about the Sedums being annoying and flopping everywhere. I have propped these, but they are difficult to keep propped as they get so heavy. Next year (it's always next year isn't it?) I am going to try to get the supports in earlier! But the insects do love them and they brighten up the garden when everything else is waning. When the pond was done I asked for a bog garden beside it, theoretically to take any overflow from the pond! Due to the design he did (no plan for me) it doesn't overflow, but the bog garden bit has old liner underneath so hopefully keeps some moisture. He did lump all the sub-soil into the hole, which later (by us) then had to be 'adjusted' with woodchip and compost to lighten up the clay sub-soil.