November blog.

You did really well Shirley. I have done nothing in the garden today. It’s cold! Brrrr! What I’ve noticed on my walks though is the Fuchsias are looking beautiful everywhere! My neighbour has one that thinks it’s July! I’m afraid I took mine out, except for the tender Insulinde which is still looking lovely. They weren’t doing it for me. Niamh was disappointed as she calls them Ballerinas and liked to pick them when she came. I might get a standard one next year. Anyway…your garden is so neat and so many flowers still. I hope it doesn’t get too cold!

Very pretty garden,Shirley...I expect you have a great sense of satisfaction having done all those jobs.

Well done Shirley, very satisfying especially after not feeling well. Now you can put your feet up and have a well deserved rest!

Nice to see all that colour still in your garden, Shirley! You have done a lot of work & have earned your rest!

My Fuchsias have flowered better this autumn than during the summer! Especially the standard 'Garden News' I made last year! It's dropping its flowers now so I suppose that the end of the show for this year.

I'm thinking about making another Fuchsia standard for next year, this time it will be from 'Beacon'. I had 3 homemade standards of this variety which lived & flowered very well on the balcony for several year but unfortunately they died during that terrible winter of 2009/10.

'Beacon' is normally a hardy Fuchsia but standards are more susceptible to freezing temps. I shall make sure my 'Garden News' Fuchsia doesn't suffer the same fate!

Karen, It's only 4 degrees today but we had arranged a lunch out so kept the appointment. I finally used my birthday garden gift voucher from August at a GC, photo to follow.

Julia, I'm definitely pleased to have achieved what I set out to do. So cold today but back to 13 or 14 degrees by Saturday, I hope!

Thanks Sheila, I'm not good at resting up but shall try my best with a jigsaw puzzle in front of me ... :o)

Thanks David, fingers crossed you make some lovely standard Fuchsias.

Lovely blog. Your Salvia HotLips is thriving well in that corner & I love your Hebes too. It’s very satisfying getting it all nice & tidy. Lots of colour still but it’s gone cold today.
Good idea to stay in & do jigsaws etc👍

I have just caught a cough and cold from my daughter Rachel who had come round to look after me after I had the covid vaccination and was really ill and sick.
So I got over that and got the cold instead!
Well done you getting out in your garden and doing so much.
You still have lots of plants in flower too.
I do miss my big greenhouse to overwinter plants in.
I only have a 6 foot by 2 foot wall one now and have to bend my head to put anything in it.
My fuschia Lady Boothby is still flowering! Is yours?
No snow here at the moment and must get out in the morning to fill my bird feeders up.
Now you have finished outdoors, you can sit in a lovely warm room knowing what you have acheived.

Thanks Josie, yes it really has been a cold day, brrr!

Rose, there is a photo of my Lady Boothby in this blog, and I'm amazed to see both of them are still flowering away. Mind you, that could all change before Saturday if it stays so cold.

One of the guests at our daughter's recent wedding had Bronchitis, he didn't know it at the time, but I just think I'm more susceptible to germs these days!

I do hope you feel better very soon, take care.

You still have some lovely plants flowering Shirley. My white Hebe too has flowered again if a bit sparsely.
I have two potted fuchsias in the greenhouse which need attention. Do you think I should put them under the bench and prune them? Or would you leave the pruning till spring?
It's a bright morning here, only 1° but at least the snow has gone..:))

Hi Janey, I shall now leave the Fuchsias as they are, no watering or pruning until the early Spring. It worked last year ... :o)

Thanks Shirley. I was ok until I had the covid jab.
I thought I was over it, but still ill.
Not sure if I will have it again. Because I am on withdrawels for coming off the steroids ,I have a weak immune system.
I didn't realise that was Lady Boothby in your photo.
I am stuck in bed so hope it will survive. It is in the raised bed so should be ok.

Hope you recover very soon, Rose. I had my Covid jab this morning. Not feeling any side effects but then I didn't get any side effects with any of the other Covid jabs either. Nor, for that matter, with the Flu jab.

My Fuchsias will be treated in the same way as Shirley's only mine will spend the winter under the balcony table where they will at least be dry.

I think 'Lady Boothby' is a hardy Fuchsia. I had one on the balcony for about 3 years & it was never moved from the big square tub it was in. I'd like to get one again, perhaps next year.

I like your garden even in November Shirley_ tulip. It shows your attention and hard work. Mine is completely gone. No flowers anywhere.
We had a horrible weather past 2 days.Our area was hit by what they called a "bomb cyclone ". What a mess everywhere, power outages, fallen trees ,closed roads and businesses .Good thing is that it is not very cold as we will have to clean up all the mess tomorrow.

Thanks Shirley, I hadn't had Fuchsias for quite a few years, but the couple I bought this year are exceptionally pretty. I'll put them under the benching in the greenhouse this morning, it's -4 right now..:((
Thank you too Balc, I hope your Garden News keep snug too..

I was reading about this "Bomb Cyclone" just yesterday! I'm glad you are alright as they can be quite dangerous affairs! Apparently a 2nd is forming today!

Thanks Janey, but, unless we get exceptionally low temps,the standard Fuchsia will survive the winter in its place on the balcony table in the most sheltered corner of the balcony.

Hi Rose, I've been off-line for a couple of days and am wondering how you are feeling now? With these cold days, it's best to stay snuggled in bed ... :o)

Oh Klahanie, that's a real shame. How's the clean up going?

Janey, they should be fine and come through the bad weather unscathed. The weekend is set to have wet and windy weather, storm Bert I believe, so a few local Christmas outdoor events have been cancelled or postponed, such a shame.

We had another storm yesterday (as Balcony mentioned), but today is calm, relatively warm and sunny. It will take few days to clan all the derbies.

Thanks goodness you have a calm day after the stormy weather ... wishing you luck with the clearing up.

It's our turn now, Klahanie!