A passion for gardening!

The rather damp and cold winter weather certainly only manages to draw only the more passionate about gardening outside at this time of year... others preferring the warmth of a nice log fire!! I have to admit as long as it's not tipping it down with rain I'm happy working outside in the cold - particularly on those lovely frosty sunny mornings which we've already seen in Brittany during the last few weeks when temperatures got down as low as -4 degrees!

Earlier this month before the main bout of frosts there was an abundance of late colour in the gardens here - Passion flower at its best and roses too. Passion Flower is a vigourous climber and great for covering over an area of trellis in a sunny position. Be aware though that not all varieties are frost hardy - some are much more tender and require protection at this time of year.

Once your roses have lost their flowers it's a good time to give them a prune before they get damaged by windy winter weather - I tend to prune a bit now and then more in the spring rather than doing it all in one go - I'm aware other people have other schools of thought on this .... so feel free to share your experiences in the comments section! Roses are greedy feeders so a good helping of well rotted down farmyard manure is well recieved at this time of year - placed around the base of the plant - it will also act as a good mulch too.

I try and leave seedheads in the garden as long as possible to allow the birds to benefit - they've loved all the sunflower seeds this year and seem to be eating more than ever from the bird table - perhaps we are in for a really cold winter??

Another good reason is that frosted seedheads help to add interest to your winter garden when nothing much is flowering. Even all those brambles can look attractive when covered in frost! One tip that I've found works wonders when trying to get rid of large areas of brambles before having to dig them up by the roots obviously, is to take some hedge trimmers and cut through the stems as near to the

soil as possible - makes much lighter work of than having to do each stem with secateurs!

We've certainly got our fair share here - the garden had been left abandoned for about 9 years before we arrived so it's been a steep learning curve!

L'Automne est arrivé

Now that we've had some frost, the colours in the garden this month have been fabulous with all the rich hues of orange, red, brown and yellow accentuated with the golden rays of the setting autumn sun. Despite the cold snap earlier this month though, the weather seems unseasonally mild, but I'd better not talk too quickly!

If you're garden is lacking in colour at this time of year, there are many plants to choose from to brighten things up - one of my favorites is Cotinus "Grace" or Smoke Bush which goes a fantastic shade of deep red at this time of year.

Another great plant that has done really well this year have been the Asters - there are many varieties and a good diversity of colours too ranging from deep crimson to purples to pale pink and even white - they come in a variety of heights too so there is usually something there for most gardens.

It's a good idea to keep trimming your grass at this time of year if only to keep the leaves from settling preventing the grass from growing properly. It's best to raise the height of cutting slightly to avoid the grass from being damaged by frost.

Who said that this time of year is a quiet time for gardeners? Everywhere you turn there's things to do! With the dry weather we've been having this past week I took advantage of this and cut down a lot of the dry dead stems of some of my perennials and find that as I have two large patches full of flowers that taking a hedge trimmer to the base of the stems, it's a much easier way to cut them down than with secateurs. It's also a good way to cope with brambles too - so if you've any hints or tips that you find useful - do feel free to share them on here...........Bon courage!

Hedging your bets...

BEFORE
The time of year has come for tackling those unsightly hedges, which with the prolonged wet weather during the summer have grown more than ever this year. It's worth taking the time to cut them at this time of year - this should see you through to early summer when they will need doing again. The benefits of cutting your hedges twice a year include ending up with a healthier hedge; regular care of your hedge will encourage bushier growth and you'll not end having to cut it back to bare wood because it's got out of shape plus it doesn't become such an arduous task each time!


AFTER

Starting from scratch....

It's also a great time of year to think about planting a hedge too - local nurseries are full of plants ideal for this task such as Laurel, Photinia, Escallonia, Grisellina, Arbutus, and Eleagnus. Obviously there are many more that you can choose from. If you need advice on planting a hedge, how to go about it, what to plant, planting distances between plants and how to care for your new hedge, or you'd like help with putting one in, don't hesitate to get in touch .... jardinmiranda@wanadoo.fr

Attracting wildlife to your garden...

Verbena Bonariensis is fantastically easy to grow, is a prolific self seeder and adds wonderful colour to your garden from early summer right up to when we experience the first frosts in the autumn. As if that's not enough, it's foilage is evergreen and butterflies and other flying insects love this plant! You only need a few plants to start off and a year or two later you'll be giving the seedlings away to your friends.

I planted them in a border amongst giant delphiniums and the combination earlier this year looked stunning - having said that they look equally great on their own and due to their sturdy stems are reasonably self-supporting. They can grow to a good height - mine have reached about 1.5m this year, but with the quantity of rain we've experienced many plants are taller than usual... so don't be put off. Another good thing about them is that despite their height they do not disguise other plants which surround them due to their open stem structure. In my opinion every garden should have some!

Hearty stuff in July...

Despite all the unseasonally wet weather we've had so far this year my lettuces have been left alone by the slugs.... a total miracle! The seedlings which have started to come up seem to have been spared as well. My French Marigolds weren't so lucky! I did happen to notice the signs that a Mistle Thrush had been close by with a number of smashed snail shells left behind as evidence - so I was glad I'd not used slug pellets.

If any of you reading this has had a problem with blight (a fungal disease which is brought on by wet and damp humid weather) this year which have affected your potato crop, the tip is to remove all of the plant above soil level which will help prevent the potatoes themselves being affected. Ensure you burn all the affected foilage so contamination doesn't affect next year's crops or any tomatoes for that matter. Also you're advised not to plant tomato and potato crops in close proximity to help prevent the spread of this fungal disease. You also might like to consider adopting a system of crop rotation which will help avoid crops being infected with the same disease year after year as the spores etc remain in the soil. Bon courage!

Greedy feeders...

Having already written about Dahlias, I thought I'd share a photo of some of the tubers which I've potted up and which are now growing on well in the greenhouse. Now that all the cold weather has gone (I hope!) and with the continued rain, now is a great time to plant these greedy feeders into the borders. As they grow on and develop I'll post some more pictures in time. Last year I planted them alongside beautiful tall,yellow, Evening Primroses which worked really well - especially next to the red, "Bishop of Llandaff" Dahlias with their yellow centres. Getting the right balance of plants in a border to work is a real art and takes a lot of patience and learning over time - the aim being that certain plants will really help to highlight characterstics of others that you wouldn't otherwise notice - in the same way that some people bring out the best in others!

Bean re-cycling recently?

Discovering new ways of re-using what would normally end up in the rubbish is always a good thing...something I learnt from friends Gabrielle & Stuart. Have you ever ended up with excess toilet rolls and wondered what to do with them? Well here's the answer - they are perfect for sowing into - particularly for plants that you would sow individually and that benefit from being planted out without having to disturb their roots. No need for any of the expensive root trainers that you can buy now! I've started off with Runner Beans which are now thriving outside having planted them only last week - other seeds to try are any of the bean family which will work well - Haricots, Broad Beans, Peas, and Sweet Peas too. Find a tray and fill with upright toilet rolls so they're packed quite snuggly together, then fill each loo roll with compost and they're ready to sow into. Once the plants are mature enough, no need to discard the toilet roll - put the whole thing in the ground and the toilet roll will compost down nicely!