The Dark Days of Dank December
Friday, December 23, 2016
Every December I struggle to find enough items to make for
interesting reading in the monthly news. It always reminds me of an
event that took place a long time ago on the relatively new BBC
radio News Broadcasts. At 6.30 pm on April 18th 1930 the
announcer introduced the news but said that, as there was no news,
piano music would be played instead!! In our News and
social media obsessed age I find it rather refreshing! (To
read more about this fascinating event, type "The day there was no
news" into your search engine.)
I am not yet however resorting to piano music, nice as
that would be. So stay with me for the last publication of what
turned out to be a much better year than we could ever
have imagined when I was in hospital during
January and February. My cancer remains stable and although
that could change at any time, it is the best possible way to end
the year.
Weather
As at the time of writing (21st) it hasn't been that bad a month
especially when compared with the non - stop rain a year ago when
we were well into a period of 77 consecutive days with rain.
However it has been very dismal at times and dull; dark too as the
shortest day loomed. Very cold to start the month with a min of
-7.5C on 1st but quickly getting warmer to a max of 15.1C on 7th
and 9 other days above10C. 11 rain days
A superb full moon mid month was one of the best of the
year and fortunate that we had clear skies to enjoy it
Rising yellow/orange it slowly turned to the more
familiar white
Garden update and what's looking good?
The relatively stable weather gave me a great opportunity to
complete many outdoor jobs, the key one being the completion
of cutting back with a hedge trimmer, all the 17 different borders
in the garden.
It is a major task requiring the removal of up to 500 plant
supports before I can even start! A small amount of material has
already been cleared away but there is still plenty to cart
away.
I do love the opportunity for
the occasional bonfire to dispose of the material when it is dry
enough.
Linked to the clean up is the careful cutting back of
the old leaves on all the 200+ hellebores around the gardens
ensuring not to cut off the emerging flowers.
A Clump of 9 large plants before cutting
back
All that is left after cutting back! Trust me
there are plenty of emerging flower buds left in this
group.
It is a long time since the vegetable beds were limed, so apart
from those destined for potatoes next year (lime creates scab), all
the other beds were treated with a standard application of lime
for good loam soil - 16ozs per square yard.
Polytunnels and greenhouse have all been cleared up and gas
heaters primed and ready for action. We have been able to ventilate
regularly to reduce the build up of botrytis in the humid
conditions. It is not unusual to have readings of above 75%
humidity on mild rainy days.
My weather monitor in the large tunnel showing humidity
today of 81%. Sorry about the poor picture quality caused by
reflected light on the glass
Last month I mentioned that we were still cropping outdoor
lettuces and salad leaves and this continued well into December
until yesterday when I picked the last harvest of mixed cut
and come again lettuce, rocket, mizuna, leaf mustard and a fine
iceberg lettuce "Lakeland". Back to the supermarket "pillow packs"
from now on!
There are only 6 flowering plants in the garden:- the
incomparable iberis "Betty Swainson" I wrote about last month. 1
hellebore x hybridus and 1 slug infested helleborus niger, quite an
achievement to have one in flower for the festive season ( this
time last year there were 47 hellebores in flower). Helleborus
foetidus. A very late flowering on liriope muscari
and the current star of the garden mahonia x media
"Charity"
Whatever the winter this is always the first hellebore
to flower in the gardens
The helleborus niger in the garden was so
pathetic it wasn't worth a picture! This is what it should look
like. A potted plant from one of the cold frames. The variety is
"Christmas Carol" which I find very floriferous and the plant gets
stronger each year. This form of hellebore can be difficult to
please and in many cases short lived.
The first primrose to flower - this one is a creamy
white.
Several helleborus foetidus plants from seed which found
a niche in the sparse soil on top of a wall. Great foliage and lime
green flowers. Not long lived but generous with its
seeds.
Mahonia x media "Charity"
Great heady perfume which is a magnet for hive
bees, followed by clusters of purple berries in spring. Vicious
spines on the leaves!
Not a rose to be seen which is most unusual as there are
usually a few in flower into December. The period of sharp frosts
appears to have devastated all the developing buds.
There is however a limited amount of foliage plants to
admire. A nice contrast between hellebore, ferns and cyclamen
leaves. No cyclamen coums yet in flower.
Arum italicum "Marmoratum". It would be nice if
the berries were still there but the birds had the lot in the cold
spell! The plant is still a lovely feature throughout the winter,
especially with snowdrops and cyclamen coum growing through
it.
As usual the refuge of greenhouse and tunnels holds some
choice flowers, more than justifying the costs of heating
them.
Salvia leucantha dug up from the garden last month still
flowering well in a large pot. It is still producing new flowers
and makes quite a statement at 4 feet tall.
Getting bigger and better every year are these
pots of velthemia grown from seed 4 years ago. Wonderful deep green
shiny leaves set off the flowers beautifully.
Almost a rival to the velthemia is this wonderful
dark leaf of colocasia "Black Magic"
Widlife and countryside
"Home birds" in abundance but as yet no winter migrants in the
form of fieldfares or redwings. You can always rely on the bird of
many Christmas cards to put in an appearance whenever you are
working in the garden and have the camera to hand!
This cheeky chap wasn't so keen on this pic. and asked
me to publish another one!
Blackbirds have loved the windfall Bramleys and eat them
to a shell of skin.
In the surrounding fields only the sheep are grazing, the cattle
now being in their winter quarters.
Note the fine stands of natural coppicing oaks which
occur when the main trunks die back . This woodland is well
over 100 years old and is endemic to north east Carmarthenshire. I
have cut for firewood and carted many tons of the dead trunks
over the years
Trees really come into their own in the winter
showing off their fine structure
The beech tree in the garden that was just a sapling 40
years ago (Yes the sky really was that colour!)
Not such a good day to show off the fine tracery
of an ash tree. It may be a rare sight soon with ash dieback now
rampant in our part of Wales.
On a tree theme, I have grown up with log fires
and cutting, splitting and stacking wood is a task I still really
enjoy.
Visits
Following our visit to Waddesdon Manor last month we became
hooked on large gardens illuminated for the winter. On a perfect
winters day, to satisfy our hunger for more, we went to Powis
Castle, 100 miles away . And what a treat we had and only pictures,
very difficult to compose in the testing light conditions, can do
it justice!
Perhaps the most impressive thing is that the
lighting makes the most of the all natural features such as the
huge backdrop of the 350 year old yew hedges, augmented by a garden
tool themed Christmas tree.
And the faded seed heads of pampas grass and
shrubs in this picture
Japanese grass hakanechloa macra transformed by ever
changing colours.
Natural lights bringing an almost jungle feel to the
woodland area alongside the Lower Lawn
All the elements come together in this final pic.with
the castle at the top
If you have never been to Powis it is a truly spectacular garden
at any time of the year and well worth a long journey.
Much closer to home is Carmarthen our county town, which we
visit regularly. It has a good range of local shops and national
chains and retains it's country town feel even though the central
livestock market made way some years ago for a new retail
development. One of the best reasons to go is that every Wednesday,
Friday and Saturday Farmyard Nurseries, owned by our friends
Richard and Hazel, has an outdoor stall year round in the street
market. It is a large nursery and has a very wide range of plants
for all seasons. For more information about the nursery and
in particular mail order and hellebores go to www.farmyardnurseries.co.uk
At this time of year however it is their homemade Christmas wreaths
that catch the eye and bring a country Christmas to town.
This is just a small selection of them all made by the
staff at the nursery
On a suitably festive note we wish all our many friends,
gardening acquaintances and visitors to the website, every good
wish for Christmas and the New Year. Thank you for reading and all
the kind comments and e-mails we have received about our humble
website and the pleasure that it gives. I hope to be able to
continue publishing News Items (or piano music!) well into
2017.
Keith and Moira XX