Late Summer

The extremely wet weather, across the whole of the UK, has caused considerable stress to the farming community. Cereals remained uncut in the fields for well over a month after the expected time of harvest. My guess is that some will be so ‘far gone’ that they will be ploughed in and never collected. Luckily the last two weeks have been dryer and at least the fields here have been processed.

In the Forest Edge garden my outdoor tomatoes have failed for the second year in succession. Last year it was potato blight (a fungal infection) that killed them off, this year ‘blossom-end-rot’ has achieved the same result. Some warmth-loving plants that usually flower all through late summer, and well into autumn, such as hardy fuchsias have much reduced their flowering and have commenced flowering possibly two months later than I had anticipated.

All, however, is not ‘gloom and doom’ and many flowering plants have flowered really well and our bean crops have been excessive. As in many years, it is wise to spread the risk so failure in one crop does not result in a total disaster.

Self Seeding

Gardeners are, these days, rather inclined to take the easy option. We purchase plants from a garden centre rather than generate our own from division or cuttings. The collection of flower or vegetable seeds is generally a thing of the past. This latter aspect is worrying and is something that you yourself may wish to contemplate.

By repurchasing seed, from commercial suppliers, on a yearly basis you will be growing a standard product that could well have originated on a distant continent. The plants will not have been adapted to your own specific conditions of climate and soil. On the other hand, if you collect seed from your own plants you could well have a unique product. The open pollination will ensure a good gene diversity and any plants not suited to your area will have died or grown so poorly as not to have generated seed. By self-selecting we could be enhancing the seed and helping to maintain a diverse gene pool.

So, collect your own seed this year?

Great Dixter

This is one of the well renowned English gardens and is not too far from Gatwick Airport, so could be accessible during a UK visit. Annette and I visited the house and garden on a dreadfully wet day in early September.

The house itself, an ancient moated manor from 1450, is quite wonderful. The hall and the associated rooms are virtually original and have real character. The early 1900s additions, by the acclaimed architect Edwin Lutyens, meld well.

The gardens are mainly associated with Christopher Lloyd, who died a couple of years back. He was a knowledgeable plantsman and generated many lovely plant combinations especially in the 65 metres long x 4.5 metres wide long boarder. However the work involved in maintaining the planting combinations would tax most of us. This is no low maintenance garden and some plant combinations can be changed three of four times in a single year.

Great Dixter is somewhat unusual in that it has several meadow areas, one swathing the main entrance to the house. These semi-natural areas will look their best earlier in the year, but the gardens would be worth visiting in any month.

It has often been said, ‘Visiting Great Dixter should be a compulsory part of every gardener’s ongoing education.’

http://www.greatdixter.co.uk/

Combine Great Dixter with visits to Sissinghurst Garden and Wakehurst Place (an off-shoot of Kew Gardens). There are many National Trust properties in the area, including the highly impressive Bodium Castle.

This region of England is ideal for the tourist to ‘find their feet’ after the long flight from ‘Down Under’. If time permits, a week would be ideal.

We stayed in a self-catering house owned by visitors to our own B&B. It is highly recommended. See: www.pouchlands.com.

Forest Edge

Just as you are all perking up at the thought of spring we are seeing the garden shutting down. The nighttime temperatures are starting to drop and hence the morning can be characterised by a pleasant mistiness. The rate of leaf photosynthesis is now declining rapidly and a few leaves are already being shed.

Our garden birds are rather scarcer now than in the preceding months, for the hedgerows are still full of alternative foods. But the red-breasted robins are around and vocal. The wood pigeons, with their soporific call, are still breeding and our tawny owls are really quite noisy at night. In the forest, at the end of the garden, the fallow deer males are in full voice and are pugnacious for they are competing for the gorgeous galls who await their pleasure. Shortly the woodland fungi will bloom, but eating them needs care: several people have died from eating toxic specimens.

This is a delightful time of the gardening year, despite the incipient onset of cooler days and longer nights.

Best wishes

David

david@forest-edge.co.uk

© David Beeson