Tuesday 27 November 2012

The oddness of English seasons

I took advantage of Sunday afternoon, when it wasn't actually raining, to have a brief tidy in the garden (not that you would realise I had tidied anything!)  There was a clematis (I think it is Etoile Violette) in flower and with buds coming too.  I had cut this one back hard at the end of the summer because it had gone brown and horrible, and I was hoping it hadn't got some nasty disease.  This must have either sent it into shock, producing more growth and  flowers, or made it think it was next year and time to flower again.  Yes, it was lovely to see, but the sad thing is that it will more than likely get another shock from the frosts.
 A hardy geranium still flowering, despite the rain.
Rose Molineux also with lots of buds.  This isn't all that unusual, as roses often do flower into winter.  It is still a wonderful thing to see and lifts the spirits.

15 comments:

  1. After planting some bulbs a month ago I've barely set foot in the garden. So nice to see the rose with flowers still to come, what a treat! x

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    1. Dear Gillian
      Thank you. It wasn't the nicest of days to be outside, but I did get some more pots insulated (still have a few to go). I'm hoping the weather won't suddenly go cold and make the rose buds die! Fingers crossed that they get the chance to flower, although I may well bring them inside to open.
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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  2. Oh too cold and damp here for gardening
    but looking out the window
    I should really get myself in gear and do a tidy over.

    Lovely rose buds.

    Have a great week Ellie

    Fiona

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    1. Dear Fiona
      Thank you. It really is too cold and damp here too, but I forced myself to spend an hour out there. I'm going to leave my main tidying until Spring when the weather might be better (I hope!)
      Have a good week too.
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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  3. The garden is too wet here to do anything and the wind cuts you in half just trying to get to the shed. My excuse for not tidying up is I read somewhere if I leave all the holly and mahonia leaves on the soil they will stop the neighbours cats from destroying the place. It will be interesting to see if it works.

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    1. Dear Cookie Jar
      Thank you. It is pretty wet here too and my tidying is minimal - I removed the cosmos which had finally finished but have been brilliant, and cut back the perennial sunflower stems because they were very wafty in the wind. I also cut back some of the very long rose shoots so that they won't be damaged if it is windy. That will probably be it for tidying until the Spring. I did plant some crocus bulbs the other day too.
      Good luck with the cat deterrent!
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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  4. We have a clematis on the front of the house which we cut back to about a foot from the ground every autumn ... it still overwhelms the area around the front door every summer!

    Pretty roses :)

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    1. Dear Annie
      Thank you. I usually prune my clematis in the Spring, right down to about 30 cms from the ground. This one was looking so brown and unhappy that I cut it back hard a month or so ago, thinking it probably wouldn't be very happy with my rough treatment. It just goes to show how forgiving plants are (which is just as well, in my garden!)
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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  5. Isn't that a lovely sight? A very pretty Clematis indeed. I have Wallflowers, Feverfew, Borage and two types of Rose in bloom but the forecast is to become very cold with night-time temps of -3 from tonight, so I doubt they will last.

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    1. Dear Toffeeapple
      Thank you. Yes, it was a lovely sight, although, as you say, I'm not sure it will look so lovely after the frosts!
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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  6. I still have roses in the garden too..not sure if tonight's frost will take them though..thank you for your sweet comments
    Thea x

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    1. Dear Thea
      Thank you. We'll have to see whether they flowers can cope with the frost, otherwise they may need to be cut and brought inside.
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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    2. Dear Thea
      I forgot to say a big welcome to Feltabulous and I hope you enjoy reading the blog.
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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  7. Hi, honey! You have a great blog, very interesting and you are very beautiful! I'm your new reader! If you do not mind, I'll wait for you in my blog!))))

    http://tini-tani.blogspot.ru/

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    1. Dear Tini Tani
      Thank you for your comment and welcome to Feltabulous. I hope you enjoy reading my blog.
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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