Autumn in the Garden
On a sunny day, one of the very few
The past weeks have been grey, wet, and windy, and then suddenly there is a single day or two when the sun shines through the clouds and the stars come out at night. Venus is back as a morning star on the southern and western sky, and the constellation of Orion presents itself sometime after midnight, in all its glory,
The sunny weather makes it easier to work through the winter preparations although the tulip and dandelion bulbs were put in the ground under relentless rain; my so-called weather-proof coat was drenched and took about 24 hours to dry out. But the bulbs are in the ground and one more task accomplished.
We have had the first frost, luckily after we had protected the flower beds with a generous amount of fallen leaves, and the pots have their old jute bags wrapped around them. The water at the allotment association was cut off just three days before the frost arrived, and we now depend on the water stored in two big milk churns, a container in the kitchen, and a pail ready at the toilet. The water will only be turned back on once the frost has gone, probably late March or early April.
Next step will be to cut back the cat nip, the oregano, the lavenders, and the Jerusalem artichokes. Once we come to January and February, the witch hazel and the pear tree will be pruned, probably also the climbing hydrangea.
There is still the green house to sort out, but there is time enough now that the other practical chores have been finished, and my daughter has finished painting the front room, which we have had insulated. The only issue will only present itself once I have finished emptying the green house and can start laying down tiles for a new floor in there — if there is still frost, the tiles will have to wait.
The vegetable beds have been emptied and have received some much-needed compost to take them through the winter, ready to welcome a new batch of potatoes, beet roots, carrots, peas, and corn. I have found a new home for the rhubarbs in a smaller raised bed, and next to them the red basil will be sown. For now, though, it is time to hibernate.
For a couple of days or weeks yet, the autumn colours are still best reflected in the sunshine, and although there are hardly any sunlit days this time of year, we are even more grateful when the sun finally shines through the clouds.
The colours this time of year are always pleasing to the eye, and I have included a photo of the climbing hydrangea above and one taken from the back of the house below to show off the fine red of one of the bushes against the yellow of the other bushes and the trees, plus the wheelbarrow in front of the green house, full of soil and covered to protect it from the rain — of which we receive more than plenty.
Over the past weeks a grey sky and relentless rain have been on the daily menu, and I missed the sun and the clear night skies with the stars overhead. After about ten days with a constantly covered sky, it was a relief when I could finally see the sun for a couple of days and enjoy a starry night again. And this short break in the greyness coincided with a full moon, which I just had to share. The red-orange ring around the moon is normally a sign of rain or snow the following day — and, indeed, the day after, it did pour down again.
Enjoy the last of the autumn months, and all the best for the coming winter.
