Autumn Gardening Chat...

[Optimus Prime]

No we don't need a wet winter thankyou.

[SteveB]

No we don't need a wet winter thankyou.

Well if it turns out to be a dry cold Winter, then come next Spring we could be looking at serious drought issues for Southern parts. In order for you to get your wish, we need it to rain for the rest of Autumn.

[Osbourne One-Nil]

Our first air frost the other night certainly had an effect on my Witch Hazel which is showing some true autumn colour for the first time since I planted it 5 years ago.

[SP1986]

Lovely red colours there, seems to be a bit better this year for colours in some parts of the country.

This is my garden, which was taken a week ago, everythings the same of course as we haven't had the pleasure of frost, although not sure that my plants would call it a pleasure!

[Shiny_Bottom_1]

Well, just spent another hour or so in the garden today.

Cleared up the leaves off the path, dug up the soil and planted some spring bulbs.

Hawthorn looks kind of interesting. Leaves have fallen, but most of the berries remain on.

One plant (I think Primula?) is still flowered.

Grass looks like its stopped growing too (thankfully).

Does anyone know what to do with Cordalines (sp?)? They are about 2 foot from base to top, in a pot about 1 foot wide and 1.5 ft deep.

Leaves have dropped off from about half way down, so just wondering...do I re-pot or put in the ground?

[SP1986]

If the leaves were brown this is perfectly normal, if they were green when they dropped then you may have some problems with the Cordyline.

I would plant them out next Spring anyway, Cordylines tend to not do so well in pots in my experience.

You probably had a Primrose flower?

Still got all the summer bedding in flower here

[fine wine]

As of yet, still no appreciable frost here yet, with the min being 2.1c . I don't think I have ever known it to get so late in the year before any ground frost. I still have Bananna Plants, Dahias, Geraniums and Nasturshams totally untouched by frost, which is certainly unheard of around here. Keep expecting thins to change but nothing yet. I might post some photos if anyone is interested.

[Terminal Moraine]

No air frost yet here either although we have had a number of ground frosts and there have been a couple of air frosts in the valleys.

I'm having problems with Voles eating my Purple Sprouting Broccoli. Initially I thought it was Wood Pigeons and netted the whole area but on closer inspection there are definite signs of gnawing, especially the crowns of the plants.

It's a problem I've never had before in over 40 years of gardening and I'm not sure what, if any, the answer is.

I've already got two cats, one of whom seems to eat his own body weight in Voles each week but with little impact on their numbers, and with a resulting significant cost in worming tablets and considerable injury to myself as he's a mightily feisty character and doesn't take kindly to being held and having tablets put down his throat.

I was thinking maybe if we had a repeat of the 1963 winter it would reduce their numbers but on reflection the survivors would probably be so hungry they'd finish off the remaining plants in short time.

[Interitus]

If the leaves were brown this is perfectly normal, if they were green when they dropped then you may have some problems with the Cordyline.

I would plant them out next Spring anyway, Cordylines tend to not do so well in pots in my experience.

You probably had a Primrose flower?

Still got all the summer bedding in flower here

How are things doing now?

Here near Warrington the first 'killing' frost came on the first of December - though some bedding eg. petunias still ok, and a tibouchina by a house wall still flowering.

Just interested by your photo, you don't keep that schefflera or schlumbergera outside over winter?

[SP1986]

How are things doing now?

Here near Warrington the first 'killing' frost came on the first of December - though some bedding eg. petunias still ok, and a tibouchina by a house wall still flowering.

Just interested by your photo, you don't keep that schefflera or schlumbergera outside over winter?

Yes, although this winter it's been cut back, lost two of the shlumbergera but one is still fine, after protection. Normally they would be fine but this winter has been exceptional so things are been cut back, but they'll grow back.