Feels like it’s been a long week, am probably getting lock-down fatigue. Work has been slow, with a lot of student cancellations this week, my son is still not back at school after the half term break, to be honest even the cat is getting on my nerves, following me around from room to room and being ever present. I have managed to do a few productive, redeeming things, including getting my Christmas cards printed, using a sketch I made of a robin last week, and I’ve been taking out my frustration on the new bed, which now is almost ready for the bulb planting stage. Better get on with that while the weather is still mild!
Here are my 6 highlights this week. Thanks to The Propagator for hosting, check out his site for more contributions!
1 Helleborus Argutifolius. The Corsican hellebore has just opened its first apple-green flowers, although we’re still a long way from January, when it’s supposed to flower. I think this is a trend a lot of gardeners are seeing this year – things are flowering on into autumn for longer, and the winter performers are turning up surprisingly early. I do like this hellebore, with its healthy, interesting foliage all year round, and its ability to thrive in tough conditions without complaint.



2 Shasta Daisies. Who would have thought it, fresh as a daisy in mid-November? They are flopping about languidly along my front path, and some are a bit ragged, but they seem keen to keep on going. I did remember to deadhead them this year, so that might have helped.


3 Rose Hips. These need a perfectly bright blue sky to look their best, and luckily that’s just what we had one bright mid-week morning. I haven’t collected them to make cough syrup, as a couple of readers suggested, because they are too pretty to take down. I did get some very strange looks from my neighbour as I was trying to photograph them (not very successfully, I kept getting entangled in the bramble under the rose).
4 Copper and silver/white. We have a lot of beech around the place – a beech hedge along one end of the garden, a neighbour has a beech tree, and there’s an entire forest of beech at the bottom of the hill. Hence I have a ready-made copper mulch, and this makes a pleasing contrast with silvery foliage plants at this time of year. Here we have Carex ‘Everest’ and Pulmonaria, along the front path, and Cyclamen hederifolium in the back garden glade. It would be nice to add some Cyclamen coum here along the front path to pop up between the tussocks.




5 More leaves. Leaf clearance in this essentially woodland garden is a regular and at times seemingly thankless task. Nonetheless, it can also be quite zen, and I spent a pleasant hour raking the lawn one grey yet mild afternoon, while I set my still-not-back-at-school-son to clearing the terrace/decking area. This meant that for about ten minutes, things looked remarkably neat! There’s also some satisfaction in thinking of the leaves as a harvest, in the form of lead mold, which I have got serious about this year, with a new and improved leaf mold collection space at the bottom of the garden. There will be plenty more leaves to go in; as you can see from the photo, the Lime trees have yet to shed, yikes.

6 Hosta. This is the last I’ll be seeing of my hostas for this year. They are all in pots now, as I see no point in putting them out in the ground as slug food. Here is one with a bronze Carex. The ornate Italian terracotta pot is a present from my hubbie. I hope nothing has to be taken out, as its got a wide belly and narrow top, but practicality aside, it’s nice to have a good pot or two on the terrace.

Oh, and a bonus number, here’s the robin sketch that will feature on my Christmas cards this year…

I’m with you on the leaves; it’s a constant job at the moment but leads to beautiful leafmould in time.
Could I ask where you get your cards printed?
Vista Print, very efficient and easy.
Many thanks. It is something I had wished to do for some time but wondered where would be best.
You could make some nice calendars too with your photos…
That’s a lovely sketch of the robin. Your friends and family will love them, I’m sure.
Thanks. It’s nice to have the time for it (having complained about lockdown!).
Lovely carex “Everest”. I also grow 3 more but this one is quite special and gorgeous … do the seeds spread a lot?
How long have you had this bird feeder? I had exactly this one for 3 years but only a season and it had broken
The Carex Everest is new for this year, so I don’t know if it will self seed, that would be nice. I have had that bird table for 3 years or so, it has been repaired a few times already, keeps falling over in high winds!
Mine fell several times and broke, especially because of the rain which rotted the wood
Your robin sketch is great. I sometimes wonder if the neighbours think I’m a bit odd scrambling to take photos of difficult to get to plants. Your efforts to photograph the rose hips against the blue sky were certainly worth it!
Thanks. Yes I think the neighbours think I am very odd, not many people here do gardening, so that’s already strange enough for them!
Beautiful little robin, a perfect Christmas card. I’m a big fan of the Corsican Hellebore, looking good in your garden, even though it is a bit previous!
Thanks. The hellebore is so early this year but I don’t mind, happy it thrives in both dry summers and wet winters!
Your sketch of the Robin is so sweet. What a lovely Christmas card it will make. The photo of the Carex Everest is really interesting with the brown leaves surrounding it and the neat gravel path.
Thank you!
I wish my hellebores looked like yours! Beautiful. And love the cheeky robin!
Thank you, the robin was appreciated on Christmas cards I think! Those hellebores are great after a couple of years, and so tough, more so than the other varieties.