Cold Autumn

Even with the cold weather creeping over the garden, there are always the stalwarts, last vestiges of summer and autumn that hang on, bravely flowering to their final breath. The last rose, the last Kaffir lily (Schizostylis), even the last of the basket fuchsias, basket cases maybe, cling on gamely and reward the odd resistant bumblebee with a feed of late nectar. This one managed to rev its engine sufficiently to take off and locate a fat blousy fuchsia, which still survives, sheltered by a warm wall. But this hanging basket fuchsia, Fuchsia South-gate is lasting extremely well on the south-facing wall at the rear of the house and is still producing buds! But I wonder for how long. I move this one around because it sulks in the heat. It spends the summer shaded under the pergola, but at this time of year it is glad of the sun and scant warmth. I don’t think it’s meant to be quite so hardy, but it survives the winter in the greenhouse (6 years now) and is cut back to stubble at the first sign of shoots in the spring – it is rarely fed and intermittently watered through summer and probably survives in spite of me, than because of. Gardening is not an exact science, so don’t let the gurus tell you it is, some plants survive no matter what you do to them (within reason), others turn up their toes regardless of the amount of care and attention they receive, but if you’re a beginner the trick is never to give up, if there’s something you fancy growing give it a try, it might thank you for it.

As for bumblebees, Springwatch and others pronounced it a bad year for them, but there’s always an exception, and the ones that frequent my garden have been plentiful, in fact there were far fewer here last year than this year. That’s not to say Springwatch et al were wrong – on the contrary. “My” bumblebees start early and finish late perhaps because they’re provided with a bit of room, undisturbed, around the log pile and ivy and years worth of fallen leaves beneath the hawthorn hedge at the back of the garage – they can get quite irritated if I forget and disturb things. Maybe the secret with the old bumblebees, bless them, is to provide something for them at all times of year, whether active or inactive, otherwise, they won’t pay you the privilege of sticking around – try Erica arboria (late winter/early spring flowers) Hellebores (that never seem to die down anymore) wild violets and cowslips if you have them and, though I know a lot of folks pull them out, forget-me-nots.

Oh and if the tits (blue, great and long-tail) arrive mob-handed to help you out with over-wintering insects, don’t forget to reward them with some well-placed tasty treats on bird tables or in feeders.