Adam's Garden

After being besieged by a gale and driving rain for the last two days it was pleasant to see bright sunshine this morning and to stroll about the farm observing, with some trepidation, the aftermath of the storm. The greenhouse has mercifully survived unscathed. On a couple of past occasions it has lost panes of glass, but the addition of extra wire clips seems to have done the trick. The Wisteria, which has not yet shed it's leaves, is looking battered but unbowed, and the same can be said for the kiwi, although a number of the longer shoots have been snapped off. The vigour of the kiwi vine makes regular cutting back essential, and it has been left rather longer than it should since the last pruning. When I come to think of it, most cutting back is done after high winds have pushed me into action!

We have reached the time of year when a number of deciduous trees and shrubs have already turned colour and dropped their leaves, like the Prunus sargentii, a spring flowering cherry I planted four years ago that has the added bonus of outstanding crimson autumn colour. Whilst this young tree now stands with bare branches, ready for winter, others like the coral barked maple (Acer palmatum 'Senkaki') in it's sulphur autumn livery are in the transitional stage, almost ready to capitulate to winter. Some trees - the oak, ash and numerous sycamores - are only just beginning to show an autumnal change. Frosts have already scorched the sycamore's outermost leaves, but deeper under the canopy there is little change to the large dark leaves. High winds have accelerated the seasonal defoliation as well as pulling off twigs and branches, and these have been in some places scattered far and wide, and in others whipped into soggy heaps by swirling vortices. It would be nice to walk through a sea of crisp, fallen leaves, but for the time being that will have to remain wishful thinking.

The garden becomes quite unkempt at this time of year as annuals die off, herbaceous perennials die back and deciduous plants retreat into dormancy. Now the elements have speeded up the process by beating down specimens that would normally look quite respectable. A number of Chrysanthemum have had the full works. Despite their gaudy appearance these particular plants are welcome additions to the borders for the late cheer they bring. Unfortunately they are quite tall and, with their spindly stems, were at the full mercy of the gale - they now lie smashed upon the soil. Miraculously the tall white Japanese anemones, just a few yards away, have survived without a scratch. They finished flowering last week but always look good for a while longer because the spherical seed heads are an ornament on their own. A number of other plants have been damaged but I am not too disheartened because the amount of leisure time that can be spent in the garden at this time of year is curtailed by the weather and the shortening days. In some ways it could even be described as a blessing because it solves the dilemma over when to start clearing away the debris.

I have recently acquired a number of new plants. I often scribble down the names of those that catch my eye at shows or in gardens and have accumulated quite a list, many of which have gone from my mind completely and only exist as words on paper. This month I paid a visit to Burncoose nurseries in Cornwall - off the beaten track but world famous; gold medal winners at Chelsea and Hampton Court. The primary reason was to obtain a Pohutakawa tree (Metrosideros excelsus), which grows wild and everywhere in the North Island of New Zealand, producing an abundance of red flowers in the summer, especially Christmas time (it is often referred to as the Christmas tree). Last year I visited that country and, being greatly impressed by the diversity of plant life, decided to grow one or two of the more common species at home. The biggest obstacle is difference in climate - the UK is not quite as warm, and many New Zealand plants will not survive heavy frosts. The Pohutakawa is in a pot and I shall keep it there until it is too big to move round. It can go indoors for the winter , an unheated shed should keep the frost off, and if the temperature gets too low I shall transfer it to the greenhouse or place a heater in the shed. Other New Zealand plants I have are a Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla), which is in the same family as the monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana), and a Cordyline Australis, more commonly known as the cabbage tree. I have had a promise of some Nikau palm seed from a correspondent in New Zealand which I am excited about. These palms grow extensively in woodlands and are notable for smooth, green trunks and giant fronds.

An early warning of frosts in the middle of October spurred me into action because a number of tender plants need shelter for the winter. These are either kept in pots and distributed about the farm like Acnistus, or planted in borders for the summer, like a Calla lily, which I grew for the first time this year. I must have spent nearly two days repotting and unearthing plants - then placing them in a shed which will serve as winter quarters. The more tender of these will be moved into the greenhouse when the tomatoes and cucumbers have finished cropping. The greenhouse is untidy at present, with potted cuttings covering the floor and general debris from the summer scattering the benches, but when it is cleared out and disinfected, the staging will be returned and there should be plenty of storage room. Overwintering is a bind but is definitely worth the effort when summer comes round again and the fruits of past labours can be appreciated. My tender grape vine, outdoors for the summer in a large pot and not yet mature enough to produce fruit, is the last thing left to go in. It should take a small degree of frost, just enough to make it shed the leaves, and then I shall truss up the branches and move it indoors.

After those first two frosts it became much milder. This has caused many of the aforementioned plants to put on growth and necessitated leaving the door open during the daytime. Once or twice it has been forgotten and left open all night but without causing harm. The recent storm forced gallons of driving rain into the shed, leaving the wooden floor saturated, and I have noticed a little mould growing on the soil in the pots. I am not too alarmed about this at present because dry weather soon removes the conditions that encourage it. However, once winter sets in it takes much longer to dry out and the mould can spread to the geraniums, and it can prove necessary to provide a little heat and ventilation.

That's it for this month. Weather permitting there will be much digging and general clearing to do over the next few weeks - good excercise at least! I am also planning new projects which will require a certain amount of hard landscaping, and before long seed orders will be placed for next year. As usual, the gardening bandwagon rolls on!

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