I seem to have started each EOMV post this year with commenting on how little gardening I have done for many reasons. I have decided to stop apologising, it is what it is and actually on reflection the garden doesn’t look too bad for the end of November.
I’m not a gardener who feels a need to put the garden to sleep for the winter. I’ve never really understood that approach unless of course you live somewhere where your garden is covered in snow for months on end. For me, having something that needs doing in the garden throughout the year is a good motivation to get outside even on the coldest day even if its only for a short period of time.
The front garden, which I have forgotten to photograph this month, has had most of the attention over the last few months. Due to the new driveway I have had to replant the narrow borders outside the front door partly with plants I had lifted to protect them from the contractors but also to add two new lavenders either side of the door. It all looks so much smarter now. I have also tidied up the smaller of the big borders and filled it with a mix of tulips so I’m hoping there will be lots of color in late spring.
Now I need to start thinking about tidying up bit by bit in the back garden. There has been some pruning and leaf collecting happening but there is still lots to do if I get time. I don’t get stressed about having it all perfect now as no one tidies these things up in nature and it all works just fine. I do want to move the various pots of seedlings dotted around the garden to nearer the house to protect them and I seriously need to use the four bags of bark chip that have been sitting in the garden for two months now – which is a little embarrassing.
I also would like to finally finish removing the very top path that I started back in the spring and I plan to use some of the large pile of Malvern stone we have to build a low edging/retaining wall along the edge of the border in the above photo. The border slopes quite a lot and is always dry. I have quite a few alpines in pots around the place so I plan to use the stone to level off the border and provide lots of gravel drainage for the plants. I probably haven’t explained that well but its very clear in my head what I want to do here which is progress as I have been thinking about it for years.
As you can see the garden gets shabbier as you get further from the house which probably reflects that with limited time over the past months I have focussed on those areas I can see better from the house but I am now determined to change this and sort it out once and for all so I don’t feel I have to apologize all the time.
So there’s my garden, warts and all, at the end of a soggy November. Its great when people join in as its one of the few times that bloggers actually show their gardens rather than nice plants and I find that more interesting. If you would like to join in then all I ask is that you link to this post and leave a comment with a link to your post in the comments box below.
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