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Lyn and Malcolms Garden Blog
December  2011

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2010    May      June       July      August     Sept     Oct      Nov     Dec
2011    Jan        Feb       March     April      May    June     July   August   Sept   Oct   Nov   Dec
2012    Jan        Feb       March     April      May

December 31st

Last day of 2011.
What is going to happen in 2012 gardening wise, I have no idea, apart from the plants are going to get really mixed up with their flowering times due to the lack of a cold period so far this winter. 
While working in the garden today, I saw buds on one of the Narcissi, Snowdrops just showing buds, Crocus leaves showing and lots of new growth buds on the Clematis, which have not been pruned yet. We don't want to prune the clematis for about a month, just in case we get a really cold snap.
I did start potting up some of the Thalictrum and Eryngium we grew from this years seed today.

Eryngium 'Graham Stuart Thomas' before pricking out and potting up.


Thalictrum delavayii  before pricking out and potting up



December 22nd

We have only had about 5 slight frosts so far this winter, so the plants in the garden are thinking it must be early Spring. Today we have +11c at midday.
Not much has been done in the garden recently, Lyn has been picking up leaves for about the last month, not just our own but others that blow in to the garden.
We having been out walking in the countryside, and taking pictures of the birds on the marshes while the weather has been good. It makes a break from just gardening, although I am looking forward to the new garden year.
In a couple of weeks we will start to sow seed in the propagator. We have several types of Thalictrum already up from seed we sowed in early autumn in trays outside.

If anyone would like to suggest any feature on plants or the garden that they would like to see on our website for 2012, please email us, the address is on our home page. In 2011 I took pictures of the Clematis and Lilies and put them on a page of their own as they flowered ,with the date of flowering. I am running out of ideas.

Ipheon 'Charlotte Bishop'


Potentilla 'Melton Fire'


Narcissi sowing leaf already


Clematis 'Mrs Cholmondley' with buds.  We haven't cut the Clematis down yet.


Helenium 'Sahins Early' has had some flower on since July.



December 7th




December 7th
I have recently updated some of our Genus slide shows with some new plants we grew in 2011. Here is the link to them.

December 4th
As it was dry yesterday I put up the Christmas lights in the garden.

Today we took down the troughs on the front wall of the house. The trailing geraniums were still flowering, mostly because the wall faces south, and if their is any sun about it warms the wall behind the troughs, so the nights for the plants are that much warmer.
As the plants were still looking good, I removed them from the troughs and potted 13 of them into separate pots, we have just enough room left to store them in the side passage for the winter. They will be big plants in the spring, so the troughs will get an early start.
With a happy smile on my face I told Lyn what I had done, but was met with "I have already ordered some small plants for the troughs". Ah well can't win can I.

Looking at the forecast for the coming week, it seems like next weekend will be really cold, with temperatures during the day of only plus 2c. But then the forecast for this weekend was wet, and we haven't had any.