Seed collecting

I try to keep my gardening as inexpensive as possible, and many of my flowers grow each year rather than needing to be replaced - either bulbs, perennials or annuals that self-sow easily, like love-in-a-mist or welsh poppies. Some plants aren't reliable enough left on their own, though, and rather than pay out for seed next spring I like to collect it from this year's flowers if possible. 

Both these nasturtiums (left) and marigolds (below) were grown from home-collected seed, and have done really well so I've picked some more from both plants.

In case you don't recognise them, the nasturtiums are the large green seeds (when dried they'll shrivel and turn brown) and the marigolds the thin black and white 'sticks'. The dried 'peas' are from the sweet pea plants, and I'm hoping to find more when I cut the plants back down, as five sweet pea plants next year wouldn't be many.














Also, for the sake of their skull-like shape rather than needing the seeds, I collected some antirrhinum seed heads, full of tiny black seeds.

Playing "guess what month it is"

You and I know that it's November, there's been frost overnight and the garden should look like this - covered in fallen leaves, berries bright on the mountain ash and pyracantha - but the garden doesn't. In fact it seems to have no idea what time of year it is at all.


















Bright sunny days seem to be keeping the summer flowers going. Antirrhimuns and campanulas ...









clematis

love in a mist

nothing can stop the continued spread of these nasturtiums

and even an oriental poppy has suddenly burst back into flower!











On the other hand, winter is definitely here with jasmine flowering round the kitchen window ...

... and a couple of polyanthus seem to think Spring is on the way.

Can it really be November?

 Apart from the odd day here and there, this 'autumn' has been surprisingly mild and dry. Here we are, starting November on a day when it was warm enough to potter round the garden in just short-sleeves!









 Although a windy day this last week brought leaves swirling from the trees, there are still odd summery flowers around ... sweet peas, nasturtiums (small ones in tubs and long spidery ones climbing up the old pea supports), welsh poppies, perennial fuchsias and even a carnation

but then ..... really strangely .... the winter jasmine is in full flower.

Autumn flowers

kaffir lily

 We've passed the equinox so there's no denying that it's now autumn but for the past few days the sun has been out and the days almost as warm as in summer, so, along with 'proper' autumnal flowers - michaelmas daisies and kaffir lilies, some summer ones are having an extended flowering season

michaelmas daisies + verbena

hardy fuchsia

 hollyhock

one last rose

sweetpea buds

welsh poppy

nasturtiums

another hardy fuchsia

montbretia

nasturtium

lavender

winterjasmine

but along with all these, the winter jasmine is starting to flower! Almost four seasons at once.

December Flowers

 It looks like we're set for another weird month weather-wise - and just look at what is still flowering. Nasturtiums, hollyhocks, welsh poppies, fuchsias and rudbeckia! Strange doesn't seem to cover it.

Some things are more normal though  - winter jasmine, rosemary and polyanthus flowering

November in the garden

This is how half of my November garden  looks - covered in leaves and the main colour coming from berries, maybe with some early spring flowers peeping through - normal for this time of year.

But a lot of the garden doesn't seem to know that summer is over - the recent warm weather has totally confused things.



 Marigolds, sweet peas, rudbeckias, welsh poppies, kaffir lilies, fuchsias, antirrhinums.... these and more still flowering. I even have alpine strawberries ripening and buds on hollyhocks and oriental poppies.

This week the temperature is set to drop.... so it could be the end of summer.