Well we have certainly spent a lot more time watering than is usual in September, and we have even had to fish the suncream out of the back of the cupboard again. That is all a small price to pay for such glorious weather, and although the temperatures will be a bit lower, it does look like the rest of the month will be lovely too. All of which means it is the perfect time to get out and visit some of Norfolk’s wonderful open gardens. We are hoping to make it to Houghton Hall this week, but there are so many gardens across the county which are open again and looking fabulous right now.
This week we have begun planting up our new border, moving plants which have been patiently waiting in their pots for months as well as newer ones which we propagated earlier in the year. We are including a couple of vines, an evergreen Clematis and an x Fatshedera lizei, all of which will be trained against the lovely old wall using the fixings the gardeners here probably first used over a hundred years ago. As we dug holes for the plants, we found bits of blue and white china which probably date back to those days too.
We have also extended the winter border and added in some additional shrubs which will look great in the coming months, including a Cotoneaster frigidus ‘Cornubia’ which could become enormous, so we plan to train it as a standard tree. We need to order bulbs now to get them planted under the shrubs in the next few weeks.
The School has been really busy this week, with an autumn-themed Cutting Garden course as well as the new Certificate in Practical Horticulture courses and the Introduction to Garden Design. Sarah Hammond from English Peonies teaches our cutting garden, floristry and Christmas wreath courses. This was an inspiring day looking at what you could be cutting this time next year if you start planning now, what you need to get sowing or planting now for next spring and summer, how to cut and condition flowers as well as much more. This is such a popular course that we are running it again on 9th October. Do let us know if you would like to join us.
Upcoming courses with availability:
Botanical & Textural Print Making (6-week course) – 28th September
Pruning Shrubs and Roses – 2nd October
Gardening Under Glass – 6th October
The Cutting Garden – 9th October
Gardening For A Changing Climate – 13th October
Border Renovation – 16th October
Composting Made Simple – 20th October
Autumn Flowers Workshop – 23rd October
Planting for Year-Round Colour – 19th November
Introduction to Garden Design (8-week course) – 14th January
Certificate in Practical Horticulture (10-week course) – 20th January
Plant of the Week
Ageratina ligustrina
Ageratina ligustrina is a compact medium-sized evergreen shrub from Mexico. It has ovate leaves and large flat heads of small white, slightly fragrant flowers which make this an ideal late summer, early autumn plant. Grow in well-drained soil in full sun or light shade with protection from cold, drying winds. Protect roots with winter mulch. Leave flower heads on all winter and prune mid to late spring.