Things are steadily winding down in the garden as temperatures drop, the weather worsens and the daylight decreases, and we’re preparing ourselves for another long, dark and cold winter. I always start to feel a bit reflective in December and as there’s not much to do in the garden, it’s a good time to look back on all the changes we’ve made in our front and back gardens this year.
It’s been a year of stark contrasts weather-wise as it snowed all through January and right into March, so we got off to a late start in the garden, then had to contend with scorching sunshine during the summer heatwave. Yet despite the vagaries of the weather, we’ve still accomplished a lot: cutting down three tall, dark fir trees and replacing them with clumping bamboo along the back fence, planting two apple trees, as well as filling our flower borders with hardy perennials and roses. We’ve also had seasonal successes growing lettuce, rat-tailed radish, courgettes, squashes, rhubarb and various soft fruits.
The growing season is almost over, but we still have winter kale in the raised beds, as well as a few stubborn calendula flowering in the border. Improving the heavy clay soil is one of our longer term aims, but we left it too late to sow green manure seeds in the raised beds and instead we’ve covered them with fallen leaves we gathered that will hopefully mulch down over the winter.
As the garden prepares to hibernate, we’re making plans for 2019, planting spring bulbs, collecting seeds, daydreaming about flowers tumbling out of the borders and harvesting organic vegetables. Our garden may be a work in progress – and very hard work at times – but it gives us a real sense of achievement and joy, and we’re very grateful for it. Have a lovely week! X
Lovely and Grateful 
Gardens give so much!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a rewarding hobby!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely optimistic blog about the joys of gardening. Here’s to 2019!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! Gardening makes optimists of us all. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
https://londoncottagegarden.com/six-cottage-garden-thoughts-on-saturday-november-24th-2018/
Here’s my blog about my mum, now 102 yrs old and the ultimate gardening optimist, still planting her bulbs now for next spring
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh no, that link didn’t work right. Sorry. It was a previous blog I wanted to send you. The blog about mum is in popular posts on the About page.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll have a look and see if I can find it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely post. Looks like your hard work is paying off but there’s always more to do isn’t there ? 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Always! ☺ And I’m always changing my mind about where to plant things. It’s hard to imagine what it’ll look like when it’s more established.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have the same problem 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is so satisfying to review all we have achieved through the year and the blog is such a good way of recording what we do 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love looking back at older posts to see how much has changed and to remind me of all our little adventures and escapades. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s great when your hard work pays off! I hope you find the hard work itself rewarding, as much as the results. I’m sure that the garden is for you, as for me, a place to enjoy being in and working. I need the exercise and enjoy dreaming about the results to come. Keep us up to date!
https://thegardenedge.blogspot.com
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a very rewarding hobby, and I agree that the garden is a wonderful place to gather one’s thoughts, immerse yourself in nature and distract yourself from any worries. I just hope one day our garden will look the way I imagine it! ☺
LikeLiked by 1 person