November 2021

November has been a different November to what is usual.  There were no temper tantrums about not having enough water and wanting to move, despite being reminded that a water metre would be extremely expensive.  No.  This November was beautiful Clematis flowers growing bigger that ever, we could hear the trees sighing with relief, metaphorically of course, we’re not quite that daft.  There was a coolness and calmness to the garden.  For the first time in 20 years we could sit on the veranda enjoying our spritzers and watch the birds revel in the abundance of insects and berries.

Our Open Day must have been interesting (and slightly confused with an Open House) as we have received a few offers to buy the property through the mail box since.  Guess people appreciated all our gut wrenching work.  Arguments, stress and terse comments between us are all forgotten now and we remind ourselves that the garden and house are not so bad after all.

We were also blessed with our Dracunculus vulgaris choosing the Sunday as the perfect moment to open up and delight the public with its wonderfully stinky aroma to lure in as many flies as possible to pollinate. We love this plant so much. It defies description both in appearance and smell. It was the favourite flower of a much loved past dog of ours, Thistle, who loved to bury her face in it and smell it all day long. Mmmmm…..

And, as if things couldn’t get any better, nothing was stolen which is a bonus as Jenny has never let us forget about the one year someone stole her ‘Louisa’s Song’ Iris.  Sad but true (on both counts).  People are generally pretty good, and we have a lovely bunch through this year, including a number of locals which meant we could all complain about our soil, lack of water and inability to grow certain plants in a wonderful community of comraderie.  A good day all round.

Of course, you work so hard in your garden that the last thing you want to do is work in it some more. So the gardening has been a bit light on the ground this month but there is still plenty to enjoy in the garden.

The Echium pininana are still standing strong, despite the drama of last month (who would have thought?!) and the garden is full of self-seeded ephemeral poppies, abundant roses and irises. The beds are reaching their peak wild fullness until Summer finally hits us properly.  Even the Cornus and Cercis who have long struggled are thriving in this season. And as we go into December, there is only one thing to think about: Lilies.

Oh, and a 30 degree day that is apparently coming.

Oh well.

C’est la vie.