We’ve got snowberries tucked in this week. It’s the time when these shrubs are showing off their white puffy berries. Officially named Symphoricarpos, these are part of the honeysuckle family and, although they are not a native species, they are an important winter food source for birds like grouse, pheasant and quail.
We’ve had our first named Autumn storm this week, Storm Agnes. I hope it hasn’t damaged your garden too much. It’s left our chrysanthemums alone, fortunately, as these long blooms are just starting to come into flower - a great British Autumn cut flower!
‘Tis the season for Physalis (or Chinese lanterns). These orange papery cases are symbolic of Autumn and often used in seasonal displays. It has been a good year for them this year. Related to the tomato, they are sometimes called ‘tomatillos’ and are grown for their edible fruit, despite the plant’s leaves being poisonous and part of the nightshade family.
The posies also include copper beech which has been carefully preserved with glycerin. This means the leaves don’t drop and can be used all season or even the following year if stored correctly.
It feels like Autumn has hit us and the cutting garden is certainly enjoying lots of rain this week!
It's wonderful to have hydrangeas in this week's posy. This spectacular pink and green variety is called 'Coral amythyst' and it has been grown in Lincolnshire. Hydrangeas are water-lovers and need to be kept hydrated at all times otherwise they have a reputation of being a bit temperamental. If they need an extra pick-me-up, recut the stem and submerge in deep water up to the flower head. Spray the heads too if you have a water sprayer. In a couple of hours, the sepals should have had a nice drink and be in tip-top condition again. We've also got heather and hypericum in the posies for the first time this year. Say it quietly but the flowers are starting to...
Pollen free lilies are rubbish for pollinators (sorry bees) but they are very handy if you have allergies and/or white tablecloths. These ones have been expertly grown by Smith & Munson in Lincolnshire and accompany our homegrown ingredients this week.
I'm pleased to say that after our big flush of the 'million stars' gypsophila we've now got the white 'baby's breath' variety blooming. This smells very sweet and is also tucked into the posies this week. If you're destined for sunny spells this coming week, I hope you enjoy the sunshine!
Our China asters Callistephus chinensis are out if full force this week in the cutting garden. We've grown some lovely big peachy ones which are really pretty and the bees are enjoying them too. They like moisture-retaining soils and so have been thriving in the wet weather we've been having!
These are annual asters, so mum's done a great job with them this year, thank you mum. It's a bit easier to grow perennial asters, Michlemas daisies, in the garden and these will come back year after year adding some autumnal colour to the beds.
