December

Not a lot going on at present except as ever the Mahonia is in full flower, this will flower for some weeks, with all the recent frost the flowers look great edged with frost.
I am always glad at this time of year that I planted it facing the kitchen window.
Everything in the greenhouse looks fine, I tend not to go in there whilst its so cold, just peep through the windows.
Just in case I do not get back before.

Merry Christmas 

and a 

Healthy Happy New Year.

Well the frost has finally finished off the Sweet Peas, though a few flowers were still hanging on. 

I have cut them down and saved most of the ripe seeds for next spring, I have sown some now in the greenhouse as I believe this can result in earlier flowers, we will see. 

I read recently that if you leave in the roots the break down providing much needed nutrients, saves digging so worth a try.

Alice gave me a Rhubarb root, I know its a good one as I gave her the original, this now has its own dedicated place in the border, away from the Arum Lilies, last season they went mad with all the rain, choking the Rhubarb. I know it odd putting it in a border but space is rather short, it worked very well until last year.

  

Christmas is rushing forward, one of the joys being the Mahonia just in front of my kitchen window, the large yellow flowers are about to open, just what is needed during these drab days, the display usually lasts over Christmas giving me constant pleasure.
They are a very hardy ever green shrub and will grow in most soil types including heavy clay, though of course here I am on dry sandy soil.  The down side is if like me you plant near a path the prickly leaves will impale you so take care. The window cleaner is not a fan of Mahonia which he gives a very different name!!!,  I prune hard after flowering, when the frosts have past to keep it a manageable size.

Well I have taken the bull by the horns and cut down the Pink Lacy Edged Hydranger, it really has over grown its place this year. Pruning it properly would have still left me with a problem, hence the kill or cure chop.

Would you believe it the Yucca has developed a flower, can't think it will open but who knows. This is how it looked earlier this summer. The only problem is Blackfly, oh boy do they love the flowers. Cutting the flowers as soon as they go off is one answer.

I noticed yesterday that the Sweet Peas are still going strong, even after the frost last week,  will leave and note how long they keep going.
The Fuchsia pictured above is Dancing Flame, really happy in the strong sunlight on the patio, when we have some that is. It is very strong growing and flowers virtually non stop up until  the end of October early November.