Season's greetings to all our readers and friends in gardening with thanks for keeping in touch with Cilgwyn Lodge Gardens
Friday, December 27, 2019
Brightening up the Lodge with our customary celebration
of Christmas.
Like most other parts of the UK The weather here has been a real
challenge which has defeated my best intentions to make a start
with essential winter gardening chores. Recovery from my time in
hospital during November has also slowed me down although I am
beginining to feel fitter. Light chores like cutting back old
hellebore leaves have been possible but with in excess of well over
300 hellebores in the garden it takes longer than I would
like! In the New year however we have had several invaluable
offers of help with the major jobs from gardening friends to help
us get on top of things. This will be very timely as Moira will be
out of action for some time when she is due to have another knee
replacement operation in the New year
Weather
A really cold wintry start to the month was a welcome change
from all the
previous month's rain. There were 12 overnight
temps below -3C.
First ice on the Paddock Pond and hoar frost on the
lawns
Max daytime temp of 10C on 7 days
Precipitation on 14 days, total 14"
Heavy overnight rain early one morning
Dry days 7,
Changeable 5 days
3 storms with thunder lightning, and hail and sleet
settling like snow on occasions
Our river now filling up but has not yet
overflowed its banks
One particularly heavy downpour put the springs
emitting from the hill behind us into overload
The stream garden feeding the Paddock
Pond
Garden Update
Starting cutting back the hellebore
foliage
Care has to be taken when cutting back because
hidden under the leaves there are often emerging flowers
which can easily be cut off.
The rain has taken its toll of many of the brassicas as
was forecast by commrecial growers before Christmas.
A good stand of Brusssels sprouts looks healthy
enough but
A close up however shows some very tatty looking
sprouts!
There are still however, with careful picking some good
sprouts for the table. Best varieties this year are "Maximus" and
"Brilliant" with firm buttons on both
We are very fond of savoy cabbage and grow a range
of varieties which with their more tender leaves are very suspect
to rotting off in the crowns. It is a shame to have to lose
cabbages of this size which are beyond salvation
The loss however is compensated for
by a really reliable winter and weather hardy variety of
cabbage, the old stalwart "January King" with attractive red
tinges to the leaves and great flavour
An unusual continental variety of savoy with yellow
leves is a form called "Bloemandaalse" Quite a delicate and soft
leaf it survived the rain better than many others
Always one of the hardiest brassicas is kale
in a range of varieties and colours. This one is the curly red
form
Some forms of cabbage will store over winter in frost free
conditions like this one called "Mini Cole" a smaller solid white
cabbage for cooking or coleslaw
In our stone shed it shares a place with stored
onions
What is, was, looking good
After the gloom of the cabbage problems it is good to
have something bright and cheerfull to show you.
This sensational bouquet was put together for my
birthday on 28 November from plants growing in the garden of our
friends LIz and Paul from Llwyngarreg garden that I have written
about many times before.
What an exotice looking range of plants. Try
guessing the identities of some of them
Back to the gardens at Cilgwyn it is more common plants
that are putting on a show like these long established
heathers
Miscanthus seed heads make a good contribution over a
long period of time, one of the benefits of not cutting back all
the old foliage.
Early scented flowers on Mahonia "Charity" as late
as December are always a cheerful sight even though when all the
prickly leaves start to fall in the underlying border I do curse
them when weeding!
There is not much else to be found in the garden
although some snowdrops are moving on and the sarcococca is
starting to flower with that overpowering exotic perfume that
pervades the garden
The poly tunnels are the only place where colour can be
found in quantity. none finer than long established Schlumbergera,
the so called Christmas cactus. They are long lived plants and easy
from cuttings placed 3 or so to a 3 inch pot in gritty compost.
they make ideal gifts the following Christmas
A new plant flowering for me for the first time this
year is fascicularia pitcairniifolia a really choice form of
bromeliad. A gift 2 years ago from gardening friends
Tim and Matt. Some of the best plants we have often come to us that
way don't they?!
Wildlife and Countryside
Blackbirds are back now feasting on the windfall
apples that I generously make accessible to them as I usually do by
mounting them on the hedge opposite the Lodge. This apple was
bigger than the bird!
Prompted by the arrival of the winter solstice on
Christmas Eve I paid a visit to our friends and neighbours the
Price family who farm at Goleucoed on the hill opposite the Lodge.
They raise Dorset sheep wich are usually the first around
here to lamb and sure enough perhaps, thanks to the lighter
conditions following the Solstice there were a few lambs in
evidence. Tiny little things but they lifted the spirits on a very
dull wet day
In wishing you all the best of health for the New
Year,we hope you have a memorable gardening year throughout
2020. Where do those years go to? Enjoy them!!
Love Keith and Moira XX