Darker days

My gardening day has been noticeably shorter this week in terms of light. The light starts to go around 3 ish and gently potters off to full darkness around 4pm or so, the Tawny owl hooting to remind us that it is almost night time.

I have been cutting back a big border for a client and transplanting big Salvias from borders to pots for over wintering.

At Heale I spent my days doing lots of jobs. Transplanting Hornbeam hedging and re-planting to a new location. Not finishing the job until the ground had been re turfed and squished down. Tools of the trade include HG's home made (and very useful) Tamper, to flatten the turfs into their new home.

We also spent a morning planting more bulbs, around a 1,000 more, Camassia 'Cusickii' and 'Semiplena', Scilla peruviana and Allium 'Purple Sensation'. Some with a planter, some with a trowel. Should be good.

 Still a bit of cropping of veggies to do. A real pleasure to be handling crops after what seems like an age since we were in full veg flow. The veg garden is bare bones now we have reached December and pretty soon I will be itching to get back in there and get things going.

 The Wisteria in the garden all require their Winter prune and we had a bit of time left to work on the biggest one in the garden this week. Always slowly and methodically. Great job.

This Wisteria is by the most beautiful tall, orangey/brown Miscanthus which stand guard over the river at this time of year and the light was just stunning as it disappeared for another day.