Colds, Conferences and Pathetic dogs

This weekend was a bit mixed. David was away all day Saturday at the Scottish bat Conference, where he was doing a talk on different types of bat roosts, so I had a day to myself, which is rare. Usually I have a hundred ideas of what I could do with the time, but this weekend we are both under the weather with a nasty cold so I decided to stay close to home and potter about in the garden. 

My trusty trowel, part of a set given to me for
 my 21st birthday, its standing up to time better than
I am

Pelargonium 'Dolly Varden', always good for late season
 or any season colour with its bright leaves

Pottering is always relaxing and productive and by Sunday afternoon I had the last of the moving troughs cut back and the plants labelled and ticked off my database as having moved successfully. As you know from previous blogs, I dug up bits of all the plants at my previous garden, planted them in big troughs and moved them. Inevitably there will be losses, but on the whole so far the plants are growing really well. Some are doing too well and they have had to be potted up into their own pots. 

Working  through the troughs

All tidied and labelled

Looking along the patio

Yet another Heuchera has been attacked by the vine weavils, this time Heucherella 'Brass Lanterns'. It got the same treatment as the last two. This time I got 10 new plants, plenty to sell next year. For now they are in the greenhouse where they can put on some new roots and grow over the winter.

All the roots eaten away by the vine weevil larvae

Heucherella 'Brass Lanterns', split and re potted

I also spent some time putting away pots, trays, labels and various odds and ends lying about on the make shift out door potting bench. This was an old brick built BBQ at the end of the patio next to my shed, and has served very well as a potting bench over the summer. The owners have said we can knock it down, but I've found it really useful, it may get to stay. Many odds and ends put away for winter and some empty terracotta pots stashed at the back or the lean too between the two sheds (or the in between two as Ben calls it)

I noticed the sheep in the field behind us were mowing in formation,
 theres another row of them to the right of the picture out of shot.

So that's it, a weekend of pottering and catching up, finishing off jobs and getting ready for winter. Oh and the pathetic dog I hear you ask. Bracken is supposed to be a rough tough Jack Russell, running about and keeping me company whilst out in the garden. Where was he? A hunched up, shivering white bundle on the back doorstep, whining! When I went in to update more plants on my database, in he shot and spent the rest of the day lying in his bed in the study, watching me through the patio doors.

Heucheras are great all year round plants, providing colour through
 winter with their vibrant leaves. Plant in the garden or in pots.

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