Each month I write a diary update about the Ednovean Farm garden that has given our bed and breakfast guests so much pleasure throughout the year. It only seems like yesterday (and where have you heard that before!) that I nervously wrote out first wordpress update about our garden. The month has flown by, soothed along its way with fabulous weather and a warm air flow from the Continent.
In fact we stole away on some afternoons, to walk along the coastal path and find one of the secluded coves tucked in the shelter of Cudden point This was going to catch up with us later as you will see when a garden journalist came to call!
The Ednovean Farm Gardens
September is a wonderful time for our garden, when the final grasses burst into flower, filling the garden with their airy movement. We have huge unfaishionably spectacular pampas grasses that give a new dramatic rhythm to the planting at this time of year, as the seed heads emerge in creamy hues to draw the eye to far corners of the garden. The contrasting Miscanthus forms an almost Mexican wave of bronzy red in competition with the red Sedums.
Our Geraniums are continuing far into the Autumn this year with the fine dry days helping them keep their voluptuous flowers with a certain “attitude” of rebellion. I always overwinter them outside and mostly they survive unless we have an exceptional year so we’ll wait and see. One of the main highlights of the Ednovean Farm Garden is our Date palms, Phoenix Canarias, full and lush now from a summer of growth with th older fronds carefull removed. I used to trim the old fronds off by hand with a pruning saw but these days the vicious thorns concealed at their base makes employing a nice man with a chain saw and full protective clothing advisable. In fact I’ve learn by bitter experience never to tackle any of our plants with out protective gloves and boots at least. Last week one gentleman confused the instruction to cut the yellow leaves off of the Trachycarpus fortunei with said Phoenix Canerius and had got to the end of the line of palms in the car park cutting the yellow flowers off, before needing a pressure bandage to stem the bleeding. Before I start to sound too smug though I must admit to walking into a yucca yesterday as I see sawed on old Echiums out of the ground and Ouch a nasty puncture wound. As one local nursery owner remarked “It’s not the plant you’re working on that will get you it’s the one next door!”
Of course I remember being delighted that a garden journalist Carole was going to visit in October and airily said “no problem just pop along” to the next mail suggesting September………..and then looked up from my weeding to find said journalist smiling gently down at me. Oh dear had I abandoned gardening on Sunday to go for a swim? Still after a short tour, I soon heard the healthy click of a busy camera around the courtyard garden. Carole came back the next day for some plant combination shots and I posed on the wall, with an extra layer of hair lacquer, just in case…….. although she did enquire if I was breathing at one point! The suspense will kill me now until I now which magazine it will be in but I’m going to have a long wait though as they usually work six months ahead at least and there is only one Autumn per year.
With a busy bed and breakfast we have to fit our gardening jobs in at times not quite on the gardening calendar so with this in mind I started the back breaking job of giving our topiary a final trim – I’ll tidy it up again in February after the winter. With the days of winter ahead and remembering my pleasure at finding a pot of crocuses tucked away last spring I’ve started to plant a few little plant treats in the shape of spring bulbs, ready to cheer us and our guests up after the winter. Tongue in cheek I bought the first of the mince pies to hit the bakers shelves for our gardeners-tea-break, on our official garden tidying day and sat back to hear the howls of protest…….I wasn’t disappointed and I must admit it felt quite surreal to have to move into the shade in the Italian garden to eat my mince pie as it was too hot! ……….. I went shopping yesterday and there were Christmas cards………..I don’t believe it!!
And finally if you have the strength our trial video
[youtube http://youtu.be/HQ50k9_PNZQ ?rel=0]
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