Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail
11th September 2021
Naked Ladies
I have always had a lot of respect for autumn flowering plants. They have to wait and watch whist the spring and summer dazzlers get all the glory, and then by the time autumn comes we just take the late bloomers for granted. Think about it – we all get excited about spring flowers, especially the early ones. Snowdrops herald the end of winter, daffs promise the start of spring and then subsequent blooms just enrich our much awaited summer months. The fragrance of lilac, the familiarity of roses, and even the beautiful ‘background shrubs’ (as I call them) like buddleia and hypericum all contribute to our enjoyment of summer months but all with a dwindling appreciation as the season progresses.
By the time the autumn stars take centre stage, most people have been overwhelmed by their veg patches, weeds, and often gardening in general. It always seems to me that the hard working autumn flowering beauties go unnoticed and unappreciated.
They don’t let that stop them though. Japanese anemones will be giving borders a lofty lift now with their height and stature and pink or white flowers adding spots of colour in an otherwise fading border. Members of the buttercup family, they are also great ‘no drama’ plants, tolerating most conditions. They thrive in shade, cope with dry soil and also work well in pots. Mine have self-seeded and are growing effortlessly in the cracks in my flagstoned back yard. I don’t think Monty Don would allow this obvious act of belligerence but I love to see them cheerfully swaying in the breeze and it’s nice to actually walk through them as well as enjoying them in the borders.
One of my absolute favourite autumn beauties are the Nerine bowdenii. They generously provide such a splash of colour with their vibrant pink blooms on tall stems at this time of year. They are also great for growing in containers so suitable for small gardens and balconies too.
Asters are another great option for late colour in beds and borders. From the daisy family, they are low maintenance and high reward and make good cut flowers too.
And I am always pleasantly surprised by the sudden cheery appearance of the ‘naked ladies’ in my garden – and which I always forget about until they are out in ‘all their glory’.
But before you tap ‘naked ladies’ into Google, I am referring to Colchicum autumale. Also known as meadow saffron, they are very similar to the autumn flowering crocus but have larger flowers and are a lovely addition to the garden at this time of year.
All of these autumn beauties should be available from garden centres now and I apologise in advance to all the staff that are now going to be asked for ‘naked ladies’.
No Drama
I’ve been having a few problems with the clutch on my truck for a while, which resulted in me having to call a recovery truck to ‘carry’ me to a garage last week. After a couple of frustrating calls, and one to a very helpful friend, I spoke to Scott at Cool Autoz Recovery in Caerphilly who, true to his word, arrived in Abergavenny within the hour.
His first words as he jumped out of his recovery vehicle were, ‘No drama’.
Funny how a few well chosen words can dissipate a frustrating situation in an instant, and prevent a mechanical breakdown from turning into a nervous one. We may not be able to control what happens in our lives but let’s face it, drama doesn’t just turn up – it has to be created or invited.
I have realised that often this kind of reassuring attitude belongs to people who are very capable, competent, and in turn, confident. There was indeed, no drama, even though a few other impatient drivers tried to create it.
And not only was Scott super-cool professionally, he was also fabulous with Yogi, who enjoyed her adventure and her ride in a ‘big truck’. Thank you Scott. You can find Cool Autoz on Facebook www.facebook.com/coolautoz or if you ever need ‘recovering’ (without drama) call 07484 733530.
He’s Hilarious, He’s My Brother
Chatting about how tired we both were in work this week, my brother said, “Landscape gardeners and builders should be like John Deere tractors and go by ‘hours on the clock’; once you’ve worked a certain number of hours you can retire, instead of having to work until your back and knees have worn out.’
He added with a big sigh, ‘If that was the case, I could have retired 10 years ago!’
Apple Lack
Following my column last week when I mentioned that apples were a bit thin on the trees this year, lots of you have emailed me to ask why.
There can be a number of reasons for a tree not fruiting well. The weather is the most likely cause if your apple tree is healthy but does not set fruit. Fruit trees like a certain amount of cold weather to end their dormancy and encourage spring budding. If the winter is mild, growth will be slow and the blooming period extended, which makes the tree susceptible to frost damage. This would then influence fruit production.
Conversely if the weather is too cold, pollinating insects are likely to be fewer and less busy. In this case, blossom would have been good but fruit production poor – or non-existent.
Some fruit trees, especially apple, may bear very heavily one year and only minimally the next. This condition is known as ‘biennial bearing’ and is thought to be due to the influence that a very heavy crop one year exhausts the tree the next.
A single apple tree without fruit may not be getting enough sun or water or could even be ‘overfed’ by over fertilizing. It’s unlikely to be the cause this year though as it is such a widespread issue.
At the end of the day, only nature knows. We’ll see what next year brings. What is interesting though is how many people ‘expect’ an abundance of fruit for juicing, baking or storing. It’s a good reminder that fruit is a gift not a given.
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