I try to take photos of my garden through the seasons so that I can look back and see how it’s been. I keep the odd written note when I have an idea that I don’t have time to try straight away. I can’t pretend that I’m as consistent with all of that as I’d like to be, but there’s something about late summer that really encourages me to take stock and reflect on what’s worked and what hasn’t.
It’s a bit like a debrief after the party – best laid plans have unravelled mostly quite well but a few things might have gone better. Individuals, who you were worried might clash, got on really well. Others it might have been best to leave uninvited. The debrief is best done as you clear the empty bottles, wipe the sticky floor and work out who the mislaid jacket belongs to.
The lush growth of spring and early Summer has been and gone, and the drying seedheads remind us that the magic of Autumn is on its way. It’s time to sit down with a cup of tea in a favourite corner of the garden and think about what it would be good to remember for next year.
Here are a few of my late summer notes to self:
- Dahlias are worth waiting for
- What feel like empty beds in the early Spring do fill up – some more than you want
- Damp shade and dry shade are different things and work for different plants
- Clemetis doesn’t like a harsh winter but has an extraordinary capacity to regrow with vigour
- There’s only so much you can fit in one small greenhouse – two cucumbers is too many
- It’s lovely to see the garden from different angles and for that you need more than one comfortable place to sit
If you’d like some help reviewing where you’re up to with your garden and thinking about the year ahead, get the kettle on, get in touch and invite me over to help!
