I have just spent two days working on one of the beds in the Terraced Garden.  There were in my view a few mistakes in the area this year and while it was still fresh in my mind I was determined to re-dress the balance of the bed.  One of the problems was that in some cases the plants had just got too big.  I have removed two very old roses and then lifted and divided practically every other plant in the bed.  I am finished now and I think that it will look better next year.  The up side of all this is that the plants I have divided have given me an addition 32 plants for free!  Don't you just love gardening!

It is funny how you can start on one job in the garden and then find yourself doing something you never expected.  Today I was tiding the small bed at the end of the sunken garden.  I decided to remove one over hanging branch from a lilac and as I did this another large piece just came away in my hands.  Honest!  having opened this up more than I had expected I was a woman on a mission.  Clambering over the fence that separates this part of the garden from the bank we have yet to strip out, hand saw in hand off to work I went.  The under gardener came out to see what all the fuss was about, liked the effect and then asked what time was lunch.  I am REALLY pleased with the days work.  After a hot bath and supper I am now ready to watch my recording of Open Gardens. 

We have just returned home after a short brake away.  The leaves from the Sweet Chestnut tree and its fruits were all but knee deep on the drive and we have spent all yesterday clearing it up.  The drive reminded me of the beginning of the film Rebbecca and that drive!  Just before we left I had turned out the leaf bin and spread the condense which was ready for use into three other bins equally and then re-assembled the wire around the leaf bin.  It appears now to be almost full again but experience tells me it will settle down in no time.  We have been able to have three years worth of leaves in that bin at one time.  I am very lucky here with a wonderful neighbour who kept an eye on things not least the greenhouse while we were away.  Having now disposed of the last of the ironing I can really get on with the business of gardening.

It is said that this is the beginning not the end of the gardening year.  I must say I am looking forward to lifting, dividing and replanting in a week or two's time.  I say a week or two because at the moment there is still much going on in the garden and also the ground is hard to try and start lifting turf which will need to be lifted to make two new beds that are on my list and to extend the shrubbery in the orchard.  I have collected a good deal of plants ready for this extended shrubbery but I know that it would look a bit sparse next year unless a fill up the gaps with herbaceous plants.  This is what I shall do and then remove them bit by bit as the shrubs develop.  I have see only too often over-planted areas that have resulted in the shrubs competing for everything from light of nutrients in the soil.  It is my intention to plug gaps with geraniums and crosomia till the plants develop.  Good thinking huh!

I had left the greenhouse door open this evening and it was 9.30 before I remembered and shot outside to put the new hanging baskets back inside and close up.  It is the most wonderful evening here but quite cold.  I was hoping to get these baskets out by the end of this weekend but at the moment I am worried that it is a bit cold just yet and they have not hardened off enough.  Spent the evening with the dog watching Gardeners World.  It always makes me want to dash out and grab a fork and dig up something but I will have to content myself with finishing the scarifying of the lawns with the under gardener.  The petrol driven hedge cutter is off colour at the moment so I have finished the Beech hedge by hand as well as doing the Box hedge in the sunken garden.  They both look ready for the winter now. 

As I drove up the drive today bring the under gardener back from squash (silly old fool!) I was struck by just how much colour there is left in the garden.  I am always excited by this time of year and I am itching to get going on the new projects that I have in mind.  I shall post pictures on the site when we get started but for now I shall leave well along and just enjoy the last of the colour.  The light levels make such a difference too but a garden is still chicken soup for the sole what ever time of year.  

I bought two new hanging baskets today.  They are in the shape of a very large strawberry and I think they will look great.  I have some pansies and violas which I got at Tesco of all places.  They were small plugs but are now well grown plants.  The viola are yellow and the pansies are orange.  The two stone pots which stand on the steps to the sunken garden have geraniums in at the moment but they are now looking very tired so they will be replaced with a new planting scheme of Pony's tail grasses with orange pansies.  The grasses are also in the hanging baskets together with some long trailing ivy which I re-use each year and they look very good together with the yellow viola.  The pots ( these are large black plastic jobs which fit inside the stone urns in the garden) and the baskets are spending the night in the greenhouse and I will gently introduce them to the outside world over the next few days.  Now I must spend a good deal of time getting the compost out from under my nails!