Garden Diary – A rejigged hosta bed & an extra hour in mine!

I’m so pleased with the hosta bed after having to dig most of it out in the spring – well at least the gardeners mate had to dig it for me.

I started by getting a few plants out as it had all got a bit congested, but I had no idea that Lily-of-the-valley was so invasive! The gardeners mate said, he thought the roots were heading for Australia!

Anyway I’d only had green in the bed before but as it’s on the patio I fancied bringing a bit of colour in. Geranium ‘Patricia’ had not been doing too well in her position in the border so I thought I’d give her a change of scenery, and she’s loved it.

She responded immediately by flowering, which she’s done all summer and just as it looked like she’d had enough for this year, she produced a second flush of bright pink blooms.

A few flowers have decided to get going at a time when most are thinking of going to sleep for winter. Including a new white begonia I bought as a tuber earlier in the year. A few leaves appeared but no sign of flowers until really late, but now she’s decided to make the most of the blue autumn skies.

My true blue salvia is also producing more flowers after I thought it was finishing, but I had removed quite a lot of foliage from around it, so it must be the extra light.

The area of the garden that was hit worst by the heatwaves and drought was the white area at the bottom. I’m just hoping that the perennials do come back next year, but only time will tell. I did notice a huge mushroom growing in the middle of the border so somethings happy.

Fortunately last week turned out to be much brighter than the week before, but we did have the second named storm of the winter coming in on Wednesday. I’m sure I read somewhere that it was called Bram, but it turned out to be called Benjamin!

Either way, he didn’t cause us in the west any trouble, but I don’t think it was very pleasant on the east coast.

I finally took a photo of our neighbours tree as the leaves have been getting redder and redder and I was afraid the wind would blow them all away!

After one of the best cucumber seasons I can remember they are still going strong, but it can’t be long before the plants realise the days are getting shorter and start to shut down.

Maybe they’ll call it a day as the hour goes back, thinking they don’t like the dark nights, or is that just me?

At least I did have a lie in this year, after completely forgetting last year! I woke up at what I thought was seven, thinking, ‘it’s a bit early for a Sunday, but I’m awake now’. As I sat waiting for the gardeners mate to appear, wondering if I should go and check he was ok, I suddenly realised I’d got up at 6am!

Monday 20th October 2025

Earlier in the year we had to re-plant the hosta bed as it was overtaken with Lily-of-the-valley, I didn’t realise it was so invasive!!

Anyway I moved Geranium ‘Patricia’ in. She wasn’t happy in the border, but she’s loving her new home 💕💕💕💕💕🌿

#MagentaMonday

Tuesday 21st October 2025

You don’t get bluer than this blue salvia for #TuesdayBlue 💙💙💙

And we have some blue sky too 😁💙😁💙

Wednesday 22nd October 2025

My neighbours dazzling tree leaves 🍁🍁🍁🍁 and…

Blue sky 💙💙💙💙 although, Bram is apparently turning up tomorrow to spoil the party! 💨😕

#Autumn #autumntrees #trees

Thursday 23rd October 2025

Looking back to the heat of June & a hover-fly enjoying Cupid’s dart 🌿💜🐝🌿

#ThrowbackThursday #insectthursday

Friday 24th October 2025

I bought this begonia tuber early in the year, & I thought it was never going to grow. But boy was it worth waiting for! 🌿🤍

Yes, that is how blue our sky has been today 🌿💙🤍💙🌿

And btw I built that wall 🙂

Happy #FlowersOnFriday

#FungiFriday One of the few things thriving, down in the white garden 🌿🤍🍄‍🟫🍂

Saturday 25th October 2025

The carnations are still perfuming the patio, against Calamagrostis × acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ now with its golden hue.

It lasts all winter long before I take the hedge trimmer to it in spring 🌿🌾🌸🌾🌿 #gardening #pinkflowers

Sunday 26th October 2025

I hope everyone in the UK enjoyed a lie in this morning. 😴

It’s been one of my best cucumber seasons to date & still going. With more little fruits coming behind their attractive yellow flowers 🌿🌼🥒 #sundayyellow #yellowsunday