Gosh, where is the year going? We had our first frost on the 4th, or the first I’ve seen and here is a photo, doesn’t it look beautiful with the sun creeping through.

It took it’s toll on the cafe au lait dahlia, blackened leaves so it has to be cut down. It flowered so late this year so I am going to have to move it as it might be lack of light and then hopefully we will get many more blooms. I am also going lift, divide and store some tubers which I have not done before and of course I have the cuttings I raised to over winter.

November is the month to plant tulip bulbs so those lovely ones which arrived last month have been planted

Including these beauties – Black Parrots

I am gradually cutting down the perennials, the verbena has gone in the purple bed, along with the ox eye daisy and I am continuing to clear it of seedlings and weeds.

I will do this with all the beds but the grasses will stay and apparently according to Monty Don it is a good idea to wait until spring to cut down the Michaelmas Daisy and Helenium, too late for that as I have done that already but I feel it was a necessity due to the grubs that were destroying it. The eryngium has gone which is dotted in a number of beds, as have all the zinnia, cleome and amaranthus. The garden really is starting to look pared back.

I am please with how the paper white bulbs I just left in their pots have shot up although I am not sure how much flower they will produce.

So far we have had pretty mild weather for the time of year but it has been quite wet so the soil is sticky so not ideal for weeding but it has to be done.

I have started picking up the cones that fall into our garden from next door’s tree, great for wreaths and I am pleased to see the tree ivy berries staring to blacken, such a useful plant for Christmas creations. I will be foraging for other bits too soon.

Today I finally got round to removing the crocosmia from the front garden

 And hubby planted some bare root hornbeam and beech to create a hedge where the fence currently is. We planted some about 5 years ago by our boundary fence and they have worked a treat

It was a lovely surprise to see the Mohonia had come into flower especially as it has produced 2 bracts lower down the stem. I am glad I did not cut it back like I had thought was needed to encourage more growth but nature is a wonderful thing and it did it by itself!

This month really is all about cutting back and tidying. It is also when I look at what I have to do for Christmas. Obviously this year is very different due to covid so no wreath workshops. However I do have long standing customers who have wreaths and table arrangements. But now it is time to see what I can find for November’s bunch, foliage, grasses and seed heads have their own beauty and define a season and there was a solitary scabious bloom left!

And onto the last month of the year.

So here we are heading towards the end of 2020 and what a strange year, who would have thought when I started this blog how it would pan out. In fact it was because of the situation that I decided to write this as weddings were not happening. I ended up doing 3 weddings with most postponing to next year so I concentrated on the garden. We had some beautiful weather so much time was spent out there and we were so grateful to have such a lovely spot to enjoy during a difficult year. Below is the garden on 1st December and what a wonderful sky.

I have to admit I have done virtually nothing in the garden this month as I have been busy with wreaths and I have a part time job whilst weddings are absent. Fortunately there are not too many things that need doing, most of the cutting back has been done and any climbing rose pruning can occur anytime between now and February.

I gathered lots of home grown foliages for wreaths to compliment the spruce – below is eucalyptus, rosemary, bay, berried ivy, viburnum and senecio or Brachyglottis as it is now called.

And then you can see the stages of making a wreath, mossed base, covered in foliage and then the adorning.

And here is another wreath I made, more natural and I do like a hydrangea in a wreath!

I have been for a walk round the garden and there is still interest with the evergreens, seed heads and grasses but the ground is very wet. The days are short and there is often a keen wind so I am not rushing to find jobs to do out there. But not long before the shortest day and we can look forward to Spring!

So that is it for a year in The Flower House Studio Garden. I hope you have enjoyed reading the posts and seeing how the garden changed over the months. I will not be continuing in the same way next year but plan to take a photo on the first day of each month to keep a record and see how things have developed.

I am cheating a bit this month with my flowers as most are leftovers from Christmas orders and not from the garden but I claim the foliage as home grown!

The very best of seasonal wishes to you all and here’s to a much better 2021, keep gardening!