All the cladding is now in place on the new building, and more rocks have been added to the rockery. We shall be adding plants between the rocks, as we lift and divide some of our existing specimens, as well as doing some shopping for new plants in the spring. There is always the extra challenge of finding plants with medicinal properties, as well as with an ability to thrive in a particular position. Howard, our (relatively) new volunteer, has brought many valuable skills, including a wizardry with stone. As well as working on the rockery area, he has put in an edging by the Hedge Germander, that will make it easier to mow the lawn without chopping the hedge. This hedge has filled out remarkably well, and was still flowering in November. It does not seem long at all since it was started from scratch, as a number of cuttings taken from the garden of one of the volunteers. We also have some plants of Wall Germander, which trail down a low wall. This plant has a long history of use in the treatment of coughs and asthma.
While Hedge Germander does not have the same medicinal properties, it does have a more upright habit, making it useful as an attractive low hedge. As well as these flowers giving us some late colour, we have the yellow of the Quince leaves. Calendula also carries on giving us a burst of yellow, together with the Dyer’s Greenweed, which produced an extra flush of flowers after having a haircut.
As the picture shows, the leaves have been giving us plenty to do as well. We have been raking and collecting them into bags, to eventually become leaf mould, which will be useful as a mulch.
As the weather gets cooler and growth slows down, there is still plenty to do in the garden, tidying up the borders and planning for next year. There is more to do around the steps and rockery, as we would like to make a path to link to the bottom of the steps. We are also thinking of using excess cladding from the building, to make a more attractive surround for waste bins.
