And these bright flowers I love so well,
Verbena, rose and sweet bluebell,
Must droop and die away;
Those thick green leaves with all their shade
And rustling music, they must fade
And every one decay.
Anne Brontë
Sadly we are at the end of another Parsonage garden summer. It has been a mixture of sun, drought, high winds and torrential rain − and yet the garden has put on the best show ever. It has been a terrific growing summer with the best show being the roses which, with diligent pruning, have gone on to have a second and third flush of flowers.
In June we were pleased to get rid of the last of the three conifers in the heather garden. It was mostly dead but still dense enough to screen the crocosmia and fox gloves while denying light to the ground in front of it. Once it was out of the way we bought a lovely light green, rather ‘frondie’ sambuca which we planted in a big pot that we sat on the stump. The increased light and space has made a huge difference to the back garden inspiring us to be more ambitious with future planting.
The three dedicated gardens are doing well. The woodland garden has been extended by trimming down a couple of shrubs creating more space and light for yet more new planting. It’s going to look really lovely next summer.
I do wish that we could extend the flowering season through November, or at least bring more colour and interest into the garden once the real flush of summer is gone. To this end we have put in more plants with colourful foliage to shine through the gloomy early winter days.
Theresa has a special interest in perfumed plants and we have sought a few out and placed them where they will be best appreciated. We have also planted a number of highly scented bulbs along the edges of the garden where we will all be able to appreciate their perfume.
As everyone knows we shall be celebrating Anne’s bicentenary in January. As it is not the best time of year for the garden we are thinking of maybe planting pots with some of the very early bulbs − snowdrops and the yellow aconites come to mind − any suggestions?
With my dedicated chums, Geoff and Theresa, I should like to wish you all a very happy winter and leave you with the promise of an even better Parsonage garden in 2020.
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