Mindful Gardening Newsletter No 72
Late-Autumn Gifts, First Frosts, and Quiet Miracles in the Garden
It’s hard to believe that we are now into late November and Christmas is about five weeks away. I am beginning to prepare the raised beds for over autumn and winter and start the serious business of measuring up for the erection of the potting shed, propagation shed and the decking that will surround the existing shed, which is jammed to the rafters with gardening tools, painting equipment and so much more.
This morning, we had the first real frost of this autumn. The lane was icy and not really safe to walk on even very late in the afternoon. The most important thing is that the birds get fed. Jenny created a lovely bird feeder of willow from the garden which holds suet balls. I think this is what has attracted the return of the blackbird with the white spot on its cheek. I love to see them back. The teasle self-seeds everywhere but it is a free source of feed for the birds and, architecturally speaking, it gives the garden interest when much of it is bare.
Christmas Presents Alive Alive O.
We love to give live plants at Christmas and also to have them in the house where the hyacinths put out their beauty and their glorious scent. The hyacinth bulbs we planted about six weeks ago have begun to put their head above the soil. The amaryllis haven’t yet started to sprout so we have put those in the back bedroom. It may be that they have too much light.
Gearing Up for Coming Storms
It seems that the storms that blow through Cordressagagh get fiercer by the year. Last year we had lots of trees down and we lost some of the ridge tiles off the roof. We have been blessed with good friends like David and Seamus who have been on the roof replacing these ridge tiles and filling the holes in the roof. We have been looking for roofers to redo all the tiles and tighten the slates. A few weeks ago, or more we had a knock at the door. It was roofers who were passing and wanted to know if we waked our roof doing. I put this down to the intervention of my dear fried Michael who died earlier this year. He has been managing projects from the other side. When I have issues with ongoing projects, I call on his name, and it gets fixed.
The Flowers Keep Giving
Bee is slowly recovering from a cold that means she takes two steps forward one step back. She wanted to cheer herself up, so she went into the garden to picks flowers. The picture above is what the garden gifted her. It’s now the third week in November and the garden keeps giving. By the plastic bin where I keep the bird seed there now three yellow roses in flower. I planted this rose years ago in remembrance of a friend Dennis. It was sold as a purple rose, and I bought it because purple has a connection to dentists which Dennis was. There is also the last of the sunflowers and one is even beginning to come into bud. Cordressagagh seems to have a strange microclimate where we are one month behind in spring and continue to grow for a month when other gardens are asleep.
Growing Winter Vegetables
I have started to grow some vegetables over the winter. Below are the cauliflower variety called “Snowball” which is appropriate because later this afternoon we have snowfall forecast. I tried an experiment with placing the plastic colours around some of these plantlets and leaving others unprotected from slugs and snails. The ones that were unprotected are now stumps and the ones with the collars seem to be coming on. I have planted leeks in the modular trays, and they are poking their heads up above the soil as are all the lettuce that I sow successionally is also coming on.
Planted a whole lot of mizuna early in late summer which is really very peppery (stronger than rocket) which is not to my taste. There are several heads of red cabbage some of which have gone to Jenny, and some will be used for a recipe I found online called Red Cabbage Rugu.
Cold Frame Creation
Have started to create the cold frames that with the help of Lennon we will be building over this autumn period. I have put the bottom frame together and drilled the holes for the water pipe that will be the support for the plastic pipes. Then we add the plastic covering, the hinges and we have a frame that we can open and shut.
One important thing to note is that if you are drilling holes with the spade flat wood drill bits that you do not drill all the way through. I nearly sprained my wrist, and it could have been worse. I now simply drill to the point where the point on the end of the spade drill comes through the bottom of the wood.
I have purchased a plastic pipe cutting tool rather than trying to saw through the plastic tubing for a cleaner cut. It also allows for quicker testing of an appropriate height otherwise the arch of the tubing looks very odd.
In the picture above you can see red clover which I will allow to cover the raised bed as a green manure and dig it in in the spring.
Collecting Seeds Workshop in Dowra
Last week I had the privilege of attending a free workshop on seed collection in Dowra Courthouse as part of a scientific education program. Small but great group of people in attendance. Lots of different seeds available and I took along some of my own which included Hosta seeds, marigold, and other flower seeds. This will mean there will be an extensive seed planting program come early spring when I hope to have the propagation space well underway with the help of Lennon. It may not have the solar panels, but it can operate without those for a while.
While writing this I went out to put the kitchen waste in the cavity block compost bin and given the frost overnight the dahlia stalks have gone black. The seed heads have also gone black and are wet, so I have taken them into dry out. Next week will be the week of digging up the tubers, dividing them, and putting them into trays of sand.
Indoor Herb Growing
On the windowsill in the corridor, I have my three pots of coriander growing. The seem to be coming on and they can be added to a curry sometime soon. I tried to make half a bed dedicated to growing herbs last year, but they seem to have been crowded out by some of the flowers that I included their which I think were a combination of cosmos (Soul White) and giant sunflowers. I am going to build a herb bed using railway sleepers at the back of the cottage. It is north facing but gets enough light throughout the day. It will be close to the house rather than having to take a trip down into the lower reaches of the garden.
Conclusion – When the Garden Keeps Giving
Self seeded foxgloves in Stewart’s Grove
As November leans toward winter and the evenings draw in, the garden invites me into its quieter rhythm. And yet, as you’ve seen throughout this edition, it still finds ways to surprise us — a blackbird returning with its white cheek, yellow roses blooming in remembrance, a sunflower daring to form a bud as snow threatens. Even now, when the year seems to be exhaling its final breath, life continues to offer small gifts.
Perhaps this is the quiet teaching of the late-autumn garden: that giving is not a season but a way of being. The cold comes, the storms gather, the frost hardens the earth, and still something rises — a flower for Bee, a promise from a hyacinth bulb, a new roof tile offered by unexpected hands. Even our losses, like your dear friend Michael, become part of this mysterious generosity, helping in ways we cannot fully understand.
As I prepare cold frames, sow winter lettuces, watch the Snowball cauliflowers push upward, or simply fill the feeders for the birds, may I and may you feel the deeper rhythm beneath it all — the assurance that life continues, renews, and returns.
May your days ahead be warmed by these small miracles, steady friendships, and the quiet satisfaction of tending what you love. And may your garden — inner and outer — keep giving long after the frost settles.
Tony Cuckson Cordressagagh Ireland