Enjoying the Small Things.

After the recent days of very heavy rain and strong wind there was a certain trepidation in that first walk around the garden to check that all is well. There is always the fear that there will be damage and even though recent conditions were not really of that threatening a nature it still came as a relief to be assured there was no damage to the roof and that no trees or large branches had fallen – that aside, everything else is considered minor, repairable and passing. One side of the garden was certainly littered with a huge amount of twigs and smaller branches from a line of ash trees on the garden boundary. These trees are certainly infected with Ash die-back disease and this shedding of dead twigs is a regular happening in the garden and it is only a matter of some years for the larger branches and entire trees to be effected.

Even though it has been knocked by the wind this spray of Alstromeria ‘Indian Summer’ looks so very well on the fallen leaves.

The seedheads of Dryas octopetala catching the rays of the low sun this morning.

Although this banana was put in a reasonably shelter position it was still tattered in the wind – but looks interesting nonetheless.

As can be imagined, the ground is very wet and was squelchy as I walked around this morning. The grass areas were also covered with leaves as many trees were suddenly bare of foliage. The Gingko biloba which had carried a full covering of beautiful butter-yellow leaves only a few days ago is now completely bare. Birch trees have been similarly denuded quite suddenly and others are certainly only lightly clothed in foliage at the moment. While I would like to run the lawnmower to collect these leaves, it is out of the question given how soft the ground is. It will have to be done by hand.

Cyclamen rhodium peloponnesiacum. Who would expect such a little plant, a native of Greece, to look so well after all the dreadful weather of the last week?

One of the early snowdrops in the garden, looking so very beautiful, Galanthus ‘Barnes’

Saxafraga fortunei, growing in a trough, with a little pig for company! The tatty Hosta in the background is one called ‘Mouse Ears’

On such mornings, after the relief that all the bigger matters are grand, it is the smaller things in the garden which can amaze us. It seems almost a snub of the dreadful weather that branches are blown from trees but a delicate cyclamen or recently emerged snowdrop can appear in perfect condition; that nerines seem to have come through undamaged and late-flowering fuchsias dangle their flowers as though nothing at all had happened. These little victories are so very heartening and well worth celebrating:

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Two fuchsias looking very well at the moment, Fuchsia ‘Hawkshead’ and the the gentle pink, ‘Whiteknight Pearl’

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Two hydrangeas which caught my eye with still some fresh colour to show.

The wind had brought down some of the medlars so we decided to pick the rest. They will have some time now in the kitchen to ripen and be ready to made into Medlar Jelly

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