Tuesday, November 04, 2014

Very, Very Nice!

I managed to claim back some time owing from work today and got home early. Not much time at all, just over an hour but that was all that I needed today. I just needed to be home whilst there still some daylight around so I can shift some plant undercover as we are forecast a possible blanket of frost on Thursday early morning.And it seems that this will be a one off (for now) as from then onwards it looks like it's set to get a bit warmer again.



Since October has been on the whole mild and very good weather wise the shifting of some of our plants undercover has been very slow. Plus we're prioritising finishing off building the quarantine shed so we can store plants in it too (and have fun in it).


Winter population slowly building up
Also, as much as possible we prefer to leave out plants for as long as possible as they are better off outside rather than jammed altogether under glass the earliest possible we can do so. They will remain much healthier the longer they stay out as long as the weather remains mild enough for them.

Saying that I know time can be an issue too and storing plants becomes just a matter of when one can do it rather than when is the most ideal for them (which is often the last minute before a cold spell, or in the case of xerophytes to dry out sufficiently before that).

Its's all a balancing act of different factors but the dictum 'Store plants too early and you prolong their winter too' goes to mind each time autumn arrives.



Anyway so yes I utilised the extra hour early home to move some plants under glass. Fortunately there wasn't that much to move with urgency at all and most of the borderline ones can remain outside where they are for now, as they should be fine with short bouts of cold and frost on them.

The ones I had to move ASAP were the ones I personally call the 'mushy lot' - i.e not necessarily very tender but touch the leaves with ice and they turn to mush. Lots of succulents fall under this category and several leafy plants.


What about tender and tropical plants that are not only intolerant of any frost but of colder weather altogether? Well we don't really have any of those truly tender ones outdoors anymore to mollycuddle and drag in the house at the first sign of autumn. We used to but we have disposed of them gradually until none remains. The only tropical and very tender ones we have are the permanent houseplants which are in the sun room and third bedroom (most of the house are plant free).

So I've just almost unceremoniously shoved these 'mushy lot' under cover, closed the greenhouse doors, and tucked them to bed for now. Over the weekend we'll have more time to sort the plants out properly and with more thought so as to utilise the available space as efficiently as possible.


The 'mushy lot'
Since the clocks have changed and moved back we rarely get the chance to spend some time in the garden after work and are only able to do so during the weekend. Until the length of daylight gets significantly longer again we are mostly weekend gardening warriors.

So when I got home early and managed to do a bit of gardening, a rarity at the moment, I was reminded how nice it was to do so after work. It's to forget that sensation at the moment as our daily routines have changed now to adapt to the colder months.

I thought it was refreshing and invigorating, it felt like a treat! Like the odd cup of special coffee after work, or an aperitif before a meal, it was very, very nice!

Mark :-)

28 comments :

  1. I do not take for granted my ability to be in the garden in the daylight hours, working from home has definite advantages. Our temps have been on the warm side so far this autumn, a benefit I suppose from all the cloud cover (oh, a silver lining!). However I see with some orange orbs in the forecast (finally!) the night time temps are trending cooler next week. I guess I will need to do the same as you and finally tend to the tender things still out in the garden like the alocasia, colocasia, tree fern, etc.

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    1. That's the only thing at this time of the year Loree, a trade off that with milder temperatures often have to come with cloud cover and rains. Sunny and clear days can mean cold and frosty night. Thankfully sunny and mild still does happen in between that, just hoping such combo will happen more often :)

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  2. The 'mushy lot'! What a great name. (It makes me think of the meals I cook - or overcook as usually happens!) Glad there's only one day of frost predicted - could do with some more temperatures like Hallowe'en was! All winter ...

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    1. Wouldn't that be so nice Ingrid! We'd definitely be wishing the same :)

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  3. Hi Mark, great that you got your 'mushy lot' into a safe place before the frost arrives! I can completely understand how enjoyable it is to be able to garden on weekdays at this time of the year, even though it is only for a short time, feels like a treat, right ;-)! Even though financially not a good thing, I am often happy if a client cancels on short notice and I can sneak out for an our or two and do stuff in the garden. That is one of the many advantages of working from home! Wishing you a nice rest of the week! Warm regards,
    Christina

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    1. Thanks Christina, it's a treat alright :) sometimes I do wish we could work from home, although I do wonder how much can we actually accomplish if we have the garden nearby to tempt and distract, hmmm....

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  4. Breaks like that from the usual routine always feel like a little gift (even when the time is yours to take back). Your bench containing the "mushy lot" looks very nice - I'm glad they can grow on under cover without fear of melting. We seldom get frost here but the unexpected happened once at our former house and I remember how depressing it was to wake up and find nothing but mushy black goo covering formerly healthy sections of my back garden.

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    1. I can just imagine the frustration from that event Kris, especially as that's a very unusual thing to happen there. Seeing precious plants damaged, not a very nice thing at all and we know that feeling too.

      I quite like the literal succulent bench. As we don't use it for sitting on recently it has served the purpose as seen above. At the moment it's vacant again but by the weekend it will become a succulent bench once more :)

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  5. While we don't have to worry about frost quite yet here in the Sacramento Valley, your post reminded me that now would be a good time for me to come up with an action plan for when frost finally does arrive.

    But really: Can't we just skip winter altogether this year?

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    1. We both have the same wish Gerhard. And wouldn't that be nice if we can? :)

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  6. An extra hour is such a treat. Good planning on your part. I should take a lesson since we are retired yet every year it seems I am out back in the dark hastily moving plants ahead of the first frost.

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    1. It was a precious, most relished extra hour Shirley :) last minute moving things isn't so bad, as long as all gets done in the end and you don't get too tired afterwards.

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  7. Very nice indeed to have a bit of time after work before it got dark! This time of year when we only see our gardens on the weekends is sad! Oh well, the days will start getting longer again in just a couple of months.

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    1. I know you can sympathise Peter, we're on the same boat on this one :) the longer days ahead is definitely something to look forward to. And moments like yesterday has reminded how much I miss the garden during weekdays, sigh...

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  8. I'm so lucky to be at home during the day, though I've been terrible about stealing time to garden this past week, something I am now regretting with the increasing cold! Glad you enjoyed your stolen time and got the mushy lot safely tucked away. We're not forecast any frost, but there begins to be a distinct nip in the air.

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    1. The change in the weather and that distinct nip in the air is unmistakeable isn't it Janet. No more denying now, it's definitely autumn. I bet even when it gets cold later once you get the urge you will still inevitably do some gardening so no regrets :)

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  9. Your afternoon sounded lovely. I'm looking forward to the days getting longer (they have a lot already, but will continue to) and also being able to garden after work. Hopefully there'll be a few more for you before winter sets in :)

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    1. Thanks Amy! It must be so nice to have spring and summer to look forward to there :)

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  10. We have the same loss here, slightly different, that time after dinner when it is cool enough to garden during the summer. It's the nicest way to get your mind off the trials of the work day and on to happier things. Your mushy group looks healthy and strong. They must have had a great summer.

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    1. The mushy group seems to have taken off only at the latter part of the summer. Perhaps as a response to the good first part of the summer Gail :)

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  11. The mushy lot looks very cute on that bench :). I´m letting my plants alone with the elements this winter as I am not in Spain...we´ll see how big my mushy lot is...and how many survivors I have...

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    1. Hopefully you will be pleasantly surprised Lisa :)

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  12. You guys have been very busy haven't you? I haven't been keeping up with my blog reading lately so had a bit of a marathon of sorts tonight :) Enjoying seeing everything take shape :)

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    1. Thanks Jess :) yes keeping ourselves busy, not letting winter stop us. Happy marathon blog reading!

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  13. Now I am feeling guilty for squandering so many daylight hours when they are so precious to you. I guess it just proves, yet again, that scarcity produces value.

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  14. I'm with Gerhard and would like to skip the winter. Maybe it will be wet and mild. I'm glad you got your babies under cover. I have decided that I want all my purchases in pots this year before winter. So the work is under way.

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  15. Our winter weather is much too wet for succulents, and you have reminded me to move in the one pot of "mushies" that I have. We are due for a hard frost this week.

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