HIGHER MORWELL GARDEN DIARY 2022
30th January
These pages are a rolling diary of the changes
and events in the garden for the year 2022 in
words and pictures.
May to August
Several years back we removed the stump of a rhododendron hidden under the big prunus in the copse. A cutting
has been in a pot since, putting on new leaves every year then dropping the old ones. We planted it out in the
new bed in front of the potting shed, and it has flourished, finally putting out half a dozen new branches, seen
left on 4th May. No idea what colour the flowers will be of course! On the right it is the return of the bees on
7th May, well a swarm our beekeepers needed to home. We’ve moved the site for hives to a much drier position
bordering the copse and near the wildflower patch.
We think we should know
the colour of this new
rhodi, it is Nancy Evans and
is reputedly yellow. 8th
May it has managed mainly
pink with maybe a cream
tinge as the flowers age?
But this is the first year
we’ve had flowers so
maybe we’ll see some
yellow next year.
17th May, and the result of a
visit from deer. The Cheals
prunus is very badly damaged
up to deer head height, and
since this attack the tree has
shown little sign of
rebuilding. The leaves will
return eventually but not the
branches.
After the very protracted wait in 2021 for the arrival of the
Alstroemerias we ordered, it is gratifying that all four plants seem to
be growing really well this year.
Seen on 28th May is Inticancha Passion, not surprisingly a magnet for
bumble bees and some other weird and wonderful insects.
A visit to the RHS Malvern
Spring Show and we came
back with a new Acer, in
this case Jordan seen on
the left on 1st June.
Planting out had to wait
until the new patio had
been laid as we didn’t
want Jordan flattened by
a digger. Acer Seriyu on
the right has grown very
well too, just behind and
between them is a Syringa
“Josee” which languished
for years in the shade of
the copse. Wrong place
for it, now it shows signs
of new growth.
The cercis isn’t doing very
well. In spring it burst into
new leaves but only one
small flower, now on 14th
June it is looking as if not
much has happened, the
leaves are still small and
yellow. It may have been
short of water, it has been a
dry year. We hope it
recovers with some TLC.
The fruit cage has
finally been erected
and populated. So far
we have two
blueberries, two
different gooseberries
and four raspberries,
two early and two
late. The raspberry
supports are concreted
in and wire tensioners
strung between the
post arms. Looks a bit
OTT but the RHS say it
is the way to do it.
Then we visit RHS
Rosemoor and find
they don’t support
theirs this way!
Left is the rose display outside the workshop in late sun on 20th June. They respond to a bit of dead-heading
by flowering almost interminably. On the right are the vegetable beds 1 to 3 on 17th June, bed 1 has Anya
potatoes and garlic just about ready to harvest, bed 2 has red and white onions, bed 3 has a marvellous crop
of potato plants which have already flowered. This end it is Picasso, which we haven’t grown before and the
far end is Sarpo Mira which are red-skinned and hard. Slugs still get in.
Above - time to put wood preserver on the field side
of the fence, involves taking out each panel and
clearing the ground of brambles and other unwanteds.
The opportunity was taken to replace the fixing
screws with ones of stainless steel.
Left is the polytunnel on 6th July, big swede middle
bed front left. We’re trying storing the garlic in here
this year, it has been an excellent crop. Left in the
raised bed are carrots and pak choi although the
latter is bolting. Still edible!
The hydrangea “Love You Kiss” has had its best year, no slug attacks even. It is starting to expand outwards and
needs some propping up. Seen left on 14th July.
The thick layer of bark chippings on the two Gin Palace flower beds have kept both slugs and weeds down this year
although the hot dry weather is probably also partly responsible. The flowers have been magnificent and there will
have to be some rescuing done over the winter as plants have disappeared underneath the crocosmia “Lucifer” and
the rampant hemerocallis.
The canna overwintered outside again, and again slugs got in and shredded the new leaves. It has recovered though
and is flowering brilliantly on 15th August. It must like the heat - the gunneras don’t. Almost total collapse from
both plants, not long ago they both stood well over two metres tall. Probably unfortunate that during the current
dry spell the septic tank has been emptied, the overflow of water from which drains into the ground where the
gunneras are planted. To the right the undergrowth is really getting out of hand.
Big swede. Yes the vegetable
I’m holding, dug from the
polytunnel on 31st August and
after trimming off all the
leaves and roots it weighed in
at 4.2kg. And surprise, it is not
in the least woody, we’ve
started eating it already. I’ve
had a recipe from a friend who
grew up in Norway that involves
grating the swede raw then
adding sugar, salt and vinegar.
Tempted to try?