LOOKING BACK ON A GREAT YEAR
The
success of garden plants is not really under our control. The weather
determines whether they will be successful or not. After the disastrous 2012
cold wet year we were not really expecting a great year as we now feel climate
change might just mean warmer rain but a lot more of it.
This year
started off very late. Winter lasted a long time, and then spring was three to
four weeks late and not all that exciting.
However
summer did eventually arrive, temperatures climbed, the rain stopped and never
really returned for the whole summer. People and plants responded with great
delight. Garden and allotment got planted up, weeds got wiped out, the hose
appeared and was used frequently, and when all the work was completed the sun lounger
appeared after lying unused for over a year. As we relaxed on the patio
enjoying the warm of our Scottish heatwave, the scent of climbing rose Gertrude
Jekyll wafted over the scene. Flower beds have never been better with
geraniums, marigolds and tuberous begonias all flowering in profusion.
Fruits in abundance
Strawberries
were the first to respond to the dry sunny weather. Huge crops of sweet berries
were picked over a long season with a range of different varieties and no
losses due to botrytis.
Currants,
gooseberries, raspberries, brambles and saskatoons all produced prolific crops.
This created a major problem, as you can only eat so much fresh fruit. The
freezer soon got packed to full capacity with fruit and vegetables. We were
chomping our way through fruit, vegetables, salads and soups daily, and we had
not even started harvesting the plums yet.
My only
answer was to find more demijohns and start converting the spare fruit into
wine, so now I have over thirty gallons of top quality fruit wine which should
be ready for tasting after a couple of years. However some may not last all
that long if early samplings show good results.
Apples
and plums were unbelievable, giving us massive crops, but pears and my outdoor
peach tree did not give one fruit. Shoots produced in 2012 did not get any
warmth in summer or autumn to ripen up the wood so no fruit buds formed.
Hopefully they will fruit prolifically in 2014.
Vegetables everywhere
Just like
the fruit crops most vegetables responded to the brilliant summer. I used
clubroot resistant varieties of cabbage, cauliflower and Swedes which proved to
be a very worthwhile decision. Beetroot was so successful that I have still
three rows in the ground but earthed up for frost protection into winter.
Onions were a failure this year as white rot took hold the previous wet year
and has now infected the crop this year. Summer salads are easy, but my autumn
salads are all in full crop in December with plenty fresh leaves available for
salads and stir frying.
Tomatoes
under glass had a bad start with the delayed spring, but eventually made up and
gave ripe sweet fruit till autumn. Grapes were also excellent, though warm
weather in autumn was in short supply so ripening was very slow. Outdoor grape
Brant gave a very heavy crop which was turned into more wine.
Flowers
It was a
brilliant year for the roses as well as the summer bedding plants, gladioli,
chrysanthemums, and even the spring bedding gave a great display, though a few
weeks late. However my half hardy fuchsias did not like the heat wave and
sulked till late summer as cooler days arrived then they had their day, just as
I was about to turf them out. Outdoor fuchsia Mrs Popple had no problem with
the hot summer and was covered in flowers for months right up till the end of
November.
Each year
seems to be totally different from the previous year so who knows what 2014
will be like.
However
as the weather deliberately defies logic it is just as likely to give us an
even warmer and sunnier 2014, just as it did in 1975 and 1976. With that
pleasant thought in mind I will sign off this fantastic year and raising my
glass, filled with vintage Saskatoon wine to the next brilliant year.
Plant of the week
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgApklJOZulN6X8k5QiB-aJNZ3-QoNb0V1byamKCXfMyYT8ztGdBaDisOVxuvp64jchA8t0V8I6UCo5RhGIsrIku75VHhM25_8pkun1TgrQT-K_oxOcXVfxP2F6U5za9QbfueKzezepr4s/s200/Poinsettia.jpg)
Keep the
plant warm and water sparingly and never leave it sitting in water. It is a
tropical plant so give it plenty of sunshine on a windowsill.
END