Hello Gardening Friends,
The chilly winds of November are upon us. What better time to follow the advice of Helen Dillon, the expert gardener quoted above? I know that I will be thinking about this quote as I consider changes to be made here at Northview for next year.
What does she mean by “plan a garden of romance”? She helps us in the next paragraph by elaborating. “Romantic gardeners are in constant opposition to those with tidy minds.” Those of you who know me know that my mind, my garden, and my desk are always full up of thoughts, ideas, plants, and books. There is a lot going on at all times and in all places.
The thought that maybe all aspects of my life are rather messy does niggle in my brain, but the other day I heard another quote that might finally let me put it to rest. Some good friends were staying with me to help with the “The Fling” (see below). They took a peek into my pinky-purple painted office and saw the desk—or maybe didn’t see the desk because there were books, articles, and projects covering the entire surface. We talked about the old adage “a messy desk means an untidy mind,” and then one of my friends retorted that his mother used to say that if that were true, think what an empty desk meant.
So, my desk continues to pile up and the thoughts and brainwaves continue to flow. From now on I am going to refer to myself as a romantic gardener and a creative thinker and not worry about it.
Garden Travels
Here at Northview we had a lovely visit from over a hundred garden bloggers, social media mavens, avid Instagrammers, and garden luminaries a few weeks ago. They were visiting the Delaware Valley/Brandywine area of Pennsylvania for what used to be called The Garden Bloggers Fling and is now simply The Fling. We had a great time together despite torrential rain from a Nor-easter that failed to dampen our spirits.
There are some lovely accounts from the day. I am not sure that I have found all of them but here are a couple of links. There are more to be had on Instagram and elsewhere. Thanks to all the visitors who covered the garden on social media.
Book Sighted
I was in England for the wedding of one of my beloved nieces. Of course, there were some garden visits and some bookshop diversions. I do like to sign my books (asking first). If you are looking for good bookshops in London, I like Foyles on Charing Cross Road and the largest Waterstones, located in Piccadilly.
Plant of the Month: Hardy Chrysanthemum
The last flower of the year here at Northview is the hardy chrysanthemum. Every year we sort of begrudge the space that it takes up in the beds until late October and early November roll around. Then I always think that I need more of them to fill my heart with joy in these waning gardening days. Why do I love them? They are my last cut flowers of the year. They continue blooming even after the first frost has taken down the dahlias and salvias. They are also a magnet for all of the final pollinators of the year. Each clump of hardy chrysanthemums is buzzing with life.
Visitors want to know what types I grow but many of them are now my own crosses produced by the activity of the pollinating bees. There are some named cultivars like the ever reliable ‘Sheffield Pink’, which is actually peach in color. Another old standby is ‘Clara Curtis’, which is actually pink. For many years we have loved Chrysanthemum ‘Emperor of China’, which came from my lovely gardening neighbor as ‘Empress of China’—and the name has stuck. So much so that a whole garden bed is named after her. Unfortunately, the rabbits seem to have undermined the soil in that bed so it may be no more. At the time of writing, we are waiting to see if there is a piece left in the bed.
Hardy chrysanthemums are so much more rewarding than the non-hardy kinds. They come back year after year—unless you have bad bunnies. They are easily dug and divided in the spring to make new clumps to spread around the garden or to share with friends. The only maintenance that they get is a severe cutting back of the leading shoots several times prior to the 4th of July. Why the cut off at July 4th, you ask (especially if you are reading this in any country apart from America)? For American gardeners it is a convenient holiday by which you can mark the end of the spring gardening and the beginning of summer.
Next spring see if you can get some hardy chrysanthemum starts from a friend or order a few reliable ones. You will not be disappointed when November rolls around next year.
Blog Post: Reasons to be Thankful
This is the month that Americans celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday. Has your garden made you happy or joyful this year? Learn what I am thankful for and compile your own list.
Garden Visits: England
Of course I visited some gardens when I was in England – even though it was a wedding trip! I visited the always splendid Oxford Botanic Gardens with Director Professor Simon Hiscock. The highlights included the newly re-designed medicinal beds and the fantastic fungal drawings and paintings of Katherine Nicholson. Later in the day I had lovely tours of the gardens at my Alma Mater, Lady Margaret Hall, with Head Gardener Oakley Loudon and at Worcester College by Head Gardener Simon Bagley who showed me around the fantastic gardens that he and his staff tend.
I managed to fit in a visit to the Royal Horticultural Society’s Garden at Wisley where I had fun seeing the autumn borders and photographing cyclamen. Another day took me to The Garden Museum in Lambeth, London, which is located in an old church by the banks of the river Thames. The exhibits are up in the rafters and include garden plans, tools, photographs, paintings, and even gnomes. I always make a pilgrimage to see Gertrude Jekyll’s writing desk hoping that something might rub off on my garden thinking. A visit to The Jolly Gardener—a nearby pub afterward for a cider and Eton Mess (a dessert) was a great way to round out the day.
Book of the Month:
Helen Dillon on Gardening
One of the reasons that I am such an avid garden book reader is that if I can get a tip or two from each book, I can try these things out for myself and see if they hold true for me.
Helen Dillon is one of the most practical gardeners of our time. She is also a fabulous observer of her garden and records these observations with wit and humor. She was born in Scotland but has spent most of her adult life gardening in Ireland. Her climate there is moderate compared to my harsh continental one. However, a good gardener is a good gardener and there are always things to learn.
This book is a collection of articles that appeared in the newspaper, The Sunday Tribune, from 1992 to1995. They are arranged by month and section of the month, so it is easy to dip into it at the appropriate time of year.
Helen grows an incredibly wide range of plants, some of which are not hardy for me. But she has a can-do attitude and hasn’t found a plant that she doesn’t want. That rings true for me and I like her obsessive style—I can relate. For example, she says, “The gardening bug, once caught, can only get worse … empty spaces appear in the autumn, so the sight of a new plant may cause immoderate excitement.” (page 219)
She is a staunch realist. In the Introduction, on page 1, she states, “To me the exciting part of gardening is that nothing ever goes according to plan. You can design, dig, make lists of plants you want and think up elaborate colour schemes. Then jealous Nature steps in, does a virtuoso act and throws in a wild card.” How true. If nothing else does, gardening keeps you humble.
The book is not illustrated, but if you want another book by Helen that has photographs, look for another book published in 2007. I am lucky enough to have a copy that she signed for me. The American version is titled Down to Earth with Helen Dillon. The British version is called Helen Dillon’s Garden Book. I also have a copy of this too. I am sure that I thought that it was another book because the cover and the name are different. Maybe I will delve into this book next month since I have now started re-reading it. I wonder if they changed the spelling of color/colour?
Note: I am not sponsored to promote books found in these newsletters. They are featured because I truly love them.
In Case You Were Gardening…
You Are Not Alone In Your Garden – Oct. ’23
The Leaves Come Tumbling Down–Then What? – Oct. ’22
Enliven Your Fall Garden With Dahlias – Jan. ’23
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If you would like to see photos of my garden at Northview and images of my garden travels, please follow me on Instagram @NorthviewGarden and @JennyRoseCarey
Bye for now,
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