Herb Happenings and Climbing Capers

We’ve been enjoying some cracking Autumn days – chilly brisk mornings, crisp beautiful light and sunshine that the dogs have been worshiping with abandon. Whilst the soil is still warm I thought we’d best get some planting done in the garden before the long Thorpdale Winter settles in.

Along the fence (there used to be an old outdoor laundry here, the fence is basically a screen to the tanks and other side of the yard, wish it had a gate but never mind) we’ve planted a Chinese Star Jasmine and Happy Wanderer to climb their way up and along. We’ve pretty much always had a Happy Wanderer in any garden we’ve created – they grow fast, are pretty hardy, native and don’t look too bad either with their pretty purple flowers and dark green leaves. My mum has some prolific Star Jasmine which just smells ah-mah-zing in Spring, so we decided to join the club too.

I also put some herbs along the edge of the garden near the back door – some Italian flat leaf parsley, rosemary and coriander. I also want to get some sage, thyme, oregano etc. The rosemary I already had in a little terracotta pot, but we transplanted it into the garden and put some mint in the pot – got to contain that stuff! Nothing better than having fresh mint, crazy creeping stuff though if left to it’s own devices.

Autumn means bulb planting, and although I threw around heaps of bulbs when we lived here three years ago, the garden beds now have my arch nemesis – weed mat – spread over them. Grrrr! So fat chance of bulbs poking through that. Combined with the black mulch and it’s not exactly my cup of gardening tea, but beggars can’t be choosers. We cut away some weed mat and popped in some alliums, tulips and my favourite bulb – Erlicheer Jonquils. We actually dug up some existing bulbs as we were doing this which I’m pretty sure are Erlicheer Jonquils anyway! I’ve never grown alliums before, and I’m not usually a big tulip fan but saw these double parrot flouncy ones that quite appealed. Come at me Spring!

Undecided still about the whole veggie patch situation here (as we’re renting we can’t put in anything permanent in the garden) but I thought it best to just jump in and get planting. Some Winter veg has been planted up the other end of the large garden bed in the backyard – some broccoli, red onion, leek and baby spinach seedlings. I was pretty apprehensive about planting vegetables in that black mulch (which is just dyed so the dye leeches out when it rains) so we scraped it back to reveal that yummy Thorpdale volcanic soil.

My main concern is the rabbits that seem to be hopping about our lawn at the moment, and sure enough one of my broccoli seedlings has been decimated. We’ve put a little fence of garden edging around the veggies, but that really isn’t very effective. So far so good with any further rabbit munchings, hoping they at least let my little seedlings get away a bit so if they do munch munch munch, the veggies might have half a hope. Not a grand scale veggie patch yet, just some little bits and bobs to get us started. I’m a huge leek fan but have never actually grown them (madness!) so am hoping they do well.

What are you planting in the garden this Autumn?
Bulbs? Winter veg?
Got a favourite climber or a rogue runaway mint?