The soggy weekend forced me to do one of those jobs I am excellent at avoiding – tidying up the patio and addressing my guilty secrets.
The guilty secrets in question are those impulse buys that haven’t found a home in the garden. I have actually identified homes for most of them and had intended to plant them over the last few weekends but as ever plans were thwarted. Anyway I have now decided that with all the rain we have had and the predicted drop in temperatures later this week that planting them now may not be the best idea. So I have decided to leave them be until the Spring along with some other plant moving I had planned for this Autumn.
However, this raised another problem – where to put my guilty secrets over the winter. The cold frames are full and I don’t want to put them in the greenhouse as I don’t think a frost free environment is right for overwintering perennials, so what to do? Anyway, the Succulent Theatre was empty as its occupants had been moved to the greenhouse, so the outside staging was sitting empty apart for some stray pots. By grouping the plants here I can cover them with fleece if the cold weather hits.
Along with the guilty secrets I have squirreled away some pots of seeds which were sown in the Spring but need a good cold spell and some bowls of spring bulbs. The patio is now cleared up and all my guilty secrets are gathered in – I have to say there aren’t as many as I thought there was going to be so I don’t feel so guilty.
Mmmmmm – better secret than buying shoes or bags compulsively and having to hide? Not me tho’ as me also – plants! My past is catching me up with moving – only 100 pots of the 400 moved to No3 daughters so far!!!
I think we are all used to washing our dirty linen in front of our blogging friends, Helen, so shouldn’t need to feel too guilty!
Haha! I love your post Helen! I just don’t think there are enough hours in the day.
Don’t feel guilty. You say you have designated places for some of them, and by the end of winter, I bet you will have found prospective homes for the rest. So, no guilt, just a better garden!
Sounds like you should consider digging a new bed or two.
Hi Gardenerinacity – another bed! I still have one half dug and lots of space so thats OK, well for now
You are lucky to have the option of spring planting; if I don’t plant in autumn the plants really suffer, their grow rate if they do survive the first summer is slower than if they’d been planted in the following autumn! But you don’t seem to have too many pots there so you’ll get them planted up very quickly early next spring. Christina
Hi Christine – I would have preferred to do the planting and moving in Autumn but for various reasons I lost two months of weekends and then the rain started so I will just have to be patient.
The succulent theatre has now a double purpose
Hi Mark & Gaz – the succulent theatre is incredibly useful. My cat also likes to sit on it which has caused a few damages but never mind
I prefer to view your collection of guilty secrets as an investment in the future.
Hi Gardening Show – oh yes definitely an investment in the future!
My guilty secret was sadly – unexpectedly – exposed since my husband came down with the ‘flu over the weekend, so he was home yesterday when my new wellies were delivered… Ooops! (Mind you, my old wellies are leaking, and I do need to replace them. And these were cheap wellies!)
Hi FG – I’m only accountable to myself which is a good thing! I could do with some new wellies actually
I bought a pair of Karrimor wellies off Amazon for less than 20 quid, and they feel very sturdy with a good, solid sole… I can strongly recommend them!
Ah, well done you. I’ve rounded up our pots onto the patio, rather than clearing it, oops. And I too have a good handful of acquisitions that I meant to put into the ground before now, and a few things that are already in the ground to move, all of which will have to wait for spring and more clement conditions. Ho hum.
I do feel slightly better at having all the bulbs planted at last, and the dahlias lifted. Suspect the collection of pots will remain where it is though…
I have to say, this is the first year that I have so few plants that remain un-planted (well, unless you could the hundreds of bulbs sprouting in my office)!
Hi Scott – well done you. I dont have many bulbs which is good and I was pleased I dont have so many plants unplanted as in previous years
At last!!!! Somebody else does the same as me!! Can’t stop myself sometimes especially if they are are sell-off bargains – have yet to inform my brain that I have a REALLY small garden, but hey who cares – unleafed plants can be snuck in anywhere – trust me I’m an expert. Suggestion for over-winter -, perishing cold garage like mine stops anything even thinking about growing until its specified time e.g Spring!! Long live guilty secrets. PS my other one is chocolate!
Hi Beverley – I am getting better and dont impulse buy as much. Although thinking about it that may be because I havent been to so many places to impulse buy this year
I had to create a spot just like what you have for my pots that were still sitting around. We’ve also had some very wet weather and it looks like more to come. I usually always have a tray full of plants sitting on my deck that by the end of fall still haven’t been planted, in fact there are still some sitting out there now that I need to do something with.
I have a couple of guilty secrets myself that need hiding in the garden before the ground freezes.
No guilt, just forward planning