Cosmos (30 OCT 2010)

On 21OCT I had to scrape ice off my car windscreen. I realised that the routine of checking on the progress of my flowers after work was over.  The first noticeable effect of the frost in the garden was that the cosmos petals crumpled. I'll miss the cosmos swaying gracefully in the wind and brightening up the autumn scene. Mrs. F had given them to me as seedlings. I'd looked them up in an encyclopaedia but I never expected them to grow  as big as they did so quickly and flower so prolifically. Life goes on in my little plastic sheet greenhouse because the seeds they produced have germinated into seedlings completing the cycle. They might have a chance of surviving the winter if my greenhouse doesn't get blown over.

I have now cut down all the annuals even though they weren't completely dead. I couldn't bear to watch them dying. I left the roots in the soil just in case there's a chance that they might re-generate next year. The snails & slugs will have to find new hiding places and I'm sure they will. It was sad to see the borders empty but on the other hand the canvas is blank and I can make plans for the spring.

As this is my first year of proper gardening I didn't get my timing right. I eagerly started planting bulbs in September : crocuses in the grass and tulips & daffodils where soil was showing in the borders. Then at the beginning of October I saw bulbs on sale so I planted some more. Now I can't remember what's planted where and when I dig around I usually fork a few bulbs in the process. I'm not sure if a forked bulb will heal itself but I'll find out in about 6 months. Lesson learnt for next year is that I'll plant bulbs in groups after cutting the annuals.