One of my favourite times of the year

Gardening for me has pretty much finished outside, so now I begin next years planning, drawing up plans for what goes where in my crop rotation plan and most exciting, list making of seeds I have and seeds I want.
Taking into account my late Dads old adage of growing something different each season, looking through the seed catalogues and on line sites keeps me buzzing. It won't be long before the Onion seeds will be sown in the heated propagator in the conservatory and getting in manure, and digging out last years compost heap and prepping for next year. I don't over tidy, leaving some areas unkempt for the wildlife, but the raised beds and greenhouse will be prepped ready to go. I need to get some Shallots sets and seed potatoes and that is just about it seed wise, more exciting then when the bearded fellow with the red suit comes.

 

What a lovely post, @burnie.

This is the time to look back and forward as well as making a mind up what we want next year.
Our ideas are a result of what we didn't do before, and what we did before, we learned from that experience.

Not that I'm keen on winter, but there is so much to discover in winter time. What we see in summer started in winter.

 

I suffer with SAD in late Autumn/early Winter, but planning for Spring and having something in the garden flowering all year round can seriously help my mood. I've got the Erica carnea, Viburnum bodnantense and Lonicera fragrantissima to look forward to, then when they're done it hopefully won't be long before my newly-planted dwarf lilac flowers!

It's quite a fun challenge trying to think of low-maintenance plants for the times of year when there are very few things flowering, or none. Aster novi-belgii might be another new addition that stays, it copes quite impressively with drought and provides some nice colour in mid-Autumn.

Nick

 

Don't forget Hellebores, Nick. No maintenance apart from cutting off the old leaves so the flowers are more visible from January onwards...