My New Undergardener

Yes, Harvey the labrador x giant schnauzer has tumbled into our lives today! He's a cheeky little chappy and I love him to bits already! He is looking forward to helping me in the garden. He has already been for a tour to assess what needs doing.

Here Harvey is mulching a pot (with slobber)

And here he is pruning a Convulvulus

I'm sure he won't always be that helpful! It's going to be hard work I think but hopefully a lot of fun!

December hasn't arrived

At least not in my garden, which still thinks it's September. We've managed to dodge frosts until this week, and many of my plants are still flowering when they really should be resting or dying off.

I grew these Mesembryanthemums from seed, and they are now at their best.

Apples are still clinging on for dear life, like baubles on a Christmas tree.

This Salvia was late to get going, and is now making up for lost time

Yes, this poppy still has buds on it in December!

Stipa and Sedums are hanging on, just.

This lantana overwintered without protection last winter. I wonder how it will do this year?

Some of the roses are still blooming.

This one, Rosa 'Lucy' still has plenty of buds, which may not get chance to open.

Even though I am not spending much time in the garden at the moment, it is nice to pop out and see some flowers still doing their thing. And the odd bee here and there. And before long new shoots will emerge and the whole thing starts over again. Can't wait!

Maclura pomifera Osage Orange

Well done to those of you who correctly identified this amazing tree's seed pods. I think it's a fabulous name for a tree. One of the reasons I was so confused by this seed pod was that I found it on the ground nowhere near the tree itself. A child had possibly picked it up and carried it to another part of the garden. Anyway, a member of the gardening team took us to the tree, and below it were dozens of the things. I should think they'd give you a nasty bump on the head if they fell on you. So the moral of the story is, don't stand beneath a Maclura pomifera Osage Orange during the Autumn. But then I expect you knew that already!

What on earth is this?!

I didn't know at first, but I asked an expert and now I know what it is. Do you?!

Cambridge Botanic Glasshouses

The glasshouses at Cambridge University Botanic Gardens are impressive. Not on the scale of an Eden, Wisley or Welsh National Botanic, but they still hold their own because of the interesting layout. A long corridor runs from one end of the complex to the other, and different rooms open from it, each showcasing a different climate zone. I find this a more intimate way to view the plants, and certainly compared to Eden a lot less overwhelming.

The central corridor

A huge Aeonium

Delightfully glossy foliage

A type of passion flower? Amazing, whatever it is!

More lush foliage

Cambridge University Botanic Garden

Cambridge University Botanic Gardens are among the best in the country without a doubt. Tucked between ordinary streets in the town's suburbs, this 40 acre oasis is open throughout the year. You can see just about every gardening style known to man here, including a rock garden, waterside planting, nine national plant collections and an impressive network of glasshouses. In October, the most impressive areas were around the lakes, where autumn colours were stealing the show.

These Systematic Beds group plants according to their families, for teaching purposes.

There's so much more to see (including the glasshouses which I'll feature in my next post) that I recommend you check out the garden's website.

Anglesey Abbey

Another National Trust treasure that we visited at half term was Anglesey Abbey. The now famous Winter Walk was looking good, and in a month's time it will be spectacular, with the perfume of viburnums and daphnes in the air. Of course looking good all year round are the silver birches. Cyclamen were also putting on a show.

This is a pretty old wisteria!

The dahlias were looking very uniform in their semicircular plot.

Here they are from the other side.

The house itself is fantastic, room after room crammed with the collections of its last private owner, the 1st Baron Fairhaven. The grounds are vast and there are many areas I haven't featured - we were keen not to miss the All Saints Day evensong at Kings College Cambridge!