They always say that we Brits are obsessed about the weather - mostly talking about it! Well, perhaps, but down in this part of rural France people talk about the weather a lot too - it’s really important for the farmers, primarily, but also for tourism (although that’s something that doesn’t exist at the moment). There are loads of weather forecasts - and we all tend to have different ones on our phones - which inevitably all vary slightly. But there’s also the personal forecasting that the farmers do themselves. They KNOW what is going to happen - and within pretty short time frames.
So when the noise of tractors drones and the farmers all suddenly appear in the fields harvesting a crop, or sowing something new - you know there’s going to be a change in the weather. And sure enough - they’ll be working with their headlights on in the dark and a few hours later it will be pouring down with rain.
Early morning mist as the sun rises over the balcony
Well, there wasn’t much need to forecast for rain this summer. There wasn’t that much. There had been enough over the winter to fill up the lake again but the hot weather started very early and some of the plants really suffered. The annual plants that I put in about April - including geraniums - just did not flourish this year like they normally do. They just sort of sat there. Some little annual asters that I used to edge a flower bed sat there all summer. Despite regular watering a few of them even curled up at the edges and turned brown. But then in September and October when we got a bit of rain they started to flourish and grow and now in November they look quite good.
Marigolds did the same thing and I have nasturtiums flowering now which have had no flowers all summer. Weird.
November has been a terrific warm month. Cooler nights but sunny days and bright blue skies. Wonderful sunrises and sunsets. A month to remember. I had my last swim early in the month and now regret closing down the pool so early because there’s nothing like swimming looking up to clear blue skies and rich autumn colours all around you.
The rich autumn colours of the abelia bushes below the oaks still dropping their leaves
While annual plants suffered, perennials (boosted by our regular watering systems using the lake water) have thrived. The late good weather has been perfect (sometimes too warm) for gardening and Kate and I have been digging out the beds to reorganise the planting and add news things. Our crocosmia have multiplied magnificently. Rudbeckia have grown everywhere. Gaura are in their hundreds. We are having a busy time developing new areas and finding places for everything. Red hot pokers have grown huge and must be split - in fact we’re planning a knifophia bed for next year. Dahlia tubers have swelled enormously and must too be divided. The number of iris must have doubled over the past couple of years and we have somehow found new homes for them all.
Crocosmia had got out of hand in my cutting garden - they have been dug up and we have hundreds of corms to replant
I have also been able to visit my favourite nursery for new supplies and we have planted an additional row of smallish flowering shrubs in the raised bed on the bank beside the barn. We hope that they will grow and in a few years the bed won’t need so much maintenance. Plants will all be perennials and annuals will be confined to favourites zinnia, cosmos and marigolds.
Cosmos still going strong at the end of November
The long bed beside the pool is being cleared of stones and rocks - we’ve managed 12 wheelbarrows full so far. There’s more clearing and planting to do there as we progress but now we are working on the ‘long’ bed which is full of dahlias. Yesterday we cut back the dahlias and cleared the weeds and moved things we don’t want in this bed to new homes. Now we must get the dahlias further back in the bed. Ideas of grouping colours together have been shelved as “too difficult”. So we expect once again to have a wonderful mixed border of wild colours to cheer our summer.
Dahlias keep flowering well into November
But summer is too long to wait for cheerfulness - spring comes first - and I’ve planned as much colour as possible. I’ve planted about 300 iris reticulata to welcome in early spring, then daffodils and narcissus, then what I hope will be great displays of tulips in tubs, troughs and in the flower beds too. I felt that I had not planned for a jolly enough spring last weekend so put in another order for 250 mixed narcissus and 250 mixed red and yellow tulips to plant in the long bed in front of the dahlias. Hurrah we won’t have to wait until June and July when the dahlias will start to appear - the narcissus and tulips will be there first. Of course, they have yet to be planted ...... and we still have a few more beds to dig out and areas to be sorted. But thank goodness for a terrific November.
A new iris bed under our ancient oak. I started with about 50 and now have hundreds of iris all over the property providing a wonderful display in May.
I have been doing more cuttings and early seed sowing as well thanks to my new area - a 2-4 metre green plastic tunnel with windows and a door. It’s already filled with cuttings and some early annuals for next year. It’s my new pottering corner and I love it.
The flowers and shrubs haven’t been the only ones getting attention. Peter has been preparing his beds for next year - his no dig garden is not so backbreaking but there’s still the endless weeding and lots of compost to improve the soil. He’s planted peas (still small as the first ones outside disappeared) and broad beans and winter lettuce.
We still have beetroot and celeriac, spring onions and leeks all going strong and providing us with delicious soups at lunchtime. We’ve even been able to eat outside at lunchtime.
Peter’s signature quiche lorraine
Brel sweetheart lettuce - seed from the UK as they don’t seem to grow them in France
We’ve managed to do all this in lockdown when, outside our grounds, we are quite restricted in what we do. How lucky are we!
We would not have achieved nearly as much if we’d had the rain we hear about on the radio in the UK. Yes we have had morning mists and plenty of mellow fruitfulness but also full-on hot sun and clear clear blue skies. Certainly a November to remember.