Winter Approaches.

Winter preparations.

A fairly filthy day this Saturday with strong gusts of wind and squalls - useless for leaf clearance! However, a good day to find work in the greenhouse and, with one Chris in Cornwall enjoying Storm Brian's hospitality, the other Chris (Genever) kindly helped lug the lemon tree up to the greenhouse from the terrace and set it up on a homemade plinth. There it will remain for the winter and we'll see if the lemons continue to ripen and if the greater humidity frees it from Red Spider Mite infestations and their devastating consequences. Placing the lemon tree in the greenhouse means more room in the conservatory for a large Jasmine, an Acacia Dealbata and lots more Geraniums to say nothing of a replacement coffee and now a tea plant!

The geraniums are all now enjoying some bottom heat! It's my attempt to provide 2 micro-climates: humidity for the lemon tree on one side of the greenhouse and a drier atmosphere for the geraniums on the other side. Each year, we lay a couple of scaffolding planks over the tomato bed which keep pots up off the damp soil. I need to move the Oleanders around and to make room for a few more 'delicates' and then it's a case of monitoring the temperature and humidity and keeping an eye on watering until things become a little more spring-like nest year.