Hi! I’m Tina,  It’s great to be with you all again. Thank you so much for joining me again in The Garden. Well, it is a little wet today so let’s sit indoors and look at the Garden through the window. It is so enjoying the rain. Come and join me for a good cup of tea, and maybe a biscuit or two.

First  an update on what has been happening in the garden since
your last visit. You will be able to see the change from the picture at the top of the article taken at the beginning of October, and the one at the end, which is late October. Note the smoke from my better  half’s bonfire - it  does look like Autumn.
As you can see, we still have roses. They just do not want to stop. The Pampas  Grass is here in all it’s glory  and the Hydrangeas are still great even if they have changed their colour.  Nature is just wonderful.

As you can see, the Nerines were all just gorgeous in October.  Of course I just have to show you the bog. It still manages to look mystical and you can just make out the end of the wooden
bridge over the stream.                                                              

I just have to share this plant with you, it is a Fatsia. Yes, I know that it is an indoor plant in England, but  this
one evidently does not understand ,so who am I to argue.

There is, however, a little story to this plant. Only a little one I promise.
When we moved here about 16 years ago, the house was in need of repair and the garden as it is today did not exist. I arrived with a small collection of plants, one of which was the Fatsia  from  the conservatory of our last house. Well, there was no conservatory and the house was a bit of a state, so as the weather was good I put it in the garden thinking to move it back indoors later. The work however took some time and the following summer there it was, a little scrappy, but still alive.  Just look at it now, all set to take over the garden and every October it produces these wonderful, if strange, flowers.

The Garden now is ready for its winter sleep. The berries were on the holly in October - holly berries and roses, what a strange, but wonderful year. The bulbs and spring plants are all set and the tidying up is done.
So, what about Christmas? I have done a little project, well, quite a big project actually. I hope our dear lady editor will give me a little extra space and that you will bear with me as it is a little bit of a craft project too. I am sure that all of you could do a better job on the crafting side and if any of you do  please let us see the finished article.
Throughout the summer we have been enjoying a lot of fruit and I have built up a collection of plastic containers. They do no recycle the containers in our area, so I came up with this idea. Maybe it has already been done., If so, I apologise.

1. Christmas Pot.
First measure a piece of Christmas wrapping paper and cut to fit around the sides of the first container and cut to size.      

2. Wrap paper around the side of the first container and hold in place.

3. Place the first container inside the second container and push down.

4. The finished pot.

5. Lighthouse Pot.
You will need the first container to be larger to enable you to fill. Insert

6. Here are the plants we potted up in the last issue.

7. Fill a third container with a mixture of compost and grit.

8. Replant new plants into the container and top with grit.

9. Fit into the finished pot.

10. This is an extra pot showing that you can just make any design.

All finished!

Oh! You have to leave now. I was so enjoying your visit, but I do understand that coming up to Christmas is your busy time. So do not work too hard - easy for me to say, I know.
Have a great