Jo's December post

Hello Everyone

Merry Christmas, I hope you have all enjoyed yourselves and not over indulged too much lol !!

This time last year I brought you a selection of photos of Myddelton in the snow. This year the best I can do is a frost! Most of my photos this month were taken on Sunday 16th. We had a frost over night and it was just melting when I arrived at the garden. It was unusual to find the car park empty so I enjoyed taking some photos there without any distractions. The first photo is an Acer griseum, photo 1. I thought the samara, also called helicopters, hanging from the branches looked like moths waiting for the sun to warm them through, photo 2. Also, on the edge of the car park is this Salix matsudana 'Tortuosa', contorted willow, photo 3. I thought that someone had hung fairy lights along the branches but on closer inspection I saw that it was the melting frost in the sunlight, photo 4.

Leaving the car park I was greeted by this wonderful group of trees which never fail to delight me, photo 5. Left to right they are the Lime tree with mistletoe,Tilia x europaea, then the Cedar tree on the front lawn followed by the Alder in the Honesty Bed and another Lime tree. I love their silhouettes in the morning sunshine.

Walking on around the pond I noticed that the Liquidambar was still looking good and showing that wonderful mix of red, amber and yellowy green leaves, photo 6. I always think of it as a traffic light tree! The New River Lawn is quite itself again and just goes to show the resilience of grass, photo 7. The reseeding also helped. Looking across the pond, photo 8, is my favourite view of the house. Can you spot the heron on the far bank of the pond warming itself in the morning sunshine, photo 9.

Moving on through the Kitchen garden I visited the Glass Houses. There is always something there to see. First up is this Kalanchoe 'Bronze Sculpture', photo 10 and this lovely Schlumbergera, the Christmas Cactus, photo 11. Also, there is this display of Amaryllis, photo 12. A favourite plant at Christmas time.

Coming out of the Glass House at the far end brings me to the Pumpkin Patch. I don't usually include vast amounts of tarmac in my photos but I wanted to show you where the nerines and autumn snowdrops are planted, just in front of the Peach House, photo 13. The bed has been sown with Lolium multiflorum, Italian ryegrass, as an overwintering green manure. It will suppress weeds, prevent soil erosion and lift nitrates in the soil which will slowly release once dug in. How do I know all this?? Well, Steph has put one of her informative signs up, photo 14, which I found most helpful. In the Peach House is this splendid display set out for us all to enjoy, photo 15.

Making my way back to the house I stopped to admire the Asylum, photo 16. It has really come back to life and is looking very welcoming. Not that you want to spend time in an asylum normally! I know there are a lot of crocus planted in this area and I think there are snowdrops too, so looking forward to seeing what appears over the next couple of months now we can see the whole area. Great job, Ben.

Finally, this graceful Euphorbia characias, photo 17. I liked the way tips of the stems were just drooping a little after the frost, a very pretty plant.

So, all over for another year. I hope you've enjoyed this wander through the garden with me and I look forward to bringing you more highlights next year.

Happy New Year to you all.

Best Wishes

Jo