Will I learn from my 4 week holiday traveling Europe by train? Probably not but I can list some of the gardening events that need to be considered next time I take off.

Short Flowering Season

• Dahlias were just coming into full bloom as I left for my holiday. I had carefully prepared the ground this year with extra helpings of horse manure as I know Dahlias are heavy feeders, a bit like the horses themselves.
• Without the deadheading, that I would have done, they now look well past there best and are running to seed. Never the less I have cut them back quite hard in some cases and if we get a frost free autumn I may get a subsequent flush of flowers.
• Most flowers are genetically programmed to produce seed to continue the species and when this is done the energy for flower production goes into seed production and winter survival.

Friends and Neighbors

• My greenhouse had been well tended in return for a supply of tomatoes. The Gardeners Delight cropped well and were sweet and juicy but the cool weather in early September  has slowed the ripening of the larger varieties.
• I ordered some plug plants, long enough ago to have forgotten, for delivery late September.  As you would expect they arrived in August just after I had left. Fortunately they were noticed on my doorstep and taken in by a sensible friend who has saved my 150 or so plants.
• The kids came and looked at the house and watered the houseplants once each, two days apart! So no water for 3+ weeks than a double dose.
• I was willing to sacrifice my pot plants but unrequested watering by another friend has prolonged the begonia flowering and they look a treat.

Internet Gardeners Tips

• Before leaving I preplanned a series of web page postings – you can predate your pages. Sorry I didn’t manage to cover the whole period but only a week has gone by with nothing.
• I now need to get some autumn photographs to help illustrate the next batch of Gardeners tips pages.