…gathered in.
Into the conservatory (1) that is. Given that the weather has been pretty shocking lately : far too much rain and also ‘stiff’ breezes from both the north and then the south has kept me out of the garden for the last couple of weeks (personally I think a stiff breeze in Cornwall is understated), I figured that you might enjoy a look around the conservatory now that it has been decorated. Often referred to as the garden room or even Orangery (although I have yet to make good on my promise to myself to buy a citrus tree and maybe some more exotic plants). In the meantime it hosts the (far too many) pelargoniums and the more tender succulents over winter such as aeonium and echeveria.
Plants that dislike the wet as much as the cold find themselves hiding in here during the Cornish winter. The lovely red flower is the Pineapple Sage which is a tender plant that spends all summer in the sun next to the herb bed, it flowers in the winter providing some much needed colour. (2)
Although you are supposed to cut your Pelargoniums (3) down by half to overwinter them I always find this difficult to do when there are still flowers and buds to be seen. I’ll give mine a few more weeks then cut them back in January. For now I appreciate their colours.
I also appreciate the colours of the stems and fruit of the tender Fuchsia, which appears to still be growing, and the Begonia. I will remove the Begonia corms in a day or two so they can dry out, but this red stem caught my eye. (4)
Finally, six Auricula (5) plants that I bought last winter. I’m not sure why and I am sure I don’t really know how to look after them. They are tough alpine plants so can withstand the frost and cold, but hate the wet, so I have brought them indoors to keep them dry. They like shade so they can’t stay on this windowsill once the sun makes its way back round, but for now they should be OK. In spring I’ll put them back outside by the woodland border and hope they flower next year. And I also need to buy more little pots to plant those plantlets into which I think I should have done already!
And a last look, from indoors, at the tidied garden and jet-washed patio ready for winter. (6) I still have to cut down the irises, Japanese anemones and the Meadowsweet from the area behind the sink. I am still thinking of creating a small, natural pond there, but that will now wait until the spring. No chance of any gardening at the moment!
As always, if you want a peek over other people’s garden walls then please pop over to our host, the lovely Jon, AKA ‘The Propagator’ where you find links to many more wonderful garden enthusiasts from all over the world. There might be a few soggy gardens this week!
See here for the participant’s guide.
Cornwall in Colours 
Love the lantern roof , and those splendid clouds in the last triplet. I’m surprised by all the color too, and can quite understand why you don’t want to cut back.
The roof is lovely, just a shame we still have a leak when the rain and wind hit from a certain angle.
What a lovely space. Did it come with your home or did you have it built to order?
It came with the house, but with a polycarbonate roof which leaked badly. To be honest I wish we had knocked it down and had a proper extension built.
I know that was probably hard to justify since one was already there, but I bet yours would have been better.
I certainly wasn’t looking for a house with a conservatory!
I wanted one ever since playing “Clue” as a kid. The murder took place in the conservatory.
Amazing you still have so much colour. What a boon to have somewhere to put all your tender babies over winter. A lovely insight into your world.
It is a good space to over winter the tender plants, but in hindsight I wish we’d built a proper extension.
I love your conservatory. What a lovely place to sit. This gathering in business gets more difficult each year as plants seem to get ever more abundant.
So very true. I need to be more ruthless about getting rid of the old ones.
Thank you so much for letting us all take a peek in your conservatory. Hope the lovely lantern roof is keeping the rain out xxx
Oh just read some of your replies…..aargh about roof still
The lantern is beautiful, the problem is the original external wall, but it is so difficult to discover where the water comes from.
Have the builders tried dye?
No. How does that work?
Helps to identify where it is coming in. I know it works on internal leaks so must be a way to do it externally
Mmm… I think I need to find another builder /roofer and see what they have to say. Found another leak today after an incredible downpour that lasted about half an hour. Not in the conservatory this time! Damn this wet weather!
oh no 😦 that is awful. Here’s hoping you have a few dry days xxx
Everything is looking very healthy Jude. I find it difficult to prune anything that’s still in flower too.
I know I must do it otherwise they grow leggy, but it’s nice to have some colour at this time of year.
That roof lets lots of lovely light in (as well as the rain 😦 ). You still have space to sit in there, and is it warm enough? Ours was always closed over winter, which was a shame.
The lantern is lovely, the rain comes in by the external wall when the wind is bad, much better than last year, but there’s still a weak point, somewhere! I wouldn’t sit in it during the winter, but it’s OK for pottering 😊 No heating though.
Ours had an expensive electric convector heater which rarely got used. 🙄
My begonia, grown from seed this year, have all gone over, basically disappeared below the surface. They are bone hardy, apparently, so should be ok. Hopefully i can plant them out in the spring. Assuming i can find/make a spot for them.
What type are they? I think I’ll just leave mine in their pots but keep them dry.
begonia grandis sinensis
Ta ❤️