I have been digging, clearing and dividing in Suffolk and need a moment to enjoy the colours in the garden. I hope all the bare patches will soon become green and colourful!

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I have a problem – my clematis ‘Prince Charles’ is putting out new growth with clear determination! It is only early December and not at all what I expected so I consulted the RHS.
It is a young plant, put in earlier this year and the RHS advises me to ‘…Prune in late winter or early spring when buds show signs of growth – typically in February (!). If young clematis plants are left unpruned they often produce very long single stems with the flowers produced only at the very top. Unless the plant already has three or four healthy stems growing from the base, all newly planted clematis should be pruned back hard the first spring after planting. Cut back to just above a strong pair of leaf buds about 30cm (1ft) above soil level. This will encourage multiple stems which can be trained in to supports to give a good coverage. During the spring and summer, tie in new growth, spacing stems evenly on the support…’.
So it seems as though I will have to cut back – what do you advise?
The garden in Suffolk is not going to sleep – we need cold weather!
One of the clematis, ”Prince Charles’, is sending out new growth, the Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’ are starting to grow, and the primroses are flowering – what should I do?
Even ‘William Shakespeare’ is still flowering.
I can’t believe that it is early October and the garden still looks good. I started clearing up in the back garden, cutting down the Japanese Anemones before the seedpods could burst – they are multiplying quite fast enough without seeding as well! I need to thin the clumps but I think I will wait til early spring while the plants are still dormant. The Viburnum berries are abundantly red and the sedums are absolutely stunning. The cool start to the year meant they didn’t romp away and I have compact plants with enormous flower heads.
The Suffolk garden, now in its fifth growing season, is slowly maturing.
And at the other side of the house –
Halesworth is a Market Town in High Suffolk and over the weekend townspeople opened their gardens in support of Air Ambulance. Walking through the town centre gives no hint of the beautiful spaces hidden away throughout the town – it was a wonderful afternoon!
The flowers were abundant everywhere, and the roses were particularly beautiful.
There were large, park-like gardens, wilderness areas, town gardens, courtyards, a gravel garden – all absolutely beautiful.
And there were interesting plants
Halesworth is a very old town and I need to explore further!
You may be interested in
The history of Halesworth