November sky.

The first 3 weeks of November was rain, rain, rain, interspersed with sunny spells. We had 209mm altogether (twice the average for the month), while the last 9 days have been dry, with a mix of mild overcast days and clear sunny days. We had 23 nights of grass frost, which makes it our frostiest November so far. Temperatures were average for the month.

November poytunnel.

Last tomatoes of the year to ripen on the vine, November 8th.

The Yacon has been growing prolifically and flowering continuously all autumn.
Now that we have had a frost it is time to lift it.

November garden.

Kale, with Swiss chard in the bed behind, Nov. 15th.

The Poached egg plant has thickened and even offered a few flowers, purple sprouting broccoli behind.

The path in the vegetable garden, edged with self seeded marigolds, nasturtiums and borage, all in flower. The nasturtiums were knocked back with the frost on Nov. 27th.

 
A job (play?) for a winters evening.... Alfie podding the scarlet runner beans for seed.

 
The last of the autumn raspberries.


Medlar.

 
Last of the apples.

November flowers.

The Indian summer and mild November weather has fooled a few flowers into a false sense of season.

 Echinops, a wonderful bee plant when the flowers open or cut at this stage it makes a good dried flower.

 Hypericum flowering, defiant of the rain.

 Embothrium in flower.

 The Rudbeckias were flattened by the rain, but flower on all the same.

 This rose has a wonderful scent and it's very own leaf umbrella.

We had a heavy frost yesterday, This rose (I think it is Glenfiddich) is enjoying warmer weather today.

 Melianthus flower bud Nov. 20th.
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Some plants come into their own in winter.

 This crab apple is the epitome of cheerful abundance.

 Winter flowering cherry today. Prunus × subhirtella 'Autumnalis Rosea'.

Honeybees on nasturtium, honey myrtle and mallow.

 The hives are heavy with the scent of honey after a good summer and autumn, even so, bees will be bees and they are out and about, weather permitting.

 

Honeybee gathering pollen from nasturtium, November 16th

The honeybees were on Mallow, Nov. 20th.

 I have seen bees on this flower earlier in the year too, I took this photo on Nov. 20th and then realised I didn't know exactly what plant it is! I asked on the Irish garden forum, it is
 Melaleuca squamea, honey myrtle.


Bumble bee on Mahonia.

The honey bees have been on the mahonia and the rosemary too.

Rain and shine.

Photos from the garden so far this November....

 Abutilon Ashford red on November 14th.

Zoe and Tivon playing in the rain!

 One of the Acers at the big pond is still in leaf.

After completely soaking their clothes one day, Zoe and Tivon came up with the idea of wet suits for our November weather!

Embothrium in flower!

This is why the swing was so much fun in the rain!

Nerine, unfazed by the downpours.

Arbutus unedo (strawberry tree), fruit starting to turn red, November 14th.

The sand pit was full to the brim with the rain.

 Foxglove in flower.

The stream was right up to the bridge.

 Fatsia japonica.

 This has been November so far! lots of rain and occasional bursts of blue skies.

Under planting blueberries and feeding hens.

 I removed the back from our old home-made cold frame a few years ago and it became a blueberry bed instead,  with strawberries planted underneath. The bed runs along the length of the small tunnel where the ground can be wet at times.

 The strawberries cropped well but they did compete for moisture with the blueberries at a time when the ground was at its driest and the plants were their thirstiest. The time came to replace the strawberries with something more compatible .... Poached Egg Plant, Limnanthes douglasii.

 This should work well as it grows vigorously in autumn, it's dense green foliage will protect the soil in winter and it's plentiful roots will help to soak up any excessive rain. It will flower beautifully in May and then die down completely in summer, allowing all available moisture to go to the blueberries when they are fruiting and really need it. 
 

In another corner of the vegetable garden the hens and turkey poults are clearing a bed and path.

From our 16 chicks that we hatched this summer only 5 are hens!

It is also the season for cutting back and dividing the early summer flowering plants near the house.

The garden season has seemed to go on and on this year, however the last few days have been very wet with more rain to come, so I may have to surrender to the indoors for awhile.

Wattle (our cat) on the beehives.

 Wattle and Daub, our cute kittens, are now nearly 6 months old, Daub has caught young rabbits, a young rat, and a good few mice.
 Wattle has caught mice ...

but hasn't caught any bees ...

... yet!

I trust the bees are well able to look after themselves and Wattle will soon learn, or give up.

Meanwhile, Daub has other ambitions!