Canal Boat — November 2017

canalboat.co.uk Canal Boat November 2017 61

BOATER’S BREAK

T

hey say autumn in supposed to be
the month of mellow fruitfulness, I
have to be honest and say there is
nothing very fruitful growing on my boat
just at the moment. The geraniums are
putting up a good fight but the damp air is
definitely winning. My tomatoes and
courgettes are long gone and so it is left to
my herbs to fight the good fight.
My long summer trip is over; thank you
K&A for a wonderful experience, and now
it is back to a bit of boat maintenance
before the winter sets in with gusto.
Everything is off the roof and a good clean
up is on the cards before the painter gets
her hands on the boat. Even with all my
care and attention, there is a nasty area of
rust developing where my troughs have
been placed over the last few years. If you
are going to have a roof garden it really is
essential to keep the paintwork in good
order as well as clean up all the leaves and
dirt that will inevitably gather over the
months.
All this work does not mean that I am
not still growing plants for the boat. I
always keep a pot of perennial herbs on

the go. Rosemary is essential, particularly

the trailing variety, conveniently, it is

evergreen as is Winter Savoury and all the

Thymus varieties. Thyme is a lovely plant,

tasty as well as pretty and you can choose

from green, golden and silver leaved

varieties – all of which have lovely flowers

in the early summer. These all make the

perfect addition to those tasty winter hot

pots; plant up a cyclamen or two with

them and you have a pretty winter plant

decoration!

Autumn is, however, the time to prepare

for the spring so if you want spring flowers

it is essential to get planting now. I adore

spring bulbs, so simple to grow and

something to look forward to through the

winter. There is nothing quite like the

appearance of the first shoot poking

through the soil. Tulips have to be my

favourites. Sarah Raven is a supplier of the

most mouth watering species I have ever

seen. It is essential to grow short varieties

on a boat such as some of the miniature

species varieties. I love the look of

‘Peppermintstick’ and ‘Odalisque’ which

grow to just 10-15cms. Mix them up with

muscari, crocus and hyacinths. Iris

reticulata, tiny vibrant flowers bloom very

early and reliably as do Jonquils and

Narcissi which are perfect for the boat

also growing to no more than 15cms and

having the bonus of a wonderful fragrance.

The choice is endless; plant the bulbs in

layers and you will get an amazing pot full

of blooms. Try to mix earlier and later

flowering bulbs together and the show will

last for weeks!

So get those chores done quickly and

get planting for spring!

WITH SEB JAY

CB

ROOFTOP

GARDENING

with Julie Clark

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS

Name the waterway features of

Wales and the border country:

Put your answers into the grid so that the letters in the red

box spell out a town on a canal in Wales and the borders

WATERWAYS ACROSTIC

 An aqueduct across the

English / Welsh border

 The shorter of the

two tunnels on the

Monmouthshire & Brecon

 A town on the isolated restored

length of the Montgomery

 The longest and highest aqueduct

 A flight of locks on the

Monmouthshire & Brecon

 The westernmost of the

Llangollen’s tunnels

 An aqueduct over the River Usk

 A partly disused arm leading to a

marina

 A village with a liftbridge on the

Llangollen

 A canalside pub on the

Montgomery

Braunston, Blisworth, Marsworth, Soar, Bulls Bridge, Rising Sun, Norton, Wendover, Watford, Market Harborough
Fitting the answers into the grid in the correct order spells out the final answer: SADDINGTON

Mighty Mars and the Leonids are coming to

a piece of sky near your boat this

November. It’s a celestial event (not a

long-forgotten rock band from yesteryear)

best seen in the hours before dawn

between 15 – 18 November 2017. The

excitement starts at 5am on the morning of

15 November. Look east for a thin crescent

moon. Sat next to the moon is a dim red

‘star’. This is Mars. It’ll be noticeably

redder than any stars in that patch of sky.

5am the following morning sees Mars go

solo with no moon by its side. But look up

above Mars higher to your south-east and

you’ll notice a big pattern of bright stars

that almost looks like the outline of a

clothes iron (or a mouse!). In theory it’s a

pattern of stars that should represent a

lion as this is the constellation of Leo, and

is where the Leonids meteor shower

appears to radiate from.

On the 16th you might catch one or two

shooting stars from the Leonids streaking

out across the morning sky. The best of the

Leonids this year though are reserved for

the hours before dawn on the 17th and

18th November.

See Mighty Mars and the Leonids in the

pre-dawn sky this November.