Almost time for bed

Not only has it stopped raining but the sun has come out and my dry bed is no longer a sodden bed. I thought I would take a few photos before tucking it up for winter.

Dry beds in the UK have to be carefully planted or covered to protect them from the elements.  So far I have left it unprotected, but last winter damaged some of the plants and it is only just starting to look lush again.

Most of the plants will stay planted, with only a few plants like the aloe plicatilis being moved to give them more protection.  Many things like the yuccas and agave bracteolata don't need protecting and just get better every year.

The agaves in this photos have all been planted for a couple of years now and getting to be a decent size.  All were slightly damaged by the terrible winter we had last year, and so I will be giving them a little protection this winter just to keep the rain and snow off.

The good thing about this bed is how easy it is to maintain, all it requires is picking up leaves every now and then. The only hard bit is keeping cats off, and for that I have a few of these that do the job for me.