I have taken so many photos this week, I think the peak for autumnal colour has arrived here and now the leaves are all falling making colourful pools on the ground. I have managed to take a few long shots so they will be my six for this week, the other photos can wait for next week.
This is the view from my landing window, looking across my driveway and next doors front garden where they have a lovely red acer. Beyond is the field which is next to us and then the village beyond which has oaks and field maple as the main trees in the fields and hedgerows.
The silver birch at the side of my drive is now a beautiful golden colour and to the right is the tree which is a
x between an oak and a copper beech.
At the gateway, the farmer has let a few seedling bushes of Blackthorn to develop, we now have this wonderful colour in the autumn and in early spring they are covered with lovely white flowers. Some years he cuts them back and we are able to see the view of the valley beside us.
Turning round, I could see the silver birch which is by the back door, I just can’t get far enough away from it to include it all in the photo. This was a seedling about 30 yrs ago and it has now grown so huge! The birds like to rest here before dropping down to the bird table below.
In the back garden are the remains of the leaves on the two Acers by the archway to the woodland. In the foreground is the Prunus Kojo no mai which has turned colour at last.
Of course, all these lovely colourful leaves end up on the lawn eventually, which means lots of work. I love all my trees even though they cause a lot of work, but I find raking them up quite therapeutic. The gardener of course, comes along with his leaf blower and clears them is no time at all !
The weather is supposed to be fine today, so hopefully I will get more leaves raked up and taken to the corner of the woodland where they rot down to form lovely leaf mould, which comes back on the borders and woodland as a mulch, mainly for the snowdrops and hellebores which will be starting in a few weeks time! So much work to get done before then.
Thanks to Jim for hosting, do pay him a visit at Garden Ruminations if you want to see gardens from around the world.
Such lovely autumn colour, Pauline, and I love to see the long vistas from your house, you live in a lovely part of the country.
Thanks Helen, the trees are providing nearly all the colour here at the moment, not many flowers left at all, must do something to rectify that!
Plenty of leaf mould potential there. I love this time of year with the trees and the colour.
All the leaves make wonderful leaf mould within 12 months Noelle, then the plants really appreciate the mulch around them. I think Oct/Nov are both very beautifully colourful months.
I like the picture with the ‘river’ of leaves across your lawn.
Thanks Noelle, it took a long time, but I really enjoyed being out in the warm sunshine raking them all up!
That’s a lot of leaves! They’re putting on a fabulous show though before they fall.
I finished clearing the back lawn Graeme and the gardener cleared the rest of the garden in no time with his leaf blower, but the next day it was all just as bad again! Leaves still come down until Christmas, after that I can have a little rest, but I feel they are worth it as they make the garden so colourful for quite a few weeks at this time of year.
Our foliage is about to fade, too, but boy was it dramatic this autumn! You’ve shared some beautiful, colorful vignettes here. Happy “Six”!
The colours have been absolutely amazing this year Beth, I think maybe because of the long hot summer. Whatever it is, I have really enjoyed it all, just a shame that it will soon come to an end!
I like raking up leaves too, Pauline – bagging them up not so much! We keep some for leaf mould, but the rest is recycled. I find they don’t fully break down in 12 months, so I don’t like to add new on top of old. Do you spread yours over a wider area in your woodland? It’s lovely to have your own trees, isn’t it, even with the leaf fall to contend with?
It is wonderful to have all my trees Cathy, so many really old ones, they were the reason I was so keen to buy the house 35 yrs ago! I don’t bag any of my leaves, they are just piled into a corner of the woodland where the rain can get at them to rot them down, then they are ready in 12 months. There are 2 piles, one that is forming now and one from last winter which will soon be spread where the snowdrops and hellebores are in the woodland, back border and rockery, if I have enough.
Hi Pauline,
Your autumn color is inspiring. What treasures you have in those beautiful mature trees. I see from your comments your raking goes on for quite a while. Enjoy the time outside.
Thank you Susie, the autumn colours have been so wonderful this year, I’m so glad we have so many trees in spite of the work they cause at this time of year.I know from experience that the oaks, 6 of them, will continue to loose their leaves until Christmas!