Winding down. GBBD October 2016.

Colder weather has been coming from the East and shorter days are making it feel really autumnal. Now it’s all change, with the wind from the SW bringing much needed rain. Flowers are now in shorter supply than previously, the ones that are flowering are therefore to be treasured. Come with me while I wander round the garden searching for flowers to photograph for this month.

Starting in the front garden, there are seedling Asters that the bees love, contrasting with the changing leaves of Cornus alba sibirica Westonbirt.

Starting in the front garden, there are seedling Asters that the bees love, contrasting with the changing leaves of Cornus alba sibirica Westonbirt.

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Red sky in the morning…….

Red sky at night, shepherds delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor’s warning.

I don’t think there was anything for any sailors to worry about yesterday as it turned out to be a beautiful sunny day. A very cold wind from the east brought a lot of cloud first thing at 7am, but that soon cleared to leave a cloudless sky all day.

Once again I was treated to 5 minutes of a wonderful sunrise.

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An old Strawberry Pot.

Lurking away behind the garage was an old strawberry pot, unloved and uncared for, ever since I discovered that strawberry plants don’t grow well in them! However, it now has a new lease of life as a Heuchera Pot, or rather a Heuchera and Heucherella Pot!

Heucheras and Heucherella.

Heucheras and Heucherella.

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Time to come in. EOMV September.

It is almost time of me to start sorting my plants out in the gravel area at the back of the house. Some will come into the conservatory which is just kept frost free over the winter, some will be wrapped in fleece and placed under the arbour in the corner and some will spend the winter in the greenhouse. A few will be fine out in the open, without protection.

The Eucomis will go into the greenhouse.

The Eucomis will go into the greenhouse, along with the Hedychium Stephen that was in this group while it flowered.

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A mixed bag for September, 2016

The days in September are rushing by, I can hardly keep up with them. I feel the gardening year will soon be over, then after a short rest in December, we will start all over again! Looking through photos for this month, I have found a few that either didn’t make it into posts or they are ones that have just been taken, that got missed at the time. I’ll start with my variegated Yucca.

This is how it was on Sept. 18th, still in tight bud.

This is how it was on Sept. 18th, still in tight bud.

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Clipped for Contrast. GBFD September 2016

Looking round the garden with a view to taking photos for GBFD this month, it was obvious that there weren’t many deciduous leaves that warranted being photographed for posterity. It is too soon for autumn tints, they will hopefully be ready for next month, so this month it was up to the evergreens, especially the clipped evergreens, that provide the interest in the garden this month.

Box ball and Euonymous Emerald and gold

Box ball and Euonymous Emerald and gold

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Thank you to the Ants.

I really must learn to be more patient. When I saw the first Cyclamen hederifolium popping up in the woodland a month ago, they were immediately photographed and a post written about them. If only I had waited, there are now easily three times as many flowers, making the woodland look really pretty, in spite of all the fallen leaves and everything else looking so dry.

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What a difference a month makes. GBBD September.

Looking back at last months offering for GBBD, I can’t help but notice the difference between the garden now and a month ago. Now there are leaves falling everywhere, making the garden look very autumnal, they are mainly horse chestnut leaves, but also oak leaves, which are usually the last to drop around Christmas time.

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Last garden visit this year – maybe?

We have to make the most of it when the undergardener is feeling quite good and plan any outings for the week before he has his next dose of chemo. Having had a whole day out by himself on Thursday (trains!) he decided that he was going to take me to a garden that appeared in last month’s “The English Garden” magazine.The garden in question was at Pen Mill Farm in Somerset and what a beauty it is too with lots of inspiration for late summer borders.

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Early to bed, early to rise…..

Early to bed, early to rise ……..makes sure that a girl sees a wonderful sunrise! In the summer, the sun was waking me at 5am, but now I wake at about 6 am, this morning it was 6 15am and this is what I saw.

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