October is ending very stormy. We have had a lot of rain this month, it feels like a lot; and we have had some sunny days scattered briefly in between. I always think of October as a transitional month, moving sometimes seamlessly, sometimes jerkily; taking us from the long the summer days to suddenly the darker, shorter, winter nights.
In the driveway the Pin Oak is now looking very Autumnal. This tree is maturing nicely now after being in the garden for six years. An oak tree is never going to be a speedy project and I hope that it will be there for many decades after I am long gone (from the house, from the planet....)
Gosh, that is not a cheery way to start this month. Let me reset - we need cheer, I need cheer during these dark difficult days.
On this theme of cheer then, here is my mini pond which has been a total delight this year. I know I have said before I had low expectations of this, but crikey it has made me happy.
The smallest Tree Fern: Oddbod Junior Junior always raises a smile. The Clivia in front of it has been spending its summer holidays outdoors and will need to comeindoors soon, as will some of the other more tender plants.
and talking of tree ferns: Oddbod Junior is doing well.
The garden is looking very autumnal. The Beech Pillars really come into their own at this time of year adding structure and colour.
and they really are quite pillarish now. It has taken several years to get them to this state but once they reached the height I wanted and then could be trimmed to shape, they soon filled out nicely.
In the Spring Border, the small Acer Orange Dream is starting to colour up. This acer was one of a pack of three I planted many years ago when this part of the garden was still being developed. It is very slow growing and has always fitted perfectly in the shade of the Bramley Tree.
This Aldi Acer, a bargain purchase a good ten years ago, is now a fine small tree. A plant that is a bargain and a great plant will always bring joy.
When thinking of joy in the garden at this time of year my Edgeworthia always is there, always making me happy yet tinging me with anxiety in case we have a hard winter and I lose it. It is now a mature shrub so I think it should withstand a lot now, yet still I worry.
The Carol Klein Acer, next to the Edgeworthia, is at its peak autumn colour and is currently gently weeping red leaves.
This hydrangea has been flowering for weeks and has a well deserved place on my plants bringing joy.
As does Cyclamen hederifolium slowing self-seeding through the Wild Garden.
For some reason I do not show this view of the garden very often, back down to the house from by the Spring Border through the Burtonesque Curve to the Long Shoot lawn. It is a view I like a lot and should show more often.
I have not shown the Fernery much this year either, yet it is by far one of my better planting decisions I think. It is lush and green and helps a dark difficult corner.
The veg borders are a mix of ageing summer purple sprouting broccoli, some new autumn brassica plantings and the sweetpeas and annuals just finishing their growing season.
In the greenhouse I planted some lemon pips some weeks ago and they all germinated. It is my own little lemon grove. I have never sown any previously and I have no idea why, it is such a simple thing to do and yet so satisfying. When life gives you lemons........ plant the pips.
I end, as it my tradition, on my pond. The pond is looking almost full and I have kept it better weeded than most years. A result of looking after it better means it looks better, this is good.
