Its a fine thing when you have to check the date as you are not sure if it is October that just ended or is it November? This year seems to be quickly running to a close.
It has been a mild month too and quite rainy. So things are still growing and many still flowering. The tangle of Ipmoea: Spanish Flag and Morning Glory by the front door, is still tangling and flowering away merrily. It is good we have not had a frost yet as it would not have reached this stage in a colder year. I have planted up a pansy hanging basket by the front door too. A nice bit of bright.
The Knot Garden looks green and happy but the crocosmia does not. Seeing whether it will recover from the summer drought is a waiting game.
Around by the back door there is now a hanging basket of pansies too. I have become quite a fan of hanging baskets in recent years, it is my age I am sure but I am embracing them nonetheless.
There has been some shifting around in the Courtyard Garden. A couple of plants have been planted into the garden and some have gone into the greenhouse, more to keep them drier than to keep them out of the cold. The cold will arrive soon and then more will move out of the weather.
The garden itself is in a confused state of still recovering from the drought, thinking it should die back for Autumn and just wondering why it is still so warm.
The astrantias are flowering again,
and the Autumn Crocus are making themselves known.
The Carol Klein acer is starting to shed its leaves,
and the Edgeworthia chrysantha is budding up ready for Spring.
The pleached hornbeans start autumn at one end and it works it way down to the other.
There are roses still flowering, this is Claire Austin looking quite pink in its last attempt at flowering.
and the meadow hanging basket is still flowering (did I mention I have a thing about hanging baskets?). Soon the snowdrops in this basket will be pushing their way upwards in the light.
The Prairie Borders have been causing me some angst this year as I allowed the thuggy mcthugface perennial sunflowers to take over the borders. This warm damp weather is perfect for removing this pretty, but impolite plant. I still have some perennial sunflowers in the Pond Border as it is a plant I love. I also do not kid myself I have successfully removed it all, I just need to be vigilant with it.
The Exotic Border is still green and lush. I shall be fussing over the tree ferns through the winter, but they have been wonderful this year and I hope they will get through another winter ok.
and it is a time for seed heads, this is the Abutilon vitifolium - a favourite plant that did not blink during the drought and seems as tough as can be.
In the grass the cyclamem coum are popping up everywhere. Can you have too many I wonder? I think not.
I have picked a bowl of medlars to start bletting, I saw a recipe I want to try and I shall let you know how I get on.
There are a lot of cerinthe seedlings appearing, there will be a goodly crop of them next year.
The veg garden still sleeps.
The greenhouse is filling up nicely.
and the small Amicia zygomeris cutting is putting out a new leaf. Always a good sign.
My very favourite clematis: cirrhosa, is starting to flower.
and the Hamamelis that I tend of think of as quite sulky is starting to flower early. This is good as the one in the Accidental Shrubbery that usually performs really well is not doing very well at all. It seems to have suffered badly during the drought and has died back drastically. I am not certain it is actually still alive, it is clearly not very well.
and the pond has water in it - hurrah hurrah.
I wonder what November will bring.....
Take care and be kind.
