End of Month View – October 2012

The garden has definitely taken on an autumnal glow.  Some of these photos were taken on Sunday before I had raked up the first crop of leaves. This is a slightly different view, taken from the ‘lawn’ across towards the slope.  I am really pleased with the way the layers are building up and although the photo doesn’t really show it very well the Sorbus vilmorinii‘s autumnal colours are picking up on the Vitus on the back fence.

Turning about you have the above border to your right.  I have been busy moving plants around in recent weeks and have moved phlox and monardas here so I suppose it will become a mid-summer border.  I have filled in with Narcissus Cragford and Narcissus Geranium, added some mixed Sweet William seedlings which can be removed when I find more plants to add, and finished with an edging of Forget-me-notes – how sweet!

Up behind the slope is the raised bed which has struggled to find its identity for some years.  I spent some time on Sunday having a tidy up here and planted out the fruit bushes I brought back from decommissioning the allotment so a Gooseberry, a Japanese wine-berry and a Blackberry have been added as well as a Rhubarb.  I have decided to try to create a sort of shrubbery here to mask the fence behind.  I have also been adding to the plants along the fence and it is beginning to turn into an ‘edible’ planting with the Japanese wineberry joining the Vitus, two Chaenomeles, and a Pyracantha.  I also  have a white-flowered Clematis whose name escapes me that needs a home which I might add here.

The woodland border has been neglected all year and is one of the area I really want to work on having never really finished the original planting properly last year.  I really should have tidied in here before the leaves started falling as now it is going to be an uphill battle but what can you do when you lose nearly two months of gardening weekends for one reason and another.  I have had to prioritise my list of jobs I want to do before winter sets in and this is one area that might just have to wait until the Spring.

I leave you with the patio/spring border which people who have read this blog for the last year will be shocked at.  Yes I have butchered it and no it is no longer a lovely mix  of foliage.  I have moved out the Trachelospermum jasminoides which was completely swamping the whole wall.  I have left the winter flower jasmine and a clematis, but the jury  is still  out on whether that will stay.  I  found when I moved the Trachelospermum that most of the plants were growing at weird angles and had elongated stems in an attempt to reach  some light so everything has been cut back.  I have also moved the Mathiasella bupleuroides ‘Green Dream‘ as it was also taking over and shading the greenhouse too much.  I suspect it will be back next year as I have discovered that this plant propagates easily from root cuttings and like Acanthus once you have planted it you will never be without it.  I have also added lots of Narcissus canaliculatus and Narcissus Minnow in this border as I noticed at the start of the year it was lacking in late spring interest to follow on from the snowdrops.  We shall see how it all fills out next year.

If you would like to join in the End of Month View you are very welcome and you can use this meme however you want – we just like having a nose around gardens.  If you would like to join in add a link to your post in the comments box.