Rambling Rosie!

'Banba', daughter of the late Aphrodite, is our new Queen Bee. She was born on 24th august here in the garden. We've only seen her once but she is slim and very fast. She is rapidly filling the hive with brood and the colony seem content & pleased to have her at the helm. Although the days are drawing in, it was balmy this morning & the bees were up & about early searching for autumn nectar. In front of the hive we have planted the beautiful red rose 'Rambling Rosie', this morning it was a joy to watch the bees taking off just above her crimson flower-heads.

Apples Galore!

It's raining apples! As soon as we collect the windfalls we hear the familiar thud,thud,thud of more parashuting from the trees, looking for a soft landing. This is a bumper harvest & the question has to be 'Just how many variations are there on cooking with apples? Gaia, the earth Goddess has been bountiful this season so there is certainly no opportunity for hands & imaginations to lay idle. I wonder how much we have to thank the pollinating skills of last season's Queen Bee Aphrodite & her girls?

Autumn Leaves

Todays rain & swirling wind are helping the leaves to fall from the trees. We have a carpet of walnut, ash, hornbeam & hazel. The water is coursing along the paths pushing the windfalls into a decorative collage; 'Natures' submission for the 'Royal Academy'! The composters are full to the brim with leaves and apples, the start of a nutritious leaf-mould for next years roses. Tidying the garden in autumn is is calming and rewarding a wonderful year of flowering. Time to lean on the rake & plan the spring bulbs.

Frost in the Moonlight

Just before sunrise this morning the moon's rays filtered onto the garden through the branches of the copper beech. Blades of grass sparkled; capturing a moment in time in their frozen form. The damson-coloured leaves of the deciduous Cotinus, were sprinkled with icing sugar, looking good enough to eat! The distinctive, scented 'Sage Seat'; Salvia (Labiatae), is frost sensitive so moments of aromatic reflection will be numbered as we head towards winter, & the garden goes to sleep. As soon as the sun rises the magical world of Jack Frost dissolves & before long it is easy to forget that he was ever here!

The Quirky Medlar Tree

This eye-catching specimen, 'Mesipilus germanica', melted our hearts as soon as we arrived in this garden. A member of the rose family, in early spring her twisting structure supports a canopy of fresh leaves punctuated with tiny star shaped white flowers. Her interesting bark is characterised by vertical grooves. Damage to her root system has enabled 'honeyfungus' to mount an attack as it has done before with the walnut, magnolia & ghost trees. She is now underplanted with wild orchids to help her develop some resistance. Being hermaphrodite she is benefiting from the activity of her new neighbours, Banba & the girls, our honey-bees. In October she has to shed her amber leaves, revealing unusual apple-like fruit. Popular in Victorian times the fruit is not seen often today; however it makes delicious jelly & chutney to accompany cheese & red wine during the long winter evenings. The fruit is best harvested in late october after a hard frost & then left to rot & ferment, turning dark brown & wrinkled. (A process known as 'bletting'). The taste of the softened fruit is reminiscent of sweet dates or apple sauce with a hint of cinnamon. Tonight a hard frost is forcast - hopefully in the morning I can harvest the fruit in preparation for a traditional winter chutney.

Fabulous Walnuts.

The walnut tree is valiant in her fight against the treacherous, licorice bootlaces of her enemy 'honeyfungus'. This july her branches were laden with her precious nuts; maturing gently inside their pea-green jackets. For the past two months the squirrels have been on their annual pilgrimmage to steal her precious store. Happily we have managed to gather one bowl of windfalls for christmas!

Bright Red Berries & Crabapples

The berries, apples & crabapples are decorating the trees with abandon; a wonderful feast for the birds and wildlife who are building up their reserves for the winter. The windfalls are a huge temptation for the greedy doggies, but hopefully some will be left for the voles! The 'sambuca' silhouette is dramatic against the october skyline, a hint of halloween to come!

Statuesque Pittosporum

What stunning gateposts these imposing pittosporum create; underplanted with asters, framing ice-blue cornish vinca & Rev Pemberton's candy-pink rose 'Cornelia'. This wonderful overlap of summer and autumn gives a real sense of transition. Close inspection reveals that many of the roses are bearing buds aiming for a grande finale. I wonder if they will out-wit 'Jack Frost'? The reflective 'Tom thumb', intense in it's darkness, is still graced with a lace halo of heucheura flowers & flanked with lime green leaves.

Berberris Bears Her Berries Gracefully

The soft autumn rain diffuses the light giving a pale pink glow. Although the wind is beginning to nip the tips of the fingers & whipping the leaves from the trees in earnest; there are still signs of opulance throughout the garden. The berberis is a plant for all seasons, providing structure and colour throughout the year. However, in october it is her turn to take centre stage, the low-lying sun sets her jewel-like berries ablaze throughout the borders.

Summer Colour amongst the Autumn Harvest

Despite the frost last night and warnings of snow the garden was cool but not frozen as the sun rose over the horizon this morning. The air was fresh with a hint of wood-smoke,& the early morning light revealed a treasury of vibrant colour amongst the yellowing autumnal leaves. The magestic black rose 'The Prince' stands resplendant under a crabapple tree laden with ruby fruit. The silhouette against the azur sky is breathtaking!

Moles on Vacation

Today we discovered one mole hill too many! This is a popular holiday location for Mr Mole when he begins his autumn tour, & we are always one of the first stop-off points! The garden is brimming with autumn's bountiful harvest. The composter is full of tiny cider apples to prevent the dogs from feasting & brewing their own cider.

The irredescent blue Vinca & Asters are real showstopers as they cascade down the bank towards the path: ensuring that you do not miss their splendour as you attend to your daily business!

Autumn Splendour

What an amazing season we've had! Absolutely perfect growing conditions. For a garden to be full of deep crimson sedum and pink Gertrude Jekyll roses mid-october is a symphony that only nature can compose. Last night we had our first frost, the first sign that the end is nigh for our perlagoniums. We cut as many rose heads as we could to fill the house with the last of the summer fragrance, as well as starting to cut back the voluptuous hornbeam hedges before the leaves turn the paths into ice-rinks. Thank goodness we have real seasons.