Flash of Autumn

At the beginning of Autumn I was not confident that colour would be much of a feature in my garden this year, but I was wrong. The Gleditsia still shines through the gloomiest of evenings and the Acers well, they speak for themselves.

My Sweet Peas have produced masses of foliage this year but few flowers, just the odd one or two and that is still the case. The cold weather hasn’t knocked them down so neither will I, I’ll leave them in case of a warm spell – there may be a late flush!

The Katsura, purchased a couple of years ago from Westonbirt, has been in a large pot but I’m thinking of planting it in the border, the autumn colour it has displayed this year has been quite exceptional and I think it has earned it’s place (I just hope the clay doesn’t kill it). The soil will need good preparation as it’s an acid lover, but it’s not impossible, and I can always dig it up if it sickens.

We don’t see much of Mr Bird at the moment but his former partner (an early spring brood this year) er…Mrs Bird, arrives at the kitchen door regularly. She also relishes sultanas, but in addition favours mealworms as an entrée. Tiny dried monsters, they look and smell awful. She prefers them soaked briefly in hot water, served on their own with no veg – mmm………….

Bargains
This is the time for bargains if you have sharp eyes and shallow pockets. I picked up three good-sized Acers from my local garden centre last week - £5.00 each! I’ve no room for them but there was no way I was going to walk away without them. No leaves, but the bark was spotless and the root systems clean – I have every confidence they’ll be a good investment, even if I give them away as presents.

Monkshood is a fascinating flower both for it’s shape and colour. It has an icy quality and survives and still flowers long after other blooms are no more than a memory. The bumblebees still visit if there’s a burst of sunshine. It’s a nasty poison of course, but I don’t grow it for that.