Looking Up & Scrolling Down!

Enjoying the autumn colours of both bark and leaves!

 

 

Autumn Smugness!

The Lower Border

 

A sunny warm weekend!!  Time to tidy The Lower Border (such a Ted & Ralph name!!) and cut down dying vegetation on perennials.  Yes!  I know all the frosty pics of hoar on poppy heads look amazing! However the stark reality in a wet and mild season is brown mush with no redeeming features whatsoever.  In this garden birds couldn't be better fed and as for hibernating insects, they have the rest of the garden and outbuildings in which to take shelter! We began by removing all the metal plant supports and Chris strimmed everything off which was then raked up and placed in the compost heap.  He then got to work with the hedge cutter on the various evergreen shrubs and  I weeded through.  Hey ho!  The border is now immaculate and ready to be mulched with compost. It goes to show how a few evergreen shrubs add winter interest!  Without them, it would look bare and empty for the entire season and until the herbaceous plants to re-emerge in spring.

From a Vine to a Japanese Wisteria!

 

Big change around this week.  After much much discussion and soul searching, we decided to remove the Vitis coignetiae from the garage and in its place, plant a Japanese Wisteria.  After some research we've gone for depth of color and perfume and decided on a Brachybotrys okayama aka iko yama fuji.  An interesting fact is that Chinese Wisterias grown clockwise whilst Japanese Wisterias grow anticlockwise.  One question: I wonder WHY?  Actually, no!  Another question: will it have its first flower in the spring???

Back on Greenwich Mean Time!

Just amazing light - nuff said!

 

Fireworks in October!

 

Whilst seasonal work carries on as usual, it means more leaf clearance but more leaf colour to enjoy.  More leaves equal more colour in this garden so it makes clearing them all up totally worthwhile and, if they don't go into making leaf mould, they make perfect compost so it's a win win situation!  The Acers have been and still are utterly spectacular but we absolutely should not leaf out the Dogwoods and Cotinus!  Here's a link to MUCH more colour:

October Garden Colour

Dahlias have also produced a really colourful display and a row of chrysanths grown for cutting have done really well and provided indoor colour with a long vase life - always a bonus!

EGGCITING NEW SIGN!!

Our girls had better get busy!  We're eggspecting sales to rocket following the installation of our new sign at the end of the drive - courtesy of the talented Ollie Marshall!!

More Lovely Garden Visitors!

 Last week, we didn't think we'd have any more garden visitors until a couple from Oxford arrived. Having DEFINITELY thought we wouldn't have any more garden visitors this year - surprise!!  Four lovely people, two from near Bristol, came for a couple of hours this afternoon.  The sun tried to shine but really didn't try hard enough.  However they were very enthusiastic and enjoyed afternoon tea on the terrace before exploring the garden.