This is the time of year when the garden begins to look underwhelming. I needed a bit of colour therapy, but instead of heading to the garden centre to buy a few in-bloom plants, I… More
Calm, Sunny, Beautiful
This final full week of September has been glorious. The sun has shone its heart out and the winds have been calm, barely there. Still, it has been cool enough for only a lightweight jacket in the mornings, and just warm enough to throw it aside in the afternoons. You might think that I have taken advantage of this week of joyful weather to work like a Trojan in the garden, but you would be wrong. I’ve done little more than check in on a few cuttings, pull a few weeds, and remove most of the Cosmos. I have though, been doing other things.
The Cosmos plants would have continued for a few more weeks, but they were starting to look a little scrappy, and I needed their space for spring bulbs that were delivered yesterday. They’ve been wonderful this year, but it was time to say goodbye.
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Not Quite Autumn
There’s a distinct chill in the morning air and by 7:30pm, the day is slipping away and darkness is creeping in. Ahead is the season characterised by fallen leaves, nippy mornings, the aroma of pumpkin spice and tempting mugs of hot chocolate. I don’t mind rainy days as long as I know that sunshine will follow. I don’t mind misty mornings because the wind wont be blowing. Of course we don’t always get the weather or seasonal conditions that we want, but I’m already looking out warm sweaters and cosy socks, scarves and gloves. I’ve placed an order for a few seasonal pumpkin spice candles and perhaps, just almost, I’m looking forward to autumn.
The garden still has pockets of lovely strong colour, but on the whole, I can see it fading. By next month most of it will have gone and it will be time to prune, lift and divide perennials, and plant bulbs for next year. But for the moment, I can enjoy what’s in bloom and plan ahead for those misty mornings and perhaps a few lazy indoor days. However, lazy days are not happening right now, so here is my choice of six photographs for Six on Saturday:
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September – the Ninth Month
How fast the months have passed and how strangely the seasons have shifted, surely a reminder that change is a constant in our gardens. Whether you believe in climate change or not, it’s hard to ignore the signs in front of us when we step into our gardens. The plants in my garden are both protesting and celebrating the strangeness of the seasons. Some plants have surrendered to the heat and drought, while others have been more prolific and vibrant than I could have hoped for. Here, we had an abundance of rain early in the summer, only to be surprised by the heat and prolonged dry spells that followed later in the season. Now, in the ninth month of the year and moving into Autumn, it has been an unpredictable year.
What will autumn and winter bring, and how will I plan for next year’s planting? Will your planting plans take account of the changes to the seasons, or do you think this year was simply an anomaly?
But let’s forget about the year ahead for the moment and get on with this week’s Six on Saturday.
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Brodick Castle Walled Garden
This week’s Six on Saturday features Brodick Castle’s walled garden on the Isle of Arran, Scotland (not to be confused with the Aran Islands, Ireland – home of my favourite winter sweaters!). Last year we had promised our grandson a ferry trip to Arran, but last summer’s weather was so awful that we couldn’t risk going over and getting stuck .
This year…what a difference. The sun shone during every day of his visit and early one morning, off we went. We left the car behind, and when the ferry berthed in Brodick we caught the local bus to the castle (gone are the days when we would walk!). We had arranged for a taxi to pick us up for the return trip in time to catch the late afternoon ferry, but in hindsight we should also have taken a taxi on the outward trip. I hadn’t been on Arran since before the pandemic and had forgotten the long trek uphill to the castle (made so much harder with the heat that day). My knees are still in recovery.
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What Are You Doing, Gran?
‘I’m trying to take a photo of this little flower, but it’s hanging its head down.’
‘Does this help, Gran?’ he said, slipping his little hand under the flower and turning it upwards.
‘That’s perfect, thank you.’
‘What’s it called, Gran?’
‘It’s a Hellebore and it’s meant to flower in winter’.
‘But it’s summer, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, it is.’
‘It’s all mixed up, Gran’.
‘Yes, dear, so am I.’
‘Can we take a photo of this one? It’s hanging its head down too.’
‘That’s a lovely idea, thank you.’
There’s no Six on Saturday from me today. There wasn’t a single day where I was able to take the camera into the garden. I could tell you of each day; the wind, the rain, and the days when I had to be elsewhere, but it won’t make any difference. No photos this week.
Instead, I thought you might like to see these two flowers and the sweet memory that goes along with them. The little hand belongs to our youngest grandson, now 6 years old, and full of wisdom. The shots were taken a few weeks ago, so you can judge just how early that pretty hellebore is. The plant has four flowers on it now. How strange.
I won’t be joining you next week, as one of our grandsons is coming to visit from the US. Now seventeen, this will be his second independent journey across the pond to see us. I hope he manages to navigate Dublin Airport, I don’t think he’s been through that one, even with his older brother & parents.
Have a lovely weekend!
Catherine x
Notes From My Garden 