End of Autumn review, Six-On-Saturday

Honestly, I cannot believe that we’ve reached the last few days of autumn. It has disappeared in a blur of making lists of things to do, getting some of them done, making new lists, getting more done, and so it continues. This is not a complaint, just to be clear. It is just how life is at the moment. So, I think that it is appropriate that this six on Saturday captures some potager moments from that autumn blur …

The first photo is from early September. We can see the first hints of autumnal tones. While there is still summer colour about, it is down to the tuberous Begonias to provide the late splash of flower interest. Most of the foliage is still lush looking and you can just about see the Dahlia ‘Onesta’ flowering in the background. The quality of light at this time of year is still very good and while we didn’t get that Indian Summer that was talked about, we certainly got a great number of sunshine days.

This second photo is from slightly later in September, from a slightly different angle (bedroom window to be precise). There has been one or two Begonias added to the pot collection, and you can clearly see the orange and russet brown foliage of my Acer in full glorious flight. The grouping of Dahlia ‘Onesta’ are coming to an end of their flowering at this point, although the rhubarb foliage is still providing a great mass of foliage to the centre of the potager garden. To the right of this picture are all the summer pots that have to be sorted through. Many of the plants here will be composted, however some will be potted on for next year.

The third photo is one from early October, again from a slightly different perspective. I’ve stripped back out some of the pots of September colour that have gone over and the Acer that was previously providing that amazing orange foliage has lost many of its leaves, so that’s been removed to its over winter position, as have one or two other winter shrubs. If you look closely into the glasshouse, the once trained and well pinched tomatoes have been allowed to run riot and are making the most of this.

While the light quality is still very good on sunny days in later October, there is no doubt about the shorten daylight hours and some parts of the garden remain shaded due to the lower angle of the sun. Coming this with some touches of light frost, and in a manner of weeks the garden takes on a different look completely. Gone is the lush green foliage of the rhubarb, and in its place we see foliage that has collapsed and decided its time for a winter sleep.

There is a difference between this photo from early November and one previous, even though they were both taken from similar angles and on sunny days. The quality of light is now greatly diminished, and the flagging rhubarb foliage is now totally gone. Of course some plants just carry on their business as long as possible, as can be evidenced by the self seeded english marigolds. My pot collection has been, replaced by some empty terra-cotta pots, giving the impression they’ve tipped over and have just been left.

The final photo in this autumn review is from earlier this week. Some self seeded Borage has decided its not going to follow the crowd and wait until spring to flower, and is doings its thing now. The spark of yellow colour is the sub shrub called Coronilla, a great doer for this time of year. You can also see the glasshouse has been removed, and there’s more to this that I’ll come back to again.

Thank you for stopping by to share my autumn journey from here. I suspect many people are in the same boat, that when you blink a week goes by, so it is nice to pause and review. Do make sure you stop by and visit other six on Saturday gardening blogs. They are many and varied, and always interesting.

Happy gardening,

Hugh