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THE COLOURS OF AUTUMN

In the main, the colours of Autumn are red and brown.

Here are some photos on the red/brown theme which I took yesterday.



I believe this to be a Harvestman? Looks like a spider, but not a spider at all.

Only if you like spiders, click here to see some great photos.



A Garden Snail mulch, a tip picked up from Michelle at Veg Plotting.

My garden is full of snails, so I have no problem in collecting vacated shells.



A seedhead of Iris Pseudocorus, the yellow flag iris.



I love these!

I usually bags a few whenever we go for walks along the beach. Only ones with holes!



Evergreen and deciduous leaves.

I've noticed wasps foraging amongst these.



More pebbles, mementos from holidays and days out.



Bird seed.

Don't forget today is RSPB Feed The Birds Day, tomorrow is as well. Infact, why not feed them every day!

The birds in my garden enjoy fatballs and mixed seed, but on the whole ignore peanuts!


I know for some of us the clocks go back tonight, but if you've the time, you could read my other post from yesterday.

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RAIN CLOUDS, A BLUE SKY, AND A RAINBOW

A morning of heavy downpours, and an afternoon of sunshine. A mixed bag kind of day for gardeners.



A Yew tree which sits at the top of the garden.

From this spot, if you look North, you can see the South Downs. Unfortunately if you look South, you cannot see the sea for rooftops!



With water droplets and sunlight, a rainbow forms.

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COMMA

The beautiful Comma butterfly, with its crinkle edges, is often spotted at this time of year building up fat supplies on nectar.

One plant they favour is nettle, of which I leave in a wild patch, in a mainly undisturbed part of the garden.

Verbena Bonariensis, a plant I love for encouraging all species of butterfly, and the Hummingbird Hawkmoth. A plant I loathe when it comes to pulling up hundreds of self-seedlings, in early Summer!

The Comma will hibernate upside down, camouflaged on a tree trunk, or amongst decaying leaves.

Click on Butterfly Conservation, to visit their informative website, teamed with great photos.

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... a Painted Lady butterfly enjoying Verbena B nectar.

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... leaves on the Amelanchier tree, turning to bronze in Autumnal sunshine.

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SEEDHEADS

I collect seedheads in dry weather, as they ripen.

The Honesty seeds above were from my Dad's garden. The way the seeds form in their own little paper bags fascinates me.



This years Lupin seeds, from plants given to me by my Uncle.



Seeds are for sharing. Remember my cerise pink Hollyhock, from an earlier post? Plants, especially annuals, seed prolifically and it's produced hundreds of seeds.

If you live in the UK and would like some, please e-mail me your name and address, or leave a comment on this post, and I shall post some off to you.

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... pink Dahlias in October sunshine.

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... a ginger-haired Bee, on Purple Toadflax.

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GARDEN ORNAMENTS AND A GIVEAWAY WINNER

Having inherited garden ornaments, I share my patch with ...



a one-eyed, chewed-eared cat



and a rather cowardly lion.



A little stargazer



and a beautiful water carrier.

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A merry-looking piper

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and a Greek god!

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... and the winner of my 200th post garden/flower themed mystery giveaway is Re!

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HEMEROCALLIS
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In my garden Hemerocallis, the Day Lily, is at its best in July. Positioned in a sunny position, it provides a daily succession of orange flowers; each single one withering by the end of the day.
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The name Hemerocallis comes from the Greek words, day and beautiful.
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Many other types of plant have a second flush later on in the year. I wish this one did; it would sit perfectly alongside the Autumnal pink, copper and red colours of the Dahlia.
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Illustration, 1885

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... the last climbing rosebuds of summer, reach for the sky
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... now here's proof I have a fox in the garden!

Can you believe this urban fox was quite happily sunning itself on a bare patch in our garden. I managed to take this photo through the window. Unfortunately it sensed movement, was spooked, and took off like a bullet into the undergrowth.

Just a relief I don't keep chickens!

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MICHAELMAS DAISY - love, daintiness, after thought

When colour is beginning to fade in the late Summer garden, the Aster or Michealmas Daisy as it is commonly known, is just coming into bloom. This perennial, with its pale mauve daisy-like flowers is a real treat, not only to the human eye, but to butterflies, bees and hoverflies.

Aster comes from the Greek word Asteri, meaning star. This celestial body puts on an outstanding performance when planted in a sunny position. The variety I grow is quite happy to self-seed in cracks between paving. Its tall, and wiry stems would benefit from staking, to protect from wind damage, if only I could push a cane through concrete! Its foliage can be prone to mildew, but when growing in extreme dry conditions like mine, this just doesn't happen.

This is my 200th post!

The names of all who leave a comment on this post will be entered into a draw, to win a garden/flower themed mystery givaway.

I shall pick out a winner on September 30th, so there's plenty of time to get your comments in.

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... seed heads of the iris plant

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PAINTED LADY

This beautiful butterfly migrates from North Africa. We have seen a large population this year. They don't hibernate over winter in this country, and in autumn some will make the long journey home, and the ones remaining will die.

A plant they seem to love is verbena bonariensis. I counted nine on these plants at one given time yesterday!



Look at me, from a different angle!

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BARRINGTON COURT

Barrington Court, an attractive 16th century house, came into the possession of the National Trust in 1907. Set in Somerset countryside, this property is well worthy of a visit.



Take a stroll along basket weave paving, with fragrant lavender edging.




Walk past electric blue salvia, which makes a statement. One of many herbacious borders being influenced by Gertrude Jekyll.

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Discover a spectacular White Garden, just one of a series of walled gardens.

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A lovely feature, the 17th century stable block, adorned with rambling roses.

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Barrington Court is built in an E-shaped style of the period, in Ham Hill stone. This side of the house is faced with meadow, a great natural habitat for all insects, especially butterflies.

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The practice of forcing rhubarb didn't start until the early 19th century when a Chelsea gardener made a chance discovery by leaving a chimney pot over one of his plants. He found that depriving rhubarb of light made the stems shoot upwards, searching for light, which made for a more succulent-tasting product.

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Looking down from the Tudor manor house which was restored in the 1920s by the Lyle family (of Tate & Lyle fame).

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Espaliered fruit grows against high stone walls in the working kitchen garden with apple, pear and plum trees, as well as cherries.

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A view from the kitchen garden. Sweetcorn is wind pollinated, and best planted in large blocks.

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Another herbacious border, with swathes of planting.

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Let's hope these bee hives are playing a part in helping to restore our dwindling bee population.

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... I remember my grandad growing bunny rabbits in his garden!

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HOVERFLY

A Hoverfly supplementing its diet with fennel nectar, and aiding pollination too.

A Hoverfly will lay its eggs where aphids have become established. The eggs hatch into larvae, which in turn eat the aphids.

To look upon as a garden friend.
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HOLLYHOCK

I have one Hollyhock plant in the garden, and it looks stunning! It has lots of flowering side shoots and one main stem which soars into the sky, and the leaves seem pretty free of rust this year too. Picking off infected leaves during its early growth may have helped?

Did you know Hollyhock flowers are edible? They can be picked fresh and used in salads or brewed for tea. Buds can be sauted in butter, and leaves (I would imagine rust-free) can be used in middle-eastern recipes.

Please be aware if you suffer from allergies.
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- fennel and bird
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LYSIMACHIA - YELLOW LOOSESTRIFE

Lysimachia punctata, a perennial with whorls of buttercup-yellow flowers which reaches medium height in a border. Mine is situated in a sunny position and seems happy enough, although I would say, with lack of moisture, it does possibly go to seed more quickly than it would in a semi-shade position.

On a recent visit to Barrington Court in Somerset, owned by the National Trust, I noticed it was being used alongside a stream, which seemed to suit this plant very well.



Over the years I have tried to restrict the use of yellow around the garden but having inherited the aforementioned yellow Lysimachia, yellow shrubs such as Hypericum and the bog loving yellow Iris pseudecorus, the only way to completely elimate it would be through much hard work. Anyway, why should I go to all the trouble? Each in their own right makes a great addition to any garden, most noteably a cottage style one, and yellow plants do look great when planted alongside the cool colours, and even with a hot orange!

I know the great late Christopher Lloyd found great pleasure in mixing every colour under the sun together, and having visited his beautiful gardens at Great Dixter rate his ideas with much esteem, but I myself find yellow so difficult to get right alongside the other colours in my garden.

As you can see by the photo above, it is not impossible, the hot yellow of Lysimachia against the cool cream of Iris, makes for a perfect combination.
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KESTREL

I was so fortunate to have my camera at the ready for this shot of an adult male kestrel hovering for its prey, without success. It was loitering with intent overhead for a fair while.

A kestrel's head will remain still whilst hovering, to make detection of its prey much easier.

Please click on photo to enlarge.

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