End of month review - September 2020

We have run swiftly past the equinox and the nights draw in ever faster.  Suddenly the wind has turned cold and the nights even colder.  I had to bring indoors some of the very tender plants, their summer holiday is well and truly over.

A sure sign that the season is on the turn is that the Hamamelis are starting to get knobbly with buds ready for Spring to start flowering.

The front garden I usually show from further away as it is the Knot Garden.  There have been a few flowers self-seeding into the gravel as they always do and I always remove them but not this year.

These are randomly self-seeded from plants that are in the back garden (I blame bird poo or cat paws).  I think I am going to let these stay and see what happens.

In the driveway the Pin Oak stands tall, I am now watching this tree daily waiting for it to take on its Autumn colours.

and the Magnolia in the front garden decries Autumn and is having a bit of a late flower.  Not sure the recent frost will have pleased it much.

In the container garden, or should I rename it the Kitchen Garden as I can see it from the kitchen window, hmm, I do like overinflated statement names, the Christmas potatoes are coming on well and the Rose Timeless Charisma is flowering well.

In the Courtyard Garden the plants which are also all in containers are doing well.  Say hello to the lovely tree fern, there is a story behind it which is for another day....

The Pelagoniums are doing well, though this will have got a little cold overnight recently so I need to bring them indoors sharpish.

The back garden looks late summer/autumnish.  I always like this time of year in the garden, it is still pleasant out and there is some good late colour.  There is still enough daylight for me to have a little evening wander when I finish work, just.

I wanted this photo to show you the lovely wafty aster I have growing here.  It is dark leaved and has mauve flowers and it might be called Twilight.  It is such a pretty thing and has established well.  It is however difficult to photograph as it blends in well to the background.  Oh well.

Whereas Aster frikartii Monch is making its presence felt at the front of the Pond Border.  This is such a great aster, so garden-worthy.

The Prairie Borders are a little over-run with perennial sunflowers.  I knew this would happen so I will just thin them down again in the Spring.  They are such good height and late colour I forgive them much.  You can also see the Aldi Acers in the background, these are now fine trees, worth every penny of the £2.50 they cost at the time.

This is Cercis canadensis 'Lavender Twist', planted a few years ago now, broken in two by a rampaging dog that got into the garden and now developing into a fine tree.  Nature finds a way.

and this is the Tetrapanex planted last year and it is still a little small.  I expect it to go whoomph next year.  I like the Begonia luxurians foliage being with it, it is the look I wanted to create and will do this again.

The crab apple tree, Malus Rudolph, is now a very good tree.  I am loving that the trees are now starting to be really quite treey and less an overlong twig.  

The Mulberry Tree is still a bit of an over-long twig, but it is a taller twig than it was.

The Wild Garden has had its first full cut of the year.  (Spot the Trevor).  Whilst it adds time on to cutting the lawns, I like this time of year.  It is a clear back and renew moment.  I like the openness of the Winter as much as I like the long grasses of the Summer.  Change is good.

The Accidental Shrubbery has a few hydrangeas in it now.  

including this Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris, which you will all shout at me should be growing up a wall.  I read in an article it can be ground as a flowing shrub, watch this space as they say... success or disaster beckons....

The Four Sisters are struggling a bit.  The Carol Klein Acer and the Edgeworthia are doing very well.

The edgeworthia is getting ready to flower in Spring.  The Philadelphus though it looking quite poorly and I am not sure it will get through the Winter.  I am not sure why either, I shall keep my fingers crossed that it gets through.

I don't think I have shown the fernery for a while, it is looking ferny.  I ignore it most of the time and just pull out the odd weed.  I am fond of this dark dank corner of the garden, perfect for ferns.

The gap in the Pleached Hornbeams left by the collapsed pergola a few years ago has now almost completely joined up.  I keep trimming it in the growing season and weaving the branches together.

I end as usual on the pond, this time partly obscured by Trev's ear.  The pond is reasonably full and I have kept it much clearer of the various plants within it this year.  I am pleased about this and determined to keep on top of it in future.

Thanks as ever to Helen for hosting this meme.

Stay safe and be kind.