Autumn Flowers

It's October, but gardens are still alive and thriving with so many flowers.

I've been pleasantly surprised with the lovely hazy sunshine and mild weather we've been having and it's been lovely to still be enjoying the late summer flowers in the garden - it almost looks like it is still summer if it wasn't for the golden and red leaves turning the trees into that glorious autumnal colour.

There are still roses flowering and giving off their beautiful scents in the October breeze. I always enjoy seeing the verbenas swaying - even when they've passed their best of flowering, they always seem to stand tall at this time of year and add so much colour and depth to the borders.

I love seeing the hydrangeas, they are a strong and colourful plant during July and August and in autumn their flowers still look gorgeous as their colours fade and their lacy caps become tinged with shades of gold and creams. Again, they contribute so much to the beauty of the garden in autumn.

We also have so many salvias and wallflowers too, still bursting full of flowers - they've been flowering since early spring and are still going strong as we head towards the winter months. Cotoneasters full of red berries tipple over walls and rocks and of course the apple tree is laden with apples ready for picking and cooking. Bright pink sedums are always a favourite of mine at this time too - they never fail to liven up dull corners and spots around the borders.

My favourite of all at this time of year has to be the michaelmas daisy, as their delicate purple and yellow heads rise high towards to the late warm sunshine. One of our back garden borders has burst back into full bloom and they're looking stunning.

And, of course, there's still the last of those summer bedding plants - geraniums and begonias especially, squeezing the best of the milder weather before the frosts begin. It's soon going to be time to tidy up and redo the pots and baskets with winter bedding.

Roses at Wrest Park

Autumn rose

Beautiful September

We've had a glorious summer with plenty of sunshine and warm temperatures and now we're nearing September's end and heading into autumn. September is a favourite month of mine, it does signify summer's end, but somehow always manages to gently merge those last warm days of summer seamlessly into those crispier mellow days of autumn. We've been blessed once again with plenty of beautiful September sunshine. 

The days are growing shorter now and the sun is lower in the sky casting it's deeper shades over the garden, echoing the colours of the landscape. The golds and yellows of the harvested fields; the deep reds and browns of the newly ploughed fields in readiness for winter planting; the bright reds and fire of orange berries; the deep purples and pinks of blackberries, heathers and the last few raspberries. 

The garden is still looking stunning - the warm summer has helped keep the annual summer plants in the pots and baskets flowering on and on, endlessly providing colour and interest. There are still late flowering roses in full bloom and the most prominent plants are the salvias. They are still flowering and providing beautiful displays in the borders alongside heathers and verbena. The apple tree is completely laden down with apples - I can see plenty of apple sauce and apple pies being made in October. Pink sedums and pampas grasses are flowering all fresh and bright and the red berries on the cotoneastors are vibrant.

Beautiful September, I don't want it to end.