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

Hot July

A little sunny and hot weather and the bright flaming colours of the July plants start coming into their best. The reds of the perlargonium pots, the oranges of the crocosias and vivid pink shades of the begonias are tempered and softened by the gentle, soft hues of the lavenders, hydrangeas and anenomes, which are also springing into bloom. 

Honeysuckle and climbing roses are racing up the walls and trellises in full flower now and giving off heady scents in the hot sunshine and balmy nights. The archway around the front door is swathed in honeysuckle and I keep finding myself stopping and loitering for a few minutes under the front porch, as I breathe in the beautiful perfume that lingers. The rose and honeysuckle tend to flower on and on all summer and will often continue through into December if the weather remains mild. 

This is always a magnificent time in the garden, the whole garden a jumble of spectacular colour; the whole garden buzzing with bees and butterflies amongst the froth of flowers. 

Autumnal Flowers

It's autumn and there's still plenty of colourful plants in the garden. The last of the summer bedding plants are still going strong and there's still fruit ripening on the apple trees and tomato plants. Salvias give displays of white and pink along the edge of the borders and the berries on the weeping cotoneaster tree are vibrant. 

Sedum plants have begun to bloom adding clusters of gentle and deep pinks and the verbenas are still happily reaching out to the sunshine we've had recently. Hydrangeas are another of my favourites, they can always be relied upon for that late summer and autumn colour. We've have different colours and varieties for interest in the front garden. 

Amongst the hydrangeas there's a scattering of other perennials still adding colour - catmint, Johnson's blue, anemones, late roses, geums and daphne. Then there are the autumn brights - the yellows of the potentillas and rudbekias. 

It's possibly one of the most beautiful times in the garden before autumn slips into winter and the days draw in.