Chapter 10 - Autumn: September to November

SEASON of mists and mellow fruitfulness,

Close-bosom friend of the maturing sun;

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;

To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,

And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

And still more, later flowers for the bees,

Until they think warm days will never cease,

For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

John Keats’s ode captures something of what can be expected during the months of Autumn, when gardeners awake to mists floating over their plots in the morning and welcome the fruits of their labours in the form of apples and pears and nuts and grapes if they are lucky enough to have space to grow them. 

Unfortunately, our garden is rather small and the only fruit we have managed to produce so far are from two blueberry bushes which stand in pots on the patio, a few nuts on the Contorted Hazel and a good crop of peaches one year, seemingly never to be repeated again.  Nevertheless, we enjoy this little excursion into ‘fruitfulness’ and take pleasure in the benefits.

I also have to admit that I am merely the supervisor who is mainly happy to oversee the labours of my husband in the collecting and drying of seeds, the taking of cuttings and the pruning of shrubs.  This is not necessarily from choice, but because I am generally accused of going too far when I have a pair of secateurs in my hand.  My forte seems to be in the clearing up afterwards arena; again, not necessarily my choice, but because I can’t stand to see an untidy patch and can only restrain myself for so long.  So I sweep the paths and the steps and remove the debris to the compost heap or the recycling bin.

September and October are often wonderful months and an Indian Summer might bring an extended flowering period for many perennials along with a second flowering of clematis and other shrubs, as can be seen from the photographs shown below.

Clematis Tangutica

Alcea (Hollyhock

Sanguisorba officinalis

Salvia 'Wendy's Wish'

Bronze Fennel

Sedum 'Ruby Mantle'

                         

Verbascum chaixii

Knautia 'Melton Pastels'

Fuschia

but as the months pass and the fruit has been picked, the seed heads begin to form in readiness for collection for future years - or food for the birds throughout the winter.  Late arriving butterflies and bees also take advantage of the nectar still to be had.

A mouse shares the peanuts

Despite the gradual dying back of the garden, however, unless the weather is so bad as to lay everything waste in one fell swoop, November too can still provide something to admire until winter arrives in earnest, when we begin to look for those really hardy plants which then come into their own.

Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’

Stinking Hellibore

November sunshine

    

Early frosts can provide quite a spectacle too, with sparkling plants and glistening spiders’ webs, whilst a surprise fall of snow might suddenly clothe everything in white.  

Frosty Grass

A pheasant in the pussy willow

Snow in the Courtyard

And so the seasons have come full circle and winter beckons once more.  One more year has passed and we reflect on what has worked well for us and what we might need or like to change. 

Unfortunately, we were unable to take part in Doncaster in Bloom during 2012 due to unforeseen circumstances, but we look forward to having another go at repeating previous Gold and Silver Gilt awards in 2013.   

So, this is the end.  I hope you have enjoyed reading about our garden in South Yorkshire and should you be coming our way and like to visit us, we would be happy to see you. Just send us an email and we will get back to you to arrange it.

Liz Reeve

Email:  reeve1944@btinternet.com

The Reeve Rose