Winter has hit...

Even in sub-tropical Cornwall!

Cheery bird is frosted and guarding his solid pool...

Leaves are rimed and furred...

and the dried fallen leaves and lawn become as gorgeous as the the more exotic Cotinus Purple Haze whose leaves will now drop quickly.

But have I lost my Echium Pininana?

How could I forget it, I've nursed it through one winter in it's slow progress to the 10 foot spire of flowers I'm aiming for next year, and then I forget to cover it at the first sign of frost. 

Well, I shall cover it once the frost has cleared today and keep my fingers crossed, but I'm a bit gloomy. I'll keep you informed. 

:-(

SaveSave

Autumn ramblings on a stormy weekend

At the end of October we had a Sunday outing to Porth Reservoir. Images were needed for a college project on water and the coast had been covered, inland water was necessary.

We arrived mid afternoon on a beautiful sunny day and wandered around the lake passing the fishing stances placed regularly around the edge. Porth is big on fishing but also has 2 bird hides so its quite big on birds too. It was blissfully peaceful and slow and as the sun sank the colours and light were quite stunning.

The low sun reflected off the ruffled surface of the water...

heightened the colours, making them zing out...

and showed up the wildlife.

The browns, rusts and golds all around us glowed in the late afternoon warmth...

The path was bordered by bracken on one side and reeds on the other and various seed heads swayed in the light breeze.

Even the leaves underfoot were highlighted by the glancing rays.

As the sun disappeared the clouds turned rosy...

and the sky began to streak...

 everything was silhouetted against the beautiful sky and reflections.

Happy autumn walkers.

The Last of Autumn...

A trip round my wet and squishy garden proved that the autumn is definitely coming to an end. Although we haven't had any frosts yet, almost all the late blooms have now gone. All that's left are a smattering of pinky, purpley, reds...

Tulbaghia, hardy Geraniums, Erysimum and Sedum.

But there are some lovely variegated leaves appearing to add interest...

Veined Arum italicum, splotchy Pulmonaria and two Cyclamen Coums, their leaves shiny with rain.

The rain looks lovely on the Melianthus major which has been growing like mad since I repotted it a couple of months ago. The blue of the old foliage and the green of the new is so delicate and the rain drops don't gather on the new leaves nearly as well.

and then there is the promise of things to come, 

but that's for another post!!

'Seasons' greetings

Darting out between the showers (some of which were hail - painful!) this weekend I cut back the first of my large Sage plants. I have 3 sprawling culinary Sage plants (2 from cuttings) that grow wildly every year, so I already have a kitchen full of dried Sage (not to mention a continuing supply of fresh) from 2 years ago. That's a lot of stuffing in that bucket! 

So instead it's all waiting to be shredded and reused as mulch.

It made me smile to think that not only will my garden be beautifully mulched this month, but thoroughly seasoned too!

If only the blog had a scratch and sniff function.

Last hurrah!

Autumn's last floral hurrah, and what a hurrah it is!

Grown on Jayne's allotment, these Dahlias are at their very best now.

Exuberant fiery orange - perfect for warming up a chilly day.

What a joy, but make the most of them - as soon as we get frost they'll all be gone!

Fleeting but fabulous.

Mellow fruitfulness

Last weekend saw us out for a wonderful autumn walk at Trelissick Gardens just outside Truro. 

Last time we visited we went into the formal Gardens and enjoyed the lovely Hydrangeas, you can see that post here. This time we followed the Woodland Walk through the trees down to Roundwood Quay on the river.

Autumn was in full blast.

Hips, haws, Blackberries and Holly

Stunning Fungi (cue jokes about my time in the woods with a fun guy!!)

Acorns and Sweet Chestnuts

although there were no Beech Nuts - perhaps it is too early for those.

Vibrant colours

Seeds, spores and dried flowerheads.

The bees where still busy, specially all over the Ivy. Ivy is a fantastic source of late season nectar for insects, I have carefully trimmed around the flowers in cutting back the Ivy in my garden. It also means that I have Ivy flowers for my Christmas wreaths.

The majority of the leaves were only just starting to change, but their faded hues reflected beautifully in the still water...

plenty to take pictures of.

Acorns and seaweed - an unusual combination!