In another couple of weeks it will be dark when I leave for work. In the meantime I shall enjoy waking to this view while I can.
In the house, the orchids are still going strong with others beginning to join in the party.
This is the orchid I saved from work last year - it has 16 blooms this year so I must be doing something right.
The Toad thinks the centre of the flowers look light a bird in flight
In the back garden, the roses all have blackspot. This particular one in fact does not - it has no leaves whatsoever!
The blackbirds in particular have begun to tuck into the berries on the tree. During a party a couple of weeks ago a juvenile blackbird sat above one of our friends for ages and was quite happy to watch the comings and goings around it just a couple of feet below.
It was a long time coming, but finally we get to see what colour the inherited hydrangea is. There aren't many flowers, but they are a good size and the most beautiful shade of lilac-pink. In the spring I will give it a good prune and feed as it is rather ungainly at the moment and needs a bit of tlc.
We seem to have chosen well with the length of flowering period for r. Tall Story. It's still going strong with a great number of buds coming along.
The hardy geraniums got a good chop after being planted and they are beginning to flower again.
The 'red' hydrangea we brought with us did darken a little to a light red/very dark pink, but it is becoming pale again with the cooler weather creeping in.
Another 'inherited' member of the garden. This is Rocky...
The removed holly is sprouting from the base. We did consider cutting them off and feeding it weedkiller, but we have decided to let it grow. We plan to keep it as a small shrub as it could be a very good hideaway for birds.
There can be a lot of beauty in decay
At the moment, these little fellas are residing in an old wicker toy box we picked up from a car boot sale. The toy box actually is going to be home for a few varieties of fern in a shady corner and the violas will be put in hanging baskets when The Man That Can puts the brackets up.
This huge inherited fuchsia has been flowering its socks off all summer and it's a huge draw for the local bees. Next spring it will have a good reshaping prune as it's a bit leggy.
Honeysuckle with clematis in the background. I'm very excited about sorting out the plants that are covering the arch next spring.
Our neighbour assures us these are eating apples - we will find out in the next week or two!
I'm trying not to interfere too much in the garden as I want it to do it's own thing to show me what it has. I do hope we have inherited some spring bulbs, but it's not the end of the world if there are none. We brought some muscari and snowdrops which have been planted up in the front garden. There are also some bulbs in the pots from the layering Bumblebee and I planted up last autumn.
The two compost bins are working away well, with the inherited one almost cooked and ready to use. I think we might have to bring in some top soil to bring up some of the levels though as we are struggling with the old tree roots.
I hope your summer was as good as ours. Time now to replenish the levels in our water butts. Bring on the autumn (and since we now have trees, leaf mould!)
