It's Been a While

 

2020 has been a funny old year. 

We've had highs and lows.

In the spring we had lockdown but as a key worker, for a while things remained the same.  In the early summer I began working every other day from home and we rehomed a puppy, Daisy.

In the garden we planted two desert cherry trees and another ornamental cherry, bringing the tree count to 18.  Then we lost our gorgeous stag horn tree in the front garden to a summer storm.

So this time of year we really missing our autumn display in the front room window.

Autumn colour is really important in our garden and when a shrub or tree in particular is chosen, we tend to ensure that they pack a punch as they fade.

Euonymus elata Blade Runner 

Prunus Fragrant Cloud 

Weigela Wings of Fire (our Angel's shrub)

Liquidamber styraciflua Lane Roberts 

And our newest edition, bringing the count back up to 18, acer October Glory.

As you can see, we have planted this vibrant beauty in one of the Patio Borders, because our neighbours decided to rip out the evergreen conifer hedge that hid the view of the people below us.  It's not much just now, in fact as I write this entry only a solitary leaf remains on it but this certainly has a wow factor for autumn that we want.  The buttery yellow of the leaves of the three birches behind, in Mugwart's Retreat, really lend to the depth of autumn colour we're after....or at least it will do in a year or two when this has filled out.

In place of our stag horn tree, we have planted

a cornus Baton Rouge.

 

We have another cornus of the same variety, in the Yen, and it's a fantastic choice for bright red winter stems.

We have had another loss recently.  

Ellie was our  Yorkshire Terrier.  She was found to have advanced kidney disease in the summer.  She was put on medication and we were told that she would likely be with us for just a couple of months.  Last week we said goodbye and Ellie has been reunited with Angel, our border collie who we lost last November. 

Some of Angel's ashes are scattered in the shade beneath the weigela Wings of Fire.  Ellie's ashes have today  been scattered beneath weigela Florida Variagata in the opposite corner. In full sun. Just where she liked to be most.