IT'S DEFINITELY AUTUMN HERE

14TH OCTOBER 2018 - NORTH YORKSHIRE

The mild winds of Autumn are blowing from the south this morning. The summer having been dry and very warm, has caused many trees to turn to early Autumn shades of gold and these leaves are the very early victims of the near gale force wind (possibly the tail end of various hurricanes currently dallying with the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S.A). The ‘Season of mists and Mellow Fruitfulness’ seems as confused as the other natural points of reference relied upon by the garden and field flora to delineate their growing and resting time scales, but the hedgerows are full of colour and fruit.

Sycamore tree wearing its autumn foliage

Elderberries

Hawthorn Berries

Wild Rose Hips

Yummy blackberries

The garden is still full of colourful bloom - Fuchsias and Geraniums  still almost at  their best.  This is the most advantageous time to taking cuttings for next year. Just keep moderately dry through the winter months and just free of frost for the best results. Roses soldiering on in colourful splendour, Dahlias making their final show before the early frosts of  late October strike. Cosmos have been particularly well flowered this summer together with the Potentillas and Geums. They all continue to fill their allotted spaces with plenty of enthusiastic blooms.

Climber That's Jazz - wonderful scent and velvet flowers

Rose Gertrude Jekyll in her final flowering

A small pot of bedding dahlias, with nasturtium trying to find  time to bloom again before winter!

Thalia Fuchsia is  very elegant

Fuchsia still giving lots of blooms

Dahlia Bishop of Llandaff is soldiering on bravely - until the first frost

Cosmos have bloomed contiuously well into October

Sedum brings autums colour and attracts the bees 

So a retrospective view of the summer garden can only give a feeling of satisfaction for a first year in a new setting. Possibly too many ‘Annuals’ planted (but masses of colour if a little ‘gaudy’ on the odd occasion). The bush and climbing roses, planted last October, are well established and are all in their fourth or fifth flowering (always choose perpetuals or repeat flowering for munificent results – and feed weekly, watering every two days when hot and dry). The light rains of September have just about managed to eradicate the ravages of Mildew, particularly on the Roses and Dahlias. As they have all been fed and watered well, there must be another reason for this stress related blight - the well noted ‘Acid Rain’ of current fashion does seem to remove most of the offending white powdery residue (so nature still has a wonderful performance record).

The plethora of ‘ready to use’ anti pest and disease sprays currently available have the ability to destroy most problems when used sensibly, and are most beneficial. Black Spot, Rust, Mildew, Green, Black and White Fly together with Red Spider and Thrypps can destroy a keen Gardener’s crop and ego in no time at all.

Gardeners, like all groups in society, are always subject to the ‘mores’ of fashion. The use of ‘chemicals’ to feed and cleanse the domestic garden have been in and out of favour possibly four times in my gardening career. The use of natural manure as a fertilizer is now often frowned upon in ‘Suburbia’ due to the pungent aroma that can permeate for 250 metres in the densely populated areas. The solution to this supposedly ‘Anti Social’ behaviour is conveniently packaged pelleted feeds (just take your pick – Organic or P.C.).

The general first impression of UK gardening after ten years away is mainly the lack of interest among the young (when you're 75 any under forty is ‘Young’). In the Forties  and Fifties the evening stroll around the garden with my Father was a high point of the day.

The demise of the small family run Nursery seems to be almost complete, first ruined by the corporate ‘Garden Centre’ – which no longer seem to sell plants but rely on Coffee Shops, Fashion outlets and Christmas Decorations to survive. The most reasonably priced, often best quality, but limited choice of the Super Market Gardening sections would seem to be the future for those on a budget – the disparity between a Super Market Fuchsia for £1- and other sources asking from £3.50 to £6- for and identical specimen does tend to shock and Tulip Bulbs priced at £2- for ten in  a leading Supermarket in UK and the last of the local Garden Centre Sites asking £5.99 for the same bulbs can only accelerate the Garden Centre demise into restaurants and Dress Shops.

The current predilection for the curse of ‘Global Warming’ – simply Mother Nature getting her own back on two hundred years of man-made miss use of her virtues – would seem to be the cause of all natural disasters from ‘Brexit’ to ‘Late running trains on Southern Region’. The effect upon my garden has been minimal, whilst Iberia seems to be entering a phase of very hot summers, high winds and colds winters (especially in the ‘Beiras’). The broad prairies of North Yorkshire are enjoying a renaissance of horticultural munificence – lots of sunshine and plenty of water all at the correct time.

And finally - violas planted  in October 2017 look set to give pleasure for another winter

So GARDENING is great wherever you choose to participate – just enjoy the natural pleasure in brings to the committed – and enjoy the coffee that, with a kind word and gesture- your Head Gardener will continue to supply.

Must dash – everything seems to be growing exceptionally well!

See you soon

Stuart.