My garden in October

I know, just like buses. There’s no in my garden post for a while, then in two weeks you get two. Most of these pictures though were taken on two trips out into the garden, although when I was out there this weekend I was wondering why we’d not been out there more (wasp incident aside).

Our mini cyclamen have gone into overdrive. When they flower they’re quite pretty, and actually the leaves are pretty spectacular too, so that’s not such a bad thing. MOH gave the lawn its final cut this weekend, and a couple of cyclamen also got the chop, as is his want.

cyclamen overload

The cyclamen isn’t the only one with pretty leaves, the heucheras are also getting in on the act. This is one of the many plants I’ve acquired from dad which are all going strong, and all very purple.

sunlight on purple leaves

I’ve had a bit of a light catastrophe though. I hadn’t managed to bring them in before all the rain started. It turns out these “shades” were paper, and very popular with the snails. Whoops.

garden lights attacked by snails

The shades went, but the lights still work. I’m sure I’ll find a use for them in the garden next year. I say next year as our garden’s being put to bed now. Now that the wooden garden furniture is finally dry, it’s under the tarpaulin along with the metal table and chairs. We’ve still to move the pots into more sheltered places, but hopefully the frosts are a little way off.

putting the garden furniture to bed

At the back of the garden I was pleased to see my new sage plant thriving. And even the sage I thought was on its last legs is doing well too, a bit leggy but still full of sage. I’m thinking I’ll harvest some and freeze them so they’re on hand over the winter when I’m even less likely to want to head out into the garden in search of herbs.

My sage is thriving

I’m a sucker for ferns and luckily they grow on part of our wall. I’m forever (or it seems like it) sticking them into pots, and it’s always nice to see when they survive and grow into proper sized plants. MOH isn’t a fan of these ferns, but slowly I’m winning him round to the whole free plants thing.

ferns, all the fern love

See, more ferns. The larger leaves are Lords and Ladies, the ones with the orange “hand grenade” as MOH calls them. He’s got alternative names for most things, some of which I can share here.

lords and ladies

There’s still some summer bedding plants in flower. These geraniums over-wintered last year and are still providing some colour, though the pale pink looks more washed out than it did previously.

some colourful geraniums

In the greenhouse the lights are drying out, usually I’d bring them into the conservatory but this year they’re a bit too mucky.

garden lights stored for the winter

Nearer the house there’s more colour than we usually have at this time of the year. There’s a lot of berries on the pyracantha which I discovered and uncovered last year. Which when you think about it is quite worrying, we’ve lived here since 2002!

orange berries on the pyracantha
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The fatsia continues to be a favourite plant in our garden, and one completely unknown to us before we moved here, but still a plant I’d have in future gardens. At the moment it’s preparing to “flower” - and it looks quite brain-like, don’t you think?

“TheGardenYear
PoCoLo