Poppies And Autumn Trio

Its Armistice day today and the Queen led a Remembrance service at Westminster Abbey. I have my Poppy pinned on my blue fleece. I bought one in London, lost it in the washing machine, then bought another one at Asda. I have to wear one every year, whenever I see volunteers selling them for the British Legion.
I'm always amazed how many people wear Poppies on their coats and tops in the run up to the eleventh day of the eleventh month. All the Poppies are made in the same factory that has been running since 1922.
The poem In Flanders Fields first linked the losses of the great war, with the Red Field Poppys that grew afterwards in the churned up fields of Northern France.

The Japanese Maple in the garden has dropped all its leaves now. It was planted in the middle of a raised bed, but exposed to the wind and rain. It was a bit burnt on the edges. I want to move it somewhere more sheltered. The sunlight illuminated the leaves when I took the photo.

Autumn brings the Mushrooms up. Magical funguses that spring up overnight when the ground is damp, and the temperature warm. The gardens Fairy Houses. There is something mysterious about these temporary visitors fleeting visits in October/November.

Cat photographed this now frequent visitor, the Squirrel. He sits on the bird feeder dining on sunflower hearts and seeds. His lively incisors can crack the kernel off the sunflower seed to extract the juicy inside part. He leaves shells in the bowl, much like eating Peanuts at Xmas.
Its overcast today but dry. I have just been outside planting 90 Tulip bulbs. I hope the Squirrel is stuffed on Sunflower seeds and does not want any juicy bulbs....
I planted Tulip Parrot Rococo, Tulip Apricot Beauty, Tulip Christmas Marvel, Tulip Love Song, Tulip White Triumphator, and my Favourite Tulips Queen Of The Night..
I planted a big pot with Tulip Parrot Blue, and Daffodils, and put it besides the patio doors. Thats all my Spring Bulbs planted in the ground. I will have forgotten what I planted where by the time they flower.
Spring will be colourful here in the garden.

Tickled Pink

This Dahlia has been growing beneath the Sambuca Nigra shrub, and is blooming away now. Despite the cold weather and incessant rain it has grown into a beautiful pink bloom. The garden is starting to close down, ready for its winter slumber.

The flower is so heavy that it hangs down. I had to hold it up to photograph it. This is only the Second Dahlia bloom this year. There was a single Crimson one before, but this plant has arrived fashionably late to the Summer party.
The bird feeders have been topped up, and the fresh water changed. I hope that when the garden sleeps I will be able to watch the feathered garden birds feeding, singing, and flying around our garden.
The Squirrel has been back several times, and does good acrobatic feats of holding on upside down to feed on the bird feeder station.
The Hedgehogs have gone to sleep now. I have not seen them since before we went to London. I keep hearing strange bird noises at night. I wander if there are Owls living in the trees around the many gardens. I have not seen them yet..
When it finally drys off I have hundreds of Tulips to plant. They are sat in the greenhouse at the moment waiting for a good time to plant them. The Crocuses have already started to push up through the damp soil.
I want more Dahlias for next year, in a variety of colours to add some party magic to the borders.

Autumn Trees

I took this photo at St James park in London, with the sun behind the tree. I love the effect of the light illuminating the leaves of the tree.
The sun is already going down here. I have slept after my nights and seen the garden briefly.
The Japanese Maple has nearly lost all its leafs. The garden is slowly starting to slumber. The only thing that is growing is all the bird seeds that have germinated in the wet conditions.
I am already planning what new plants to buy to add to the borders..

Back Again

I'm back from London. The photo is the Houses Of Parliament, and Big Ben on the right hand side.
It had suprising amount of gardens and green spaces. The oldest garden in London is the Chelsea Physic Garden.
Some of the residential apartments look out onto private squares. We looked through the railings at one in Earls Court. Beautiful leafy gardens with neat paths, well tended borders, and calming benches to sit on. The only downside is that you need to live in the square for a year and one day before you can be considered to get a key to the gardens!
The green fingered residents look after the garden, and the association holds events throughout the year.
We visited the tree filled Green Park by Buckingham Palace, and St James Park with its extremely friendly Squirrels and Pelicans on the lake.
In a bustling major city the green spaces are much loved, well used, and frequently visited. The civil servants from Whitehall came to the St James Park Cafe to relax for a bit, with the tourists. The Trees were changing colours to oranges, reds, browns, and yellows.

I enjoyed walking around the garden which I missed when we were away. It needs clearing out. My Sunflowers have been knocked over, and the Trees are denuding their leaves. The Crocuses have begun to peek through the wet soil. Hundreds of small Mushrooms have grown in the grass, like a mini tented village. Its good to be back.

Erica

The Heather in the garden has regrown beautifully after its trim. There has been new growth all over the plant, and new yellow flower buds formed. It is a purple flowering heather..
I will be away untill Saturday in London. The blog will resume then..
Have a good gardening week wherever you are!

Autumn Magic

These were growing in the garden yesterday. The warm temperatures and rain has caused this mushroom to magically appear by the clothes line. Like a little fairy house...

This glassy structure has appeared in the grass beneath the wall, and in the border. Tall thin translucent hairs have sprouted upwards and held onto the rain that has fallen. I have no idea what this is, maybe some kind of fungus?
The damp warm conditions have caused the mushrooms and fungi to bloom in the damp earth. I am always amazed when they appear in the garden.
Its good to just walk around and look for the small things that you cannot see from the house. I have seen Bats, Hedgehogs, a swarm of flying Ants, and these mushrooms just by walking outside.
The garden is a rich place to spend time with every day where possible. I am going away next week to London, so this is an au revoir post.

Mellow Yellow

The wind and rain have swept in overnight soaking the garden. The grass has grown a mushroom, and strange hair like strands that have collected the raindrops. It looks like a spider has gone mad and built a vertical web in the grass and border soil.
The flower is an unknown weed flower that sprung up in the raised border by the Ceanothus.
It has leaves like a Cabbage plant but has these delicate yellow flowers.
Its too wet to garden, so it will be a day for reading gardening books.
My latest book is called "Elizabeth and her German Garden", by Elizabeth Arnim. She was a noblemans wife in the late 1890's. She took herself off to his country house, and ensconsed herself in the large neglected garden.
She wrote a book about the changing seasons in the first years at the house. She liked to sit outside whatever the weather to take tea, read books, and commune with nature.
Its been 118 years since she wrote it, and I still feel the kinship that she did for the garden. She wants to buy her own tools and start digging the soil. But the times wont let her, she has to tell gardeners what she wants.
She would have appreciated this yellow wildflower in the garden..