I was drawn out into the garden early this morning by the light. The rising sun illuminated the remaining leaves on the five huge plane trees by the gate, highlighting the autumn golds, reds, and yellows of these amazing trees, which almost certainly date back to Napoleonic times.

And a closer view

And, of course, with light like that I couldn’t help being drawn further into the garden to record what I was looking at.

Campsis radicans. Spectacular. Many people warn against it, claiming it suckers and becomes invasive. That’s not been our experience. With autumn colour like this it is very welcome.

Lichen under foot.

Orchid foliage popping up everywhere.

The return of cowslips, establishing in the garden, a real thrill to see.

Fungi everywhere. I wonder what these are? Several names have been suggested. We wouldn’t try eating them, just in case …

Another flush of flowers on Lantana which stayed alive over last winter (unprotected) in this Vide Grenier urn. It’s interesting to see how the compost has shrunk down over time. Garden centre bagged compost isn’t of wonderful quality here I’m sorry to say.

Ribes speciosum, a plant I first saw at NT Nymans and fell for. The flowers, generally in February here, look rather fuchsia like. It has ferocious spikes on the stems which show a regular tendency to die back. The jury is out on whether it’s garden worthy, at least here.

I picked up some Sternbergia lutea bulbs last year at a plant swap, forgot to plant them in a timely manner, and eventually shoved (technical term) them into this corner. Astonishingly they seem to be thriving. The zingy golden flowers have finished and the leaves can now be seen.

Chrysanthemums are for sale everywhere for All Saints Day, Toussaints, and are used to decorate the graves of loved ones. Canny gardeners look out for bargains in the days thereafter. Last year I bought two for the price of one and planted them out into the garden. I’m pleased to say they’ve come back.

Salvias galore; everywhere in the garden.

Still many flowers around the place, albeit some of them a little bedraggled now after all the rain.

The final plumbago flower of 2023.

No more tomatoes to be picked. I was rather taken by this sprinkling of hundreds of mini jewel like tomatoes that fell to the ground unpicked.

I wasn’t very good at keeping up with deadheading this year in the rose garden. But perhaps there are compensations with the hips.

Kaki (also known as Persimmon or Sharon fruit) shining in its autumn glory.

No garden of mine will ever be without Verbena bonariensis. I bought three plants in Eymet market in our first spring, seven plus years ago. We now have many happily self seeding around the garden which are so welcome. It is beloved of many insects, including humming bird hawkmoths which are prolific here.

We thought we might have lost this pretty abutilon last winter but I’m pleased to say that it’s making a strong fight back.

The closest I got to the idea of a Crab Apple Allée was to plant three alongside the pool. One failed to survive the drought and heatwave (canicule) of 2022 but the other two seem to have settled well. It’s not an Allée but I love it.

The very last dahlias.

Buddleia (or Buddleja as they would have us spell it now) weyeriana Sungold. I always wanted one, now I have one!

The last of several Nerines. We have the perfect spot for them and I shall be adding to their number.

More autumn colour against the deep blue sky, this time a self sown/suckered Rhus typhina on our neighbour’s boundary.

Holes dug in preparation for the planting of six Quercus ilex. That hosepipe looks suspiciously as if it might be delineating (very roughly) the outline of a new flowerbed?

Tiny snails on a decaying fig leaf, just one small example of the huge variety of wildlife here.

I hope you have enjoyed this very quick, very random, walk around the garden today. By the end of my walk my feet were wet and cold but my spirits were high. The garden, plants, nature, all provide so much solace and comfort in trying times.

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