The shift to Autumn has become much more obvious in the past week and we've been lucky with sunny blue skies and warmth to enjoy the colours and changes in the season. The tempo of the gardens, nursery and nursery work has changed too, a wee bit slower, more relaxed and time to breath and enjoy all the hard work of the year. Time to enjoy the fiery foliage on trees and shrubs, time to enjoy the late season flowers of Asters, Rudbeckia and Persiaria, to name a few, time to do some seasonal photography and capture small moments of nature.
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Nyssa sylvatica in it's wonderful autumn colours,
a great small tree for the garden.
It will grow in clay soil in sun or partial shade
and is well worth some space in the garden
for it's fiery autumn colours |
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| Collecting sunflower seeds from Sunflower 'Claret' |
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| This week's cafe flowers |
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| Acer leaves can turn the most amazing colours |
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| Conkers, all shiny and new |
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| Love these, always fascinating no matter my age! |
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| Shaggy Ink Caps in the garden at home |
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| The stunning blue of Gentian sino-ornata |
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| Hop flowers beginning to form on the plant in the herb garden |
David's big project over this coming winter is to finally get our boundary fence up. It's only taken two years to get to it. This will make the nursery and gardens sheep and pig proof, rabbit proof and unsupervised child proof (they can be worse than the sheep and pigs, I kid you not). The fence will also define our space in Whitmuir and I'll have somewhere to grow lots of lovely climbers to inspire customers. We'll be putting up nice gates along the front at the car park to make a proper entrance to the nursery, all exciting stuff and will hopefully keep my stress levels down by reducing the chances of four-legged invaders! A bonus of this, in discussion of where the fence will goes means we're also expanding (already, I know). We are short of stock bed space and I've no where to put all the lovely new plants I've got growing in the tunnel for next year. So part stock bed space and part garden area - I have lots of ideas) watch this space.
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| Behind bars where they belong |
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| Looking back to the nursery from our new boundary |
When I was off on Monday I tidied up this unprofessional outdoor potting area. I cut back the honeysuckle that was taking over everywhere. Things got tidied away for winter, dead and broken stuff was thrown out and then a good hose down. Feeling much better for doing it.
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| Before |
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| After |
Now is a good time to start preparing the garden for winter, I know, how can I possible be taking about winter already, but like it or not we're almost in October! The key to success in everything including gardening is preparation. So another garden task at home was to check over the greenhouses. I sorted the panes of glass that had slipped down, checked how many broken panes I need to replace (3 over the two greenhouses) and cleaned out the gutters. I won't put up the bubble wrap for another month but I will start moving plants from the patio to the greenhouses over the next month as I have time.
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| A missing pane, that's a pain! |
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| Sorting the slipped panes |
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| Cleaning out the gutters |
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| I made a golden syrup cake this week, it was very very more-ish! |
On Tuesday we headed to Innerleithan to pick up our wedding album, it is beautiful and the photos are perfect thanks to the talented Natalie Martin of
Story of Love Photography. It seems like so long ago now, not just six weeks! We had lunch and then I showed David the walk up to Pirn hill fort. Bracken of course is always up for a walk, as am I, it was quite humid, but great views along the Tweed valley and north.
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| Enjoying the view or taking breather |
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| Bracken at Pirn hill fort |
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| Looking east |
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| Bracken on Pirn hill fort |
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| Autumn colours, Innerleithan |
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| Bracken enjoying a paddle |
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David enjoying Last Century Books
in Innerleithan |
We've been meaning to go into the antique book shop in Innerleithan for a while but we're usually on the way to somewhere or on the way back when we pass through the village. We both came away with purchases, I bought four gardening books to add to my towering reading pile on my desk. Hmmmmm.
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| My purchases, all for £13 |
I have published a couple of other blogs this week
Designing the border at the top steps and
A visit to Auchlochan Gardens, grab a coffee and have a read.
How has your week been, are you enjoying the start of Autumn like me?
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