"I saw old Autumn in the misty morn ......

..... Stand, shadowless like Silence, listening To Silence." -   Thomas Hood

Goodness the weeks are whizzing by, October already! Yes I am behind with the blogs again, whats new? The seasonal changes are much apparent with the leaves changing, the weather and the type of tasks I'm doing in the nursery. We are pretty much at the end of propagation for this year and the nursery is bulging with new plants for next year. Now we can plan ahead its so exciting. The nursery gardens are still full of colour with the Echinacea, Rudbeckia, Heleniums, and Sedums still in full flower. The Solidago's and Asters are just getting started and of course the grasses are in their prime. 

I can't stop photograping the butterflies
on the Echinacea in the nursery gardens

Sam has been doing an amazing job over the last 3 weeks before she finished, tidying, sorting out and potting up all the grasses in the polytunnel. All those colours They look so much better and we have all these and more available available next year

I love autumn - its my favourite season

I was doing cuttings of Cornus alba Sibirica and was inspired by the colours of the leaves and stems. All these leaves were on one stem, the transition of colours from summer green is striking.

Autumn crocus are fab and they spread easily, even in our clay soil. Colchicum autumnale and Colchicum autumnale 'Album' here in the nursery gardens.

I've been doing lots of propagation of plants for new stock for next year and it seems a shame to throw the flowers I've cut off away. September and autumn really are glorious

Actaea simplex 'Pink Spike'

Aster (Symphyotrichum) novi-belgii 'Coombe Fishacre'

Cyclamen hederifolium

Gentiana 'Pink Swallow'

Serratula tinctoria var Seoanei

A gorgeous evening for a walk along the Tweed while we wait for our takeaway to be ready.

Last Sunday the bank above the herb garden got it's annual hair cut. Like all the wild flower banks this is the only maintenance these areas get in the year. They are a very easy and beautiful way of covering large areas of ground in the gardens and maintaining a great enviroment for our wild life

Massive thanks to David for doing the strimming and helping get the big bags of strimmings up to the compost heap

Last Monday the weather was lovely, so a perfect morning for exploring a new walk from the house. Along the Tweed past Neidpath Castle to the Manor Bridge. Across the bridge and the River and the old bridge and up the hill to the Sware Carpark and view point. From here down through the fields to South Park and back home. Maisie had a great walk, she is really getting into paddling. We also saw a kingfisher flying up the river right past us, the colours were just wonderful, no picture, it was going too fast.

This is a great dish, we have it often, beetroot salsa, pan fried feta cheese, rocket and canallini beans cooked with garlic, colourful and tasty and apple crumble made with nursery garden apples

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