Blaze of Glory

 Well October is determined to go out in a blaze of colour, albeit wet.

We dodge the wet days which are interspersed with golden days.

Plenty still to do in both gardens.

At home the new greenhouse is nearly packed to capacity. It is very strange not to have a second one especially at this time of the year when so much is taken inside.

The late sun, just going down makes me feel unexplicably sad, the exact opposite of the expectancy of spring.

And the stars are still chrysanthemums and dahlias.

But other things still grab my attention.

Tomatoes and peppers continue to ripen indoors. The pumpkins are stored and lettuce continues to grow.

Happy Hallowe'en everyone.
 

Pennine Beauties

 Back in the spring I decided to try chrysanthemums once again. It is literally years since I grew them in my garden. Back then, a very kind man in the village called Arthur Farnes, gave me cuttings.

I ordered them from Fothergills, a double pack.

They were a decent size and I potted them on. Once they got to a good size I planted them out into a row where I diligently watered, staked and fed them during the very hot weather.

In late August they began to do their stuff and ever since then I have had bunches and bunches. I don't cut them long as I can't bear to cut the buds. They are very long-lasting in vases.

And here is the row.

They are truly worth every penny and I can't wait to get some cuttings in spring next year.

Beacons of Light

 On Tuesday we made a lightning visit to the garden to pick dahlias.

The colour is still amazing.

Fungi is beginning to make an appearance.

The crabapples are like beacons of light.

The Michaelmus daisies  continue to delight but they are going to need a good thinning out when they've finished flowering.

We've been having a close look at the sedum roof. It is not as bad as we first thought. I have begun to root more plants into the old turf that surrounded the pond. We will use it to fill in the gaps.

The pond is as clear as can be with good oxygen producing plants  in the bottom.

I continue to remove duck weed at every opportunity.

Inside the polytunnel new tomatoes have grown!!!

French marigolds continue to flower.

And we're bringing things in for the winter.

The scarecrows are indoors.

And the chickens continue to grow.

 

October Delights and Disasters

 The garden was glorious yesterday. It actually got very warm and the pollen began to flow on the Michaelmus daisies and the common hoverflies were taking advantage.

I had several jobs. One was to empty and refill the water trough. It is now full of daffodils, tulips, myosotis and garden pinks.

Another job was to clear a bit more of a flower bed and put in yet more garden pinks.

In the polytunnel Steve was busy clearing any tomatoes that were finished. I did the watering using water from a wheelbarrow after the heavy rain.

Then I cleared an area to bring the scarecrows inside.

My last job was to complete the clearing of a vegetable bed.

The soil is working very well. So easy to get out fennel seedlings and comfrey roots

The Michaelmus daisies are stealing the show with the sunflowers hanging on for dear life.

Finally we stood mesmerised as mating Autumn Meadowhawk dragonflies dotted their eggs round the pond edges in the blink of an eye.

We are very disappointed to report that the last couple of cobbing sessions have been unsuccessful with huge chunks landing in clods round the walls, including Anne's beautiful butterfly.

No doubt we will try again in a new season.

None of us can fathom what we have done wrong this time round.