End of the Month View – October 2016

It is quite amazing how little has changed over the last 9 weeks since the EoMV for August. The shadows are getting longer and we move our clocks one hour back this week end with the end of summer time so the evening really will get dark quickly. We have had no frost yet so all of the more tender plants continue to shine. Actually there are more dahlias in flower now.The Dahlia Twyning’s After Eight has produced so many flowers despite a lack of dead heading (I had assumed that any day now the tubers would be going into store for the winter so deadheading would not be worth doing!).Similarly Dahlia Bishop Of Llandaff and Dahlia Bishop of AucklandBishop of Auckland is a lovely dahlia. It has velvety, crimson, single flowers on near-black stems, in contrast with dark green-red leaves. As the flowers age the edge of the petals have an almost incandescent blue tinge.Dahlia David Howard also continues to perform.Looking back towards our house along the south west facing border. In places plants are looking dry and finished but the sheer number of flowers is incredible.From the same spot looking to the south westA sign of the days moving towards winter when Cosmos Purity gets too large and falls over but it is still flowering.There are seed heads everywhere. Here the seed head from an Agapanthus.And here the dried up remains of Miss Wilmott’s Ghost with very nice grasses behind. We grow these from seed but unfortunately did not record what they were!A corner of the pergola with Eucomis in the foreground and Euphorbia mellifera  in the background.Many roses continue to flower. This is Rosa Mutablis which has now been flowering since last May. Mutablis illustrates the typical China rose trait of darkening with age, instead of fading. Single petals open sulfur yellow, changing through orange to a rich pink and finally crimson. Bright, silky flowers of all these colors will often be on display at the same time, looking as if a group of multi-colored butterflies has settled on the bush. This aspect earned Mutabilis its common name–”The Butterfly Rose”. Rosa Mutablis last May, six months of beautiful flowers.Just as I was about to finish this blog there was a spectacular sunset. This photograph is taken from our conservatory (see photograph above) and is looking across the garden towards the west. The old kitchen garden garden wall (1704) can be seen on the right. Originally it would have continues across the picture, to the left, where there is an arch and rose bed.

Gardening Hours
This week	Total since June 19th	Average per week
32	400	21