As autumn arrives

It's time to collect conkers, there is a huge Horse chestnut tree in our park, we picked up a handful, leaving loads for the local children, I love the colour and shine on these, here in a bowl in the kitchen

The second lower branch has been removed from our acer, hopefully it will fill out again, I can then keep it trimmed and not have to cut it back harsh, we want the growth just over the slate area. It will require more delicate trimming to reach a decent shape.

These daisies are back in full bloom, I just adore them, both my snowberry plants have died back, I will rethink the back section of this bed, I would like some height along the back.

We popped to B&Q for some cyclamen plants, I also got a pack of reduced violas as well, I have planted most of them into various pots.

Sadly along the back fence it looks as if my pyracanths has died, the begonia in the huge pot is blooming.

One of my snowberry plants had one green branch, so I have cut all the deadwood off and planted in one of my growbags, all I can do is give it a chance to revive itself. I have also potted up two daisies from my birdbath dish, would be nice to have them next spring as well.

We have ate carrots, potatoes and runner beans a few times, and mixed lettuce leaves, tomatoes and cucumber most days, the veg garden has come to life. Oh we get a handful of raspberries every other day.

It's been a grey dull week, with low cloud and not too much rain, we have not gone out much, most of our spare time is reading, I have picked up my knitting and cross stitching. I do need to sort the last couple of months in my 2025 blog book before November.

For once we have no projects to do, normally at this time of year we have one task, everything is up together inside and out. I have done one big online purchase, which should arrive in due course, we had been chatting and decided we required a replacement, purchased now because it was in a September sale.

Survival test

The square photo is the day I transplanted the small hydrangea into this huge pot in my back garden, it had signs of new growth, I added rose food to the compost and give it fresh topsoil and loads of water. I have moved the herbs into the back veg section. Second photo is a couple of weeks later, after a trim of deadwood.

Another plant from hubby's front garden, this white lavender was in a pot by the door, now its in its permanent spot, it's already looking much greener and should fill this space, its been having loads of water, this is a sunny spot. I have plants which should fill this square bed.

My Chinese witch hazel was put into this spot earlier this year, it was doing well, now sadly it is wilting, it could be a number of things, or just this heat wave, I have been watering it, it's a case of watching and waiting. I've had this plant since October 2020, it was tiny.

We decided we would cut back our acer this year, one section had died back, I removed all the dead wood a while ago and we can see new growth. I spoke to our arborist, he suggested we cut back a low branch which was rubbing against another, it has left one side bare, we can look at the new growth later in the year and cut back more to balance it.

I got a water hyacinth for my pond, in hope it will clear the water, I do need to be careful with the plant, its a fast grower, I can cope with that, I will need to carefully dispose of any unwanted new growth, it can't be allowed to get into local waterways.

I gave in and moved plants in the hot weather, I can nurture them rather than hubby ignoring them, I planted a few gaura plants, I've grow from cuttings. I don't have any intentions to move any more plants, I am letting my sweet peas go to seed, I will collect them for next year along with other seeds.

I have sown another mixture of lettuce and two rows of carrots, I can just see their shoots, the cucumber plants is producing more, whilst my tomatoes are stubbornly staying green, I have a few runner beans now to the top of their sticks and a couple of flowers forming. 

I have very little to do in the garden, we save as much grey water as we can for the flowers, shrubs and tree's, I use the hose (no ban here) for the fruit and vegs, I am harvesting blackberries, they are small and hard, I am freezing them to use in crumbles over the winter, the raspberries are beginning to form.

We can sit in our sunroom early morning and evenings, we can sit in our seating area mid afternoon onwards, from 11am to 2pm we are inside the heat is just too much for us. We read inside and chat outside, making plans for a few more breaks.

More cuts

 Is this cause for divorce, I did tell hubby the acer needed a severe hair cut, I had let the front and sides get too wide, this tree is precious to me. Hubby is not so happy. As the Japanese gardeners say, I have let the light in. Here it is just a month ago

The main reason for the cut is this side section close to the fence which can be seen from our house, it's has died back, I removed loads of dead wood last month. I can see some new growth, hopefully the tree is going to thrive again. It will need another chop later in the year to reduce the width, I have already given it a good feed to keep it strong. Having less leaves will help it in this heatwave.

Whilst I had the loppers out, I trimmed the top of the Olive, the sides need a trim, maybe another day.

I have read this author before, whilst the story was decent, it was dull, one nice twist, just not really my type of book. Book 42 read this year. 

Another great book, set in America, a school bus, the driver and children go missing, everyone is searching for them, one mum who's two daughters are on the bus has a different problem, very clever, it held me all the way through. Book 43 read this year.

I often look online to check before doing anything to our tree's, I do treat them like tall shrubs, our Magnolia gets a professional chop every couple of years, it does need some of the new growth cutting back, that's a job for hubby, he has just purchased a better set of step ladders, which should make the task safer. As you know our garden is small, so keeping things to size is important to us, having two trees in the ground enhances our space, the olive will always stay in the huge pot. 

Hubby has sold his BBQ, it went very quickly, he has always cleaned it after each use and gave it a final good clean, the lady collected it was super happy to have it, we popped to B&Q to check their range of BBQ's and saw a perfect model, more expensive than hubby was looking to pay, but everything he wanted.

We are spending more time inside, this red warning for higher temperatures is no joke, our sitting room is cooler at this time of year, hubby made a net covered frame to go into the open patio door, it's not very wide, but it does let the air in and stops the flies, I read most of the time, I am a fast reader and I have always been a bookworm. Our little ones are all on half days at school, sensible decisions were made for their welfare, sadly we missed all the thunderstorms on Monday, my sister in Somerset sent an amazing video, the storms passed to the north of us.

Oops I done it again

We went to Lidl for shopping so we don't have to go out over the coming bank holiday weekend, and this acer fell into our trolly. I did not know I needed another one, it is beautiful, the leaves are different to my others, I lied to hubby stating I had just the spot for it, at £9.80 it did not break the bank.

Here by the steps to the greenhouse is my trio of acers, there are three different colours here, I trim it all the time to keep the steps clear. These are my favourite,  I love the different shades of green.

This acer is the star in our garden, purchased in 2008 for just 99p, it looked like a dead twig, but I knew it would grow back, I  gave it some acer feed this month, I will need to cut the front back later this year, so I'm hoping it thrives through the summer.

 George is not wanting to wear his school uniform, the school is very understanding, on the last day before half term, he decided to wear his top from his pj's, school shorts, mummy's hat and tassels from curtains, his teacher said he looked cool. Molly also has her own individual style as shown before.

This is our westher forecast for the coming week.

It's half term, so we are expecting little people to visit, we have stocked up on their favourite snacks and ice pops, probably have a BBQ or two as the weather is playing nicely. 

Hubby has to finish sorting his area of the garage, like me he does not like things just shoved into spaces. I have veg beds to sort, digging out the final cabbages, making the bed ready for two tomato plants, I have soaked my peas and they are now on wet kitchen towel, those which sprout will go straight into the ground, my runner beans are sown, a bit late which is OK. I am picking lettuce leaves, the cucumbers are getting to a nice size and I have tiny fruit on the tomatoes.  My flower beds are all looking good, I have a few gaps to fill on the side bed, and room for home grown bedding plants in the square bed. I do need to purchase some french marigolds, my seeds all failed.

A garden year 2025

 Hellebores gave early colour, these were my blooms in January, I adore the dark red almost black bloom, so many different shades.

Spring bulbs in pots were a success in February, I have loads of vintage clay pots, the cyclamen were still blooming. 

March and my triple acer was in full leaf, it's in a shady spot and looked glorious, plus my azalea below, so many things in bud. 

It's April and there were so many different flowers in bloom, loads of colours for late spring. 

The first picking of fruits, strawberries, it's May and summer was on its way, it was to become the best year for berries, with bumper strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. 

My first successful year with sweet peas, sown way back in beginning of the year, plenty to pick here in June, again I had a bumper crop, picking blooms most days. 

July is begonia time, I adore these blooms, they produced flowers until the frost arrived, most are grown in pots off the ground. 

 

These fleabane daisies had bloomed for months and look really good, they will stay green the whole year, August the garden is full of so many different flowers. 

Zinnias and asters are the stars in September, so many different styles and colours, plus my favourite begonia, full of orange blooms.

I always think of primroses as a spring flower but every October they bloom in our garden, I have them in 6 different spots. 

I grow veg all year round in the two raised beds and loads of bags and buckets, November had all the over winter veg looking good.

In December you can see the skeleton of the garden, bare trees, and shrubs, our fake grass gives the impression of everything tidy, this is the time when I am thinking of any changes.

Just 12 views from my garden year last year, I choose mainly flowers for their beauty, I did grow plenty of fruit and veg, I hope for another great harvest year, can you feel the sunshine on this wet grey day.

I love every part of our garden, any tasks are made easy by the layout, not too much stretching and bending, most of the flower beds have shrubs for structure and perennials filling with colour. The fruit beds are sorted and require little work other than cutting back and collecting harvest. The veg beds and bags keep me busy, if I am not working in them I am planning what will follow, no space is left empty for long. My herbs are all grown in pots, I don't have so many ornamental pots, as they break (most are terracotta), I don't replace them. 

I hope you enjoyed my little look back at my garden in 2025. There were many more photo's I could have added but I did not want this post too long. Just a break from all this cold weather, with loads of colour, now time to think of seeds, firstly sweet-peas.

Changing colours

The leaves have started to fall around our garden, the magnolia tree leaves go very dry on the tree before they fall, these will need shredding once they drop before going into my mulch bins. The red acer leaves are also curling a sure sign they are about to drop. Behind the fence our neighbours virginia creeper are beautiful colours, it's not a plant I would want in our garden, we are always cutting back roots along the fence. 

I moved my forsythia a while ago, I am really hoping this is just the leaves dying back and not the end of the plant, this is a perfect spot for it, I will have to wait until the spring, I have already put a deep layer of mulch around it's base.

My trio of acers leaves are curling, the red one always sheds first, it's sad to see these colours fade, but on the flip side it's always wonderful to see them come back into leaf each spring.

I adore primroses, they remind me of a great childhood growing up in rural Somerset, the hedgerows were always full of them, I have clumps around the back section of my gardens, I regularly split them. 

The season has really changed here in the last week, the cooler air and no rain is a good signal, these photo's were taken on Saturday before the rains came, my pots were dry again, it's been almost 3 weeks since we had any rain fall, it's still a dry year here. The rain finally came on Sunday much later than stated, it was very wet on Monday, a grey dull overcast day, I'm happy to see the rain, I was beginning to think I would need to water my pots again. Monday was diabolical and its fuel to be extremely wet tomorrow,  so day of housework. 

The heating has finally be turned on, still often when the radiators should be warm, they are not, the house is keeping the heat in, all the work in previous years is now paying off, nothing beats a warm house. Neither of us like the house too hot, I am enjoying wearing my jumpers and socks again, it's comfortable for me, hubby just never feels the cold, I'm not such a cold bod as I used to be.  

Days at home don't bother me, normally I have loads to do, I'm still very undecisive what to be crafting, I was pleased to have made my Christmas cakes, I really must find something to do, I'm spending too much time playing 'arrows' on my tablet.

Blooming September

 In between the rain, I popped outside, it's very wet, luckily our garden drains well and has no deep puddles, don't let the blue skies fool you, before I had finished taking these photos it started to rain again. This side bed full of blooms, sadly the rain and wind took all the roses, I really need to do some deadheading, I have staked a few of the bigger blooms. 

The acer is turning colour, soon the leaves will drop which is a shame as it's been beautiful all summer, it does have a lovely shape so the bare branches do add to the winter garden.

I am pleased how this fence line is looking, I have never been a fan of growing plants up a fence, the olive tree is happy in the corner, it has olives growing, they never mature, but it's good to know the tree is healthy. I do not miss my metal table and chairs here, it got very busy, this looks much nicer. 

There are loads of blooms bringing colour into the garden, this begonia will soon be popped back into the greenhouse for the winter, it's a long flowering plant and so easy to keep, I do nothing with it once it's inside until next spring when I start to water it again. The Zinnias and Asters are in full colour.

Flowers at the back, the fuchsia which drops over the back of the pond has done well, I do have to dead head often to stop them falling into the pond, I have sweet willaim's behind and primroses in the tub.  The big tub next to my shed again has been full of flowers, another begonia, the fuchsia was moved earlier this year, I also have a hellebore for winter colour, another pot I just leave. 

These will give winter colour, the fleabane daises will stay green all year, if it's mild they will bloom, I cut them back in the spring to keep them from getting too big, this bed has been a delight. I have cyclamen and violas in pots around the patio nearest to the house. 

Soon it will be time to pack the furniture away for winter, it will stay outside undercover, the chair frames will tuck under the bench frame, and will fit along the wall, we will raise them off the ground slightly and cover them. The cushions will be popped into the back of the attic (loft). The parasol will go into the garage, I'm not keen on this time of year, I feel we are loosing so much. 

The season has changed so quickly this year, my shorts and sandals are succeeded by socks, boots and jeans, fleeces are worn, nights are cooler and much darker. I don't embrace autumn, spring and summer are my season's the garden is my place, I still can watch the garden, often watching the small birds at the feeders, but nothing beats being outside.

Inside out

 Way back in 2009 I first showed my red Acer on my blog here, I had purchased it the previous year as a tiny plant for 99p, the leaves had fallen off and the shop wanted to get rid of it. As it grew hubby made a lovely wooden container for it in 2019, I added to the base to give Japanese vibes. It was planted into the ground in 2021, at hubby's suggestion, I was not sure, I want to pass it on and replace it with a smaller one, in a small garden to have a second tree was not the best use of space. I do love it in the ground, it's in a perfect spot. It needs a trim at the base, and along the flower bed side, I snip at it as and when it needs it.

I did replace the acer with a triple acer, purchased in 2021, which sits along the wall of the garage, I pass them every time I go to my greenhouse, composter or water but. These I trim every year, I really don't want them to grow too large, they fill this space with colour, they only get sunshine in the mornings, and they are sheltered from the wind. I love the three shades together, they brighten this spot.

I have been given the most perfect gate to my veg plot, it's real life was a fire guard, I could have got a gate to match my fence, but it was a bit wide and would be obstacle and I could see me catching my clothes as I walked through. George understands if the gate is closed he can't through, and stays away, I don't close it when Molly is here, she knows the veg section is not a play area. 

When in town last week ,we popped to Pound Savers for a few Easter bits, I always look around the garden section, I picked up 2 packs of summer bulbs, just a pound per pack, which had 1 bulb in. I popped them straight into the ground, I was going to get two plants, using bulbs has worked out much cheaper, I've not grown them before.

We had been considering purchasing a dwarf apple tree, which would go with our other fruits, we even found a spot for it, but realistically we don't need one, I eat Braeburns, which can be used for cooking, so we always have them here. If we were successful in growing our own apples, we would then have to find storage space.

We had some rain on Saturday night, and again last night, I would have liked more, I think any rain in the coming days will miss our area, we might get just a couple of light showers.

Monday hubby decided it was time to decorate our bedroom and en-suite, we have been putting it off for months, he is starting in our shower room. I keep out of his way, he is a master of perfection, and I'm not required, he controls it all. On a trip to B&Q I got 4 bags of top soil, I had asked locally if anyone had any top soil I could have, just one reply which stated it was full of gravel, so I declined. I'm hoping to sort my 5 new growing bags in the coming days. 

Flower colours

 I spent £5 on these tulips, I rarely get cut flowers, I never cut flowers from my garden, these are colourful and brighten our sitting room. My two pots of tulips are starting to bloom, can't wait, I chose some bright colours this year. 

A few of my other flowers around the garden.

The big acer came to life in these warm sunny days, soon all the leaves will fill out. My trio kept at the back of the garden, 2 are coming back to full leaf, the red leaf is a bit behind.

The garden is already looking good, we sit outside most days, both hubby and I can find a few bits to do, before enjoying the sunny weather. Our magnolia tree is still barren, we haven't had many blooms, leaves are beginning to form, hopefully soon it will look less bare, we are not surprised, as it has been cut back hard before.

I love to see so many different colours in my flower beds, it does feel as if the growing season has arrived, but I'm wary as night time temperatures are still a bit low, my greenhouse is still full. I potted up my spare strawberry plants into a nice tall pot, I have put them in a sunny spot, these should give us a slightly earlier harvest. I have ordered some small bags to pop over the fruit as they form, rather than making a net frame for the strawberry tower, it should make harvesting much easier.

Monday after doing the downstairs housework, which was overdue, I spent the afternoon in the garden, Lilly was close by all day. On Sunday she got stuck in our nice neighbours garden, Pauline had a cuddle before handing her back, Lilly is climbing our magnolia tree all the time, a couple times she has landed awkward, I'm hoping she will learn a lesson and stop climbing, she is still not happy using the cat flap, so we are keeping her in over night.

Tuesday was a cloudy day, not so warm, I spent a good hour in the greenhouse, I also dug up two roots from flowering plants in my garden to make new plants, I have loads of new plants coming along. We popped to Lidl for a small shop, mainly salad, fresh fruit and veg, our bill just over £70, are prices ever going to settle down, everything has gone crazy.