The forecast rain held off, but its decidedly chilly with a light breeze from the frozen north. Looking around the garden I’m surprised to see that some things have put on a spurt of growth despite the lowering temperature. I worried when I cut back a leafless Fuchsia, hard to bare brown wood, that it would not survive… its flourishing.
Just when the sun is deserting us the largest osteospermum in the garden is putting out even more flowers than it has all year. Hopefully, the last hoverflies and bees will appreciate the bounty.
The umbrella bush is coming into flower again too…
…and the abutilons seem to be successional with the deep red one coming into its own late in the year.
Elsewhere leaves of deciduous plants are turning before they fall, like on this grape…
…and this plant, planted this year and forgotten, although it looks like a peony to me?
Note Maggie’s generosity with meal worms! She is determined that Robins, Blackbirds and Dunnocks will get a share despite the bully boy starlings, so gives them plenty. Our summer Song Thrush may be back when its slim pickings elsewhere – we need his snail-eating habits.
The immense crop of pyrocanthus berries are already the target of half-a-dozen Wood-pigeons including the one just in front of the sitting room window at the front of the house. What was planted for its vicious thorns to keep burglars at bay is great for the Wood-pigeons, although they peep in at us nervously while they strip off the berries.
A few other plants are fruiting like the crab apple…
…and another plant which I am unsure of the name of, maybe its a cottoneaster.
