Early mornings now have a chill about them which wasn’t there a few days ago, quite often we start off with mist or fog which the sun burns away a couple of hours later. Sometimes when looking towards Exeter we are in bright sunshine but being on the side of a hill we are above the fog, no airport, no Exeter, a bit spooky! Signs of autumn are now all around the garden, can’t kid myself any more, such a pity our summer only lasted for about 3 weeks! As soon as I see the tiny flowers of Cyclamen hederifolium twinkling in the shady borders I know autumn isn’t far away.
Most of the Cyclamen are in the woodland and they are increasing nicely, far easier to leave it to the ants to carry away the seed than to grow them myself, I’ve tried but wasn’t very successful.
They seem to like growing under the rhododendron bushes, in all the leaf mould that we have there.
Hawthorn berries are starting to colour along with all the other berries in the garden.
Arum italicum marmoratum berries are loved by the blackbirds, who spread it nicely through the garden without any help from me!
Cotoneaster horizontalis is growing up the wall by the kitchen window. Yesterday I saw a blackbird sitting here enjoying them, they won’t last long at this rate!
The berries on Rosa glauca are nice and ripe and ready for any passing bird or little mammal ( I’m thinking about our dormouse here, he will need to fatten up before hibernating).
Leycestaria formosa still forming flowers …….
While on the same bush, the berries are ready to be eaten, again mostly by the blackbirds. I’m beginning to think that the blackbirds do very well in this garden, no wonder we have so many of them, and so many Leycestaria bushes because of the seed they drop everywhere!
Leaves are also changing colour, but I’m saving photos of those for GBFD in a few days time. Has autumn arrived in your garden yet?
Spring has arrived! Nice to see your Autumn, though.
I love spring Lyn, such a lovely time of year with all the new growth. Autumn has such wonderful colours and its own special magic, its just that our summer lasted for such a short time!
Those little cyclamens are quite beautiful and how considerate of the ants to help to spread them around. Autumn arrived here when we were on holiday Pauline but at least we had a week’s worth of summer weather when we were away 🙂 Home to much cooler temperatures, wind, yet more rain, conkers on the ground and in case there was any doubt the first of my spring bulb orders arrived in the post this morning.
The cyclamen are so dainty Anna, such pretty flowers. Nature is amazing in the way that it makes sure that the seeds get dispersed by the ants, I have them to thank for them popping up in unexpected places. It’s still very sunny here but a lot cooler, still lots of bees and butterflies flitting and buzzing round the garden, but colours are changing so there’s no doubt that autumn is just round the corner.
I’m torn too, I’m happy the heat of summer is over but I don’t want it to be winter! So many berries, they’re lovely. Looking forward ot your post for GBFD Christina
So glad you’re having a respite from the heat Christina, sometimes it can be just too hot! Can’t deny autumn is almost here when the berries are now such a lovely red.
Hi Pauline! I’ve been off for a while, sorry. I’m sorry to hear your summer has lasted for so little and is already over. I’m happy autumn is knocking at my door though, here summer has been terribly hot here. I really enjoyed your previous post about Cadhay, I remembered that long border from the GI issue you mentioned and I think it’s a very nice place!
Your cyclamens look fantastic by the way.
Good to have you back Alberto, have missed your posts! Your heat this summer must have been a problem, for your garden if not yourself. We did enjoy our visit to Cadhay, probably our last summer visit this year, our next one will be for autumn tints!
Though the afternoons are very warm, autumn is in the air here as well. The cyclamen look very delicate and pretty in your woodland garden. (The ants are doing a great job!) I was not aware that birds like to eat cotoneaster berries. One more reason to like them. I am not familiar with the Leycestaria formosa. Very striking!
Jennifer, cotoneaster berries are a favourite of our blackbirds. Once they find them, they just gorge themselves, no being sensible and keeping them for a bad winter, the same with the leycestaria berries!
Your cyclamen ARE lovely, Pauline, and spreading beautifully – probably more striking than the ones I stopped the car for to photograph ready for one of my posts. And such an atmospheric post too.
Thank you Cathy, I love them, they are the only thing flowering in the woodland strip at the moment, such a contrast to spring when there are literally thousands of bulbs flowering there.
I’m not either. Autumn does feel like it’s arrived. It feels chilly and I’ve had to dig out my gardening fleece for trips to the plot. I don’t feel like I’ve been warmed through this summer, if you know what I mean. And now we’re awaiting our log delivery.
Plants wise my acer is starting to turn and asters are flowering. I really need to get more plants with berries in the garden. Need to start looking around some plant nurseries I think.
Certainly getting colder each day WW,I’ve had to dig my winter jumpers out today, definitely not enough warmth as you say! My Acers haven’t started changing yet but sunny days and cold nights will soon start them off, we were 4C for the past few nights, so should be a good year for autumn tints!
I know how you feel. I have had years when I was not ready for fall. It always seem so sad to make the transition. Your garden looks lovely as it just goes about its work. Nature seems to be so much better at adapting than we are. I hope to someday have that ease, that ability to flow right into whatever comes.
Oue summer was so short Sage Butterfly, only a few weeks at the end of August and September, it doesn’t seem as if we have had a summer really. The garden is definitely changing colour, the light is much softer, there is a coolness that wasn’t there before, I can’t deny it any longer!
Hi Pauline, Your photos and words remind me what a lovely season autumn is, in its own right, not thinking of it as a forerunner of winter. I love those tiny delicate wild cyclamen, much preferable to the tame variety sold in shops. I hope the dormouse eats enough to prepare it for hibernation. I’ve never seen a dormouse, I actually didn’t think they were real, thought it was an animal that Lewis Carroll made up, like the Jabberwocky. cheers, catmint
Yes Catmint, Autumn has its own special features, but not having much of a summer, it seems to have come too soon. The tiny cyclamen are lovely at this time of year, there aren’t many other bulbs flowering now. With it being your spring, you must be enjoying lots of bulbs at the moment.