After another week of rain, when the gardener couldn’t come and cut the grass, plants are still coping, flowering as usual, the threatened frost didn’t arrive here in this part of Devon, so everything is carrying on as normal. It is still warm for this time of year, but colours are changing on all the acers now, as nights are a lot cooler and this makes the green colour fade away and show the underlying colours. Even so, my six for this week do not show any of my acers, I’ll save them for another week.
No 1.
I was reading somewhere that you can cut the foliage of Iris unguicularis back at about this time of year , so that the flowers show up better when they eventually flower in the winter. Imagine my surprise when I approached my plant under the dining room window, secateurs at the ready and found that I was too late, it was already flowering! I have never known it to flower this early before.
Then of course I had to go to the driveway border where I.u.Walter Butt is living, and sure enough, he was flowering too!
No 2
My cherry tree by the gateway is having a final fling before the leaves drop. This poor tree is not at all happy, it now sits in flood water in the winter and is just a shadow of its former self, 3/4 has died already and I really should get it dug out. Eventually the whole border will need redoing as it is far too wet for the plants that have been happy there for over 30 yrs.
No 3
Years ago I planted what I bought as Geranium Ann Folkard, but I now think is G. procurrens, as it is trying to take over the driveway border each year. Every year I pull out most of it, and every year it pops up throughout the border at this time of year and waves to me!
Much better behaved than the aformentioned geranium is G. Rozanne, so well behaved and such a long flowering season, super plant.
No 4.
Asters are still flowering away, this is a seedling of a much smaller white one that I bought, but it still looks lovely weaving through my borders.
No 5
While bringing in my salvias last weekend, to try and avoid the frost that didn’t come, I found S. Love and Wishes had only just started flowering, I hope she isn’t always this late!
No 6
Iris foetidissima is shining out of the darkness of the woodland where it seems very happy. The flowers earlier in the year are easily missed, but now is its moment of glory when masses of gorgeous orange berries are formed, you can’t miss them! This plant has so many berries , the stems are almost horizontal.
There are still lots to find in the garden, even though the flowers are now getting fewer, the autumnal colours and berries are taking over when I go wandering round trying to find things of interest to photograph. We escaped the worst of Storm Babet, thank goodness, but I feel for the people further north, especially those is Scotland who seem to have got the worst of it.
Thanks to Jim once more at Garden Ruminations, if you want to see more gardens from around the world, you know where to find them!
Lots of lovely colour in your garden, in particular the first iris is simply beautiful.
Thanks Helen, the colour is carrying on now that the leaves are turning. The iris certainly stands out, looking very springlike!
I too am delighted with the geranium ‘Rozanne’. It’s a very good purchase and I must say that I really enjoy the flowers almost all year round. You did well to add it to your Six this week. Bravo for the great close-up of the Iris foetidissima seeds with blur behind them
Rozanne has been such a good buy Fred, flowering from late spring when I first bought her. I was amazed when I found how many seeds there were on the iris, far more than on all the other plants.
Lovely iris, such a pretty flower. I’m glad your salvia has gotten around to flowering, it is a really nice one. I’m don’t think next week is going to be particularly dry, the garden is sodden already, your poor cherry tree will not be happy. Have a good one. 🙂
Thanks Gill, so nice that it is flowering so early, hope it continues until the correct time in January.Yes, my poor garden is sodden so the cherry tree will die a little more!
What a lovely surprise from the Iris, I wonder what conditions made them flower this early?
The iris is a winter flowering one Rosie, but usually in January not October!
We have Salvia ‘Love and Wishes’ and a similar one from the same series. I think we’ve done cuttings but I wonder if I should lift them, I’d hate to lose them. The Iris seeds are a very bright and welcome splash of colour at this time of year.
With my heavy soil Jim, I’m taking a risk having salvias, so bringing them in is a must. Cuttings have been taken to increase stock but maybe one day when I have enough I might risk one or two staying out all winter. The Iris is much more noticeable when it has its seeds than when it is flowering, then I hardly notice it at all.
Lovely irises! 🙂🌸💜 I rather like that Geranium procumbens, but then again, it is no invading my garden!
It is lovely to see the iris Sarah, at this time of year when everything else is shutting down.I can cope with the geranium as long as it doesn’t spread too far!
I love the Irises and the Iris seeds. Things do seem a bit topsy-turvy this autumn.
Thanks Graeme, I was so surprised to see the iris already flowering, I hope it does as well as last winter when it opened new flowers each day, non stop for weeks.
It seems that climate change is evident in your garden Pauline what with the flowering irises and the winter flooding. You must keep the G procurrens, or at least some of it…..especially since she waves to you!
No one can now deny that climate change is taking place Denise, when there is so much evidence. I’m not sure about the geranium waving to me, more of a Ha ha, you haven’t got rid of me yet!
Pretty irises, love how there are so many different ones blooming at all times of the year. I’ve got a pear tree that needs moving in the spring due to changing conditions in the garden, too. Never tried to move a whole tree (even a small one) before, so that will be an adventure.
The Iris family are amazing aren’t they Angela, so many that like different conditions too, thank goodness my soil likes some of them! Good luck with moving your pear tree.
Lots of lovely colour in your garden still. How sparkling your small flowered white aster looks. I bought one called ‘Starshine’ this year, which I really hope behaves like your example. Now I am off to check my iris too!
Thanks Allison, I’ve tried to plant things that provide colour for October and November, just December really when the garden has no colour. It all starts again after Christmas with the snowdrops and my early daffodils in January, don’t get much of a rest! Hope your Iris is flowering!
The berries on Iris foetidissima are glorious aren’t they? Like you, I often fail to see the flowers – but I can imagine your excitement on seeing the blooms on your other two irises though!
The berries show up so well Cathy, unlike the flowers which are so easily missed! It was lovely to see the flowers on the 2 varieties of I.unguicularis, so early too!