[margaret zanoni]

When I started this thread I thought perhaps a hundred or so would click on for a peep......never did I think that so many of you would be interested in a typical English garden with normal everyday plants and I can't believe that so many of you have 'popped in'....thank you all.

The border at the back is in deep shade until late afternoon and so I rely on plants with variagated leaves and those with showy flowers to brighten it up. At the moment the Hydrangeas are coming into flower - the lace-caps last for ages as they take their time to open but the mop-heads are in full bloom. I planted the hosts's in front of them so I have colour from the leaves in the spring but now they too are starting to flower and peep through with their delicate colours making a nice contrast to the hydrangeas.

This is a border where I need evergreens too so they cover the wall - I tried climbing roses but they don't thrive here - so I have planted Escallonia and Oleander which are doing well. The Escallonia is as tough as old boots and I was concerned the Oleander wouldn't like too much shade but it doesn't seem to care! I have attached a few photos so you can see what I mean..............once again thank you all for your interest..........kind regards as ever.......Margaret

[poochee]

Margaret, thanks for another beautiful flower show.

[ymfoster]

Hi Margaret,

Your flowers are looking beautiful with lots of colour,
thanks for sharing them, we always enjoy seeing them,

[margaret zanoni]

September is almost half over - like the summer flowers! Some of the 'delicate' plants have survived the wind and rain much better than the hardy varieties which convinces me that it is the position that counts .....keep them out of the wind is the secret in my garden at least.

I have cut the hydrangeas right back and the wall looks a bit bare but the Aconitum is sending up plenty of flowering stems and will soon hide most of it. I like the shades of blue in the individual flowers and the bees just love it - it sounded as though I had a beehive outside the window this morning and we counted at least eleven large honey bees - wish I knew where they had there honey depot!

The lavender has already been pruned back but the Coryopteris is blooming well and although a bit 'floppy' it has more flowers on it than ever before. I like to the blue against the golden leaves of my Chinese Holly which hopefully will finally have a flower or two this autumn. The flowers are insignificant but have a wonderful apricot scent and carry on until Christmas time.

The Cosmos and dahlias are still producing lots of blooms although smaller now they are more than welcome and brighten the border. I am pleased with the hardy fuschias too and will not bother with the tender varieties any more as they are more prone to aphids.

The Magnolia has had a late flowering and they were much deeper in colour than in the Spring - probably due to the change in temperature. I am now clearing away leaves by the bucket load every morning not to mention the acorns from the Oak trees. The trees are not in my garden but I love the shade in summer so I can't complain about picking up the leaves!!!!

Hope you are all enjoying your own gardens - make the most of them when the weather is nice...............kind regards...........Margaret

[poochee]

Margaret, thanks for another beautiful flower show!

[ymfoster]

Another lovely show of flowers Margaret,

glad to hear you are still getting some Autumn colour in your garden, we're facing a hard summer with even less water than last year, but we're enjoying the spring flowers whilst things are still mild.

[mathewhayden]

Hello..
I like your green and colorful flower photographs. They are really nice. I also didn't know about the lily of the valley. Well thank you very much for sharing these wonderful photographs with us.

[margaret zanoni]

First of all welcome to my thread Mathew - hope you visit again.

It is a glorious Autumn day here - crisp with bright sunshine. I think it must be like that with you Yvonne although you are enjoying Spring now with the long warm days to come!

I had a stroll round the garden and took some photo's to compare with those I took a month ago and it brought home just how much has changed. The sedum looks a different colour altogether and the Viburnam Tinus flowers are quickly turning into first orange and then black berries which will last all winter. The Cosmos too is still in flower and the bees just love it - in fact as I was taking the photo's one came to have it's breakfast!

When I was taking the snaps I was buzzed by a crow and only when I downloaded them onto my computer did I see that I must have taken a shot at that moment - and to my surprise I discovered we have a hole in the bottom the tree which we never knew about and are sure it wasn't there a couple of weeks ago. Now we have to discover who is trying to make a den there!

There is still a great deal of summer colour lingering but there is frost forecast for the weekend so we shall soon lose it - but to compensate we have the autumn colours and more to the point we have the walnuts, chestnuts to bring back from our walk in the woods!

Hope you are all keeping well and enjoying your gardens............or patio's...........
kind regards......Margaret

[margaret zanoni]

I forgot the limit of photos.......so here is the mystery hole......

Margaret

[poochee]

Enjoyed viewing your flowers Margaret.

Keep us posted on what appears in the den!

[ymfoster]

Your garden is still looking great for Autumn Margaret,

enjoyed seeing your flowers again, there's always something different blooming.

We have had some good rain at last & a glorious weekend forecast.

That hole looks very low, maybe there'll be some telltale footprints or fur to help identify the culprit.

[margaret zanoni]

Hello flower lovers - it is a cold and blustery today and I think finally the last of the nice weather is over. However on the !st of November I took my usual photo's in the garden - I do this so I remember where the plants are that I want to shift, divide or donate as it is quicker and easier than jotting it down in my garden diary - and many of the plants are still blooming.

When I see the Fatsia in flower though I know Christmas is not too far away as I wait until the little clusters are all in bloom and then cut the stems, hang them upside down until a week before Christmas and then spray them to go with the Holly.

Leaning against the window cill of my bedroom window are clusters of Chrysanthemums - not the big showy ones but the old fashioned small ones. The red kind I have remind me of Asters but the little 'button' type do well for me as they last well into the winter when most other flowers are finished.

The weedy little climbing rose I thought would never survive has proved me wrong - it is still producing the most beautiful flowers and although they come one at a time now we shall really miss them when they finally do stop.

We haven't found out what caused the hole in the tree but the 'den' has a tenant! A few leaves had blown inside it and a little hedgehog moved in!

I hope you are all enjoying your gardens - kind regards ...........Margaret

[poochee]

Margaret, beautiful flowers.

Nice that the den now has a tenet. He/she should be fun to observe!

[Gabriel]

Awesome as usual

[ymfoster]

Hi Margaret,

Your flowers are lovely & lasting well for you.

The little Hedgehog will be a pleasure to watch also,