The days are getting shorter and shorter, it’s only about five weeks now to the shortest day, on the plus side after that the days will start getting longer! I managed to get home today just in time to take some photos of the garden, though the light was falling fast.

We’ve had quite a dry, mild November so far so there’s still a few leaves in the trees and it’s still lovely and crunchy underfoot when I walk the dogs up the back lane. Yesterday when I was walking them I happened to stop for Rosie just as the lightest ripple of a breeze went past, it was just enough to make dozens of leaves flutter to the ground. What amazed me was the sound, it was like raindrops falling, they tinkled down through the branches, fluttering like the poppy petals at the festival of Remembrance. I stood and listened to it for several minutes, it was quite magical.

My rose order from David Austin came this week, four rose bushes of various sizes. A special Claire Austin standard rose was earmarked to put over Zach’s ashes, my son James had promised me he would dig the hole and it was obviously quite important to him. So on Saturday night he came a dug a big hole and hammered the stake in for the standard rose. It’s amazing the difference young muscles make, it would have taken me for ever! It was too dark to start planting then, but first thing Sunday morning I soaked the bare roots, popped the little bag of ashes in the bottom, sprinkled some mycorrhizal funghi for good measure and planted the rose. The trunk is strapped to the stake so I need to keep an eye on it as it grows to loosen it as needed. Hopefully it will be glorious this summer!

The other three roses are two small ones for the patio area and a big shrub rose for in front of the big fence. I planted those too with the rest of the sachet of m.funghi, it’s meant to help with settling in and early root formation which really sets the rose off with a good start.

Down the drive I’ve a big mahonia, I have a love/hate relationship with it as when I’m walking down the drive it’s prickly!! However it has just come into flower, so at the moment it is forgiven!

Whilst I was down the drive I noticed how high the eunonymous has crept up the wall, I’m going to have to start pruning it soon or it will be in the gutters.

As the flowers and the foliage die back the other features in the garden start to take on more of a role in the garden. My collection of blue and grey planters looks pretty good in the summer, but I particularly like it in the winter for that little splash of colour.

The wire sculptures I have around the garden start to be noticeable too. The chicken has been hidden in the geraniums all summer…

From ground level the garden seems to be heading rapidly towards winter, so I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at the upstairs photo as it still looks fairly colourful, albeit with the soft colours of late autumn.

I’ve not been out much over the last couple of weeks due to a heavy cold, but hopefully now I’ll be able to get back to my three sessions a week and do a bit more tidying up and weeding.