We’ve had a couple of frosty mornings this week, lovely sunny days but pretty cold too. I love seeing the garden edged with frost, these are some little clumps of moss on the garden wall, I always think they look like mini hedgehogs!

I’ve been tidying up the garden and filling up the compost heap this week. All the hostas were long gone over so most of the dead foliage has been pulled off, I’ve cut back the iris leaves too as they were flopping and starting to brown. The pond area is only half done, so it’s still looking untidy…

The geraniums down by the arch over the patio went a bit mad this year, so I’ve been pulling up some of the roots as well as the foliage, trying to thin it a bit, I’ve still rather a lot to tidy here too! In some ways I would have been better just concentrating on one bed and getting it finished, but my OH wasn’t very happy getting wet legs from all the foliage over-hanging the path every time he walked the dogs!!

I’m really pleased with my autumn bed, it’s working out just as I hoped. The eunonymous alata is looking amazing, a fiery red colour. There’s a blueberry just peeping in the background too with lovely red leaves.

The acer is beautiful with lots of shades of orange and purply-red too…

Just behind these two there’s a purple erysimum flowering it’s socks off, together with a bright yellow rudbekia – not a bad display of colour considering it’s nearly November!

Once we get our hot composter our current compost heap will be dismantled, so I’ll have another bed to plant with autumn colour! There’s already a golden cotinnus and a photinia planted at that end. So far I’m wondering about an amelanchier, but any suggestions welcome
What is a hot composter??
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Hi Susie, we’ve only just heard about them too. It’s a tall, plastic unit, you can put plant stuff, food waste (cooked and raw), paper shreddings in it. It gets up to about 70 degrees so it composts down really quick. Theres a flap at the bottom so you can take out the ready compost within about a month. They’re not cheap, about £200 but it’s only time before the councils start charging for garden waste or weighing household waste. We’re having it as a joint Christmas present to each other – we get each other such sexy presents 🙂
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The hot composter sounds like a great addition. The Autumn bed is glorious, and your little ‘hedgehogs’ very cute.
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Thank you for the autumn colour! Ours hasn’t arrived yet, and isn’t much to soeak of even after it does. 😉
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“speak” (grumbles about this keyboard)
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What about something with berries that the birds can enjoy in your new Autumn bed?
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Good thinking, I’ll get my books out 🙂
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The color display in the autumn garden is just beautiful, Margaret! I Am amazed to see flowers still blooming in November! We still have snow on the ground from Sunday, though I think it will melt today; we are due to get above freezing for a few days.
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Flowers are a bit sparse in the winter, but that just makes us appreciate them more 🙂
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