Autumn Angst
By felinfan
10 comments
Oh dear, it is that time of the year when everything seems to go into low gear and when I feel like hibernating already.
Picked and ate the last of the Autumn raspberries yesterday (yum) and planted the rest of my bulbs.Started dead-heading some of the roses for the last time, but I have two beautiful white ones which are defying the season and producing profuse numbers of blossoms like there is no tomorrow. I am also planting chives at the base of all the roses because Bob Flowerdew reckons that these or Alliums protect them from black spot and aphids. However, he does say “dense plantings” of these herbal remedies and I am not sure whether I want my rosebeds to smell of French Onion Soup! We shall see.
My lovely heliotropes are still in flower and show no sign of growing weary, but I am hoping to obtain some good cuttings from them ready for next year as they are rather expensive to use as bedding plants. The cherry pie smell is as intoxicating as ever.
There are many Rowan trees on the green outside my house and they are being visited by large numbers of chaffinches who are mad about the berries. I stopped counting at twenty birds the other day and they are such fun to watch.
My neighbour suspects that we have a visiting kestrel as there were the bones and feathers of a large pigeon in his garden this morning. I am not so sure as kestrels live in the nature parks close by but I would have thought that they have no need to visit domestic sites for their food. I am afraid that it may be down to one or more of the many cats which live around here as some of them (brothers nd sisters working in a group) dealt similarly with a wood pigeon some months ago. The only fault in this theory is that they have not been known to navigate their way through my garden before,since my two kitties are rather large and look even bigger when they get cross.
It has been quite a nice sunny day today, but looking at the clouds stacking up now, I think that the weather forecast for tomorrow (not very nice) will turn out to be correct. Photos in due course as camera battery ran down: hmm, silly me!
18 Oct, 2010
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Comments
Felinfan I'm the same in that I feel down at the prospects of cold dark times, once the leaves are all gone and I've dug out my winter coat I usually recover. Actually I quite like winter in that I tend to have more time to go walkies, it's better for taking photos too. Have I convinced you? not sure I've convinced myself lol. I don't usually like planting between my T Roses but this year I've planted Lavender, mostly because the colour will go with my roses and if it helps pest problems all the better.
Kestrels even the now common Buzzard get the blame for 'missing doves/Pigeons ect. but I recon our dear little pussy cats are mostly to blame.....along with the dreaded Sparrow hawk.
19 Oct, 2010
Thanks for those interesting and cheering comments folks. The lavender certainly works against aphids. I have three bushes guarding the roses, but they need keeping in their place:they have grown huge and so I am resigned to being the chain-saw massacerrrrrr (how on earth can one use that as a verb??) once again. However, they seem to love it and if they go on like this, I shall not be able to see out of the window.
19 Oct, 2010
You can get smaller more compact ones Felinfan.
19 Oct, 2010
The days are becoming very short now. It doesn't bother me that much though. I'm not looking forward to snow and ice though. I hope we don't have much this year.
I like the autumn :o)
20 Oct, 2010
I saw the picture of Blodwyn in the snow a few minutes ago, so I can understand your sentiments. You have a lot of photos on the "cats in the garden" site, How many kitties do you have? You certainly seem to manage to have the camera handy when they do something clever or pull funny faces.LOL
I hope that you are enjoying some Indian Summer where you are? Although it is obviously Autumn here, we are having some lovely sunshine on and off.
A.T.B. Felinfan
20 Oct, 2010
I only have Blodyn. I've never looked at the cats in the garden page but, they are only of Blodyn
20 Oct, 2010
aurtum is nice if we get an indian summer ....
20 Oct, 2010
That is true Cristina and funny you should say it because the weather here seems to be relenting and giving us some lovely sunny intervals despite the severe drop in temperature. I was born in Cheshire, but I expect that Sale has been wallowed up by Manchester in the 72 years since then!
ATB Felinfan
21 Oct, 2010
it sure has hun live 10 min from there and work round there on my round lol. where did you live maybe i know it ...... wether not too bad ,bit of sun ,rain now. still loadsof colour in my garden .
21 Oct, 2010
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What are you like,no pics,LOL.
Interesting info on roses and blackspot, I grow lavender near some of mine ,it apparently stops greenfly, might try the Alliums as well, I get blackspot but won`t use sprays because of my fishpond, I`d rather lose a few rose leaves than cause possible harm to my fish.
You were right to do your gardening, its supposed to be turning very cold, (sigh).....
18 Oct, 2010