Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – October 2012

I admit it; last month I gave up. I looked at the garden, thought ‘not much in flower’, sighed a bit and decided not to post. This month I almost did the same, and then I decided to have a closer look. Helped, of course, by the fact that there’s been another burst of lovely weather.

Some things are obvious, and some things aren’t. Some things, strictly speaking, have no real place in a well-tended garden. But then – mine isn’t a well-tended garden… I know I should hack back all the old man’s beard, for instance, and force it over the wall whence it came, but it’s just gorgeous when it flowers:

Of course the rest of the year I do hack it back, ruthlessly. Well, sometimes. When I can get at it. And I do pull out the self-heal, too, when it materialises in the beds (one of the problems associated with the meadow is that it would rather like to take over the rest of the garden, and has a good go at doing so). But some got left, and it’s still flowering away.

I’m afraid I like it, too. Such a definite purple. And a lot of the scarlet pimpernels are still flowering, and the herb robert. Yesterday I went for a walk and saw three foxgloves, lots of tormentil and – wait for it – violets.

But I do have some other plants flowering, some of which are deliberate. I keep thinking I’ve had the last of the marigolds, and then the weather warms up a bit, and I’ve got more (the insects like the warmer weather too).

I do think, though, that they won’t carry on much longer. They are just beginning to show signs of mildew. Hm.

I also have a rather lovely low yellow-jasmine hedge which is large and old and curvy, and impossible to photograph. It has decided that what it needs to do right now is flower as well. The flowers are are scattered on the dark green and are so brightly yellow that they seem to light up the hedge and, incidentally, baffle my exposure meter. But there’s no real smell to speak of.

Over by Bonfire Corner, a few Japanese anemones have sprung up. I should imagine they’re my fault. I wage war with them elsewhere and am constantly ripping them up and slinging them on the compost heap; some roots will have rolled off, no doubt. I’m only amazed they’re not all over the place between there and the rest of the garden. They’re just not trying (well, they’re very trying). I can tolerate a few, mind, for a bit of colour now.

Almost tying in with the colour of the anemones  is the Viburnum bodnantense (or at least, that’s what I think it is; I inherited it). It smells sensational.

You can smell it from the other side of the wall. You can’t see it, even though it’s fairly tall, but you can smell it. I’ve had people trying to clamber up to see what it is, and sometimes I can hear them sniffing deeply as they walk past if I’m working on my side of the wall. Maybe I should put up a sign – the wall isn’t that stable…

I’ve got several fuchsias which are all still flowering. Just by the kitchen steps there’s a small variegated one – I have a marked weakness for variegated plants – which was cut right back in the winter. It’s recovered, though it’s still small, but it has had loads of flowers on it.

And yesterday I was given another fuchsia. I’ve no idea where I’m going to put it, but I think it will spend the winter in the greenhouse while I make up my mind.

Finally, my white rose. I’ve come to the conclusion that I actually prefer it at this time of year, when it has its second flowering. There’s comparatively little else to distract the attention, perhaps, or maybe there’s the sense that it’s so transient, that this time next month we’ll be well on the way to winter and the rose will be over. The scent isn’t as strong now as it is in the summer, but it’s still good. I can’t grow roses here – and I really lack the patience to grow them well anyway – so I make the most of this one.

No idea at all what it is, except that it’s very pretty.

And next month there really won’t be anything for GBBD – or will there? Thanks, as usual, to May Dreams Gardens for hosting this meme…