A walk around the garden in October

The garden is starting to take on a more autumnal feel.


The pelargoniums have now been replaced with pansies and heathers, and the colours of the hydrangea heads are starting to fade.


However there is still lots of green in the garden, but fewer patches of bright colours - the yellow of the  rubeckia that has been in flower since July and the purple of the verbena and  lilac of the Michaelmas daises that are at their best right now.


Michaelmas daises
 Some of the roses are still flowering and the sedum gives a burst of pink in the background.

Francine Austin rose, it is the smallest one we have in the garden but still very pretty.

 The hardy fuchsia is cut down hard in the spring and it repays us by producing such lovely flowers.



 You know it's Autumn is when the Canada geese fly over head at dawn and dusk as they go inland to feed in the fields. They are such a spectacular sight and you hear their honks a long time before they appear, they come over in groups in a V shape formation.



The apples are all gathered from the apple tree we planted over 20 years ago. The crop hasn't been very good this year.  The last two years we have had a bumper harvest, so we can't complain. I heard the other day that the apple crop is down by over 20% in England this year due to bad weather we have had this year.


Do you like my basket ? I bought it on a second hand stall in Totnes recently, I love it's branch handle and it's pretty shape and the fact it is hand made.. It will also hold lots of goodies when visiting the local farmers markets too. 

Autumn is the time of planting bulbs for spring, with the dry weather we have managed to plant the daffodil bulbs this weekend, but the tulips can wait another month until they are planted, which is just as well as I am still planning what to buy. I can be like a child in a sweet shop with such a choice in the variety and colour of tulips! Do you have any favourite tulips that you wouldn't be without?

Hello and welcome to my new followers Juanita Tortillia , David from Wellcome allotment ,
Stitches scraps and tidbits  and Karen from Katie Claires cottage.blogspot.co.uk/ also hello and welcome to all my silent followers too thank you for visiting. Happy thanksgiving day tomorrow, for those of you celebrating in Canada.

                                                                        Sarah x

Comments

  1. Your garden is looking good. I do like your basket. In fact, I love it, I've never seen one with a twiggy handle before but I want one now, hehe!

    There hasn't been a single apple on our tree this year. It's quite young so we don't get that many from it anyway, but this year, not one.

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  2. Your garden is still looking very pretty. I have noticed that the leaves are taking a long time to turn yellow and golden this year. We have hardly any apples, and no plums at all. Flowers have been wonderful, but fruit crop definitely lacking. The basket is lovely and makes a super image filled with apples.

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  3. Oh Sarah, I LOVE YOUR BASKET! My goodness, there is so much beauty to be had, isn't there? You live in Dorset! Your weather seems to be bright and happy. I am in the Midwest of the USA and our lovely weather is making me feel like going out for a good walk. How I wish I had a pair of westies to accompany me!

    Thank you so much for coming for a visit and following; I am following you now too!

    So nice to meet you. I look forward to more visits!

    Anita

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  4. Lovely basket that was a good buy and the garden still looks lovely for Autumn our Bramley apple crop was greatly reduced this year, your photos somehow remind me of Dorset I am not sure why I also love as a photo subject the basket of apples so evocative of October

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  5. There's still plenty going on in your garden! I need to plant some tulips, not sure which ones yet though! Ada :)

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  6. How simply lovely it all looks Sarah.
    Your pansies in the basket and your crop of Apples in their special hand woven basket.. Apple pie will be served ,i am sure!
    Even though you have had bad weather..the flowers are perky ..
    There was a flock of birds migrating last week, they flew over head here.. it was a wonderful sight. Your photo of the geese is fantastic.
    I love their sound when flying.
    You are ahead with your bulb planting. I must get too it this week.
    I have never planted tulips. I might give them a try this year. I like to see them in groups all together.
    val

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    Replies
    1. We were more keen on daffodils until a few years ago and now we have quite a few. I hope you try some too, they have become my favourite spring flower.
      Sarah x

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  7. I adore your basket, what a find! We have geese, geese and more geese here atm! x

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  8. Your garden still looks beautiful. We have bright yellow fruits on our malus Golden Hornet - unblemished this year - so cheerful..

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  9. What a beautiful garden you have. I love the pansies and that basket is wonderful!
    June

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  10. I love your autumn garden and your blog. Came here via Foxglove Lane.

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  11. Oh wow, walking in your garden to take in the colours and smells and then picking your own apples? Perfect. I guess there will be some baking with apples in your kitchen soon.

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  12. Hi Sarah! Your garden looks beautiful! So full of different plants, something I would like to achieve in my garden as well. Love the happy looking pansies and the heathers, so very autumn. And that basket!!!! Even before I read about it, I thought, oh that is a great basket the apples are in. I heard the apple crop is bad everywhere around here as well. The apples you do have look delicious though!
    Bye,
    Marian

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  13. Your basket of pansies makes a beautiful picture and I like your basket with the branch handle.

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  14. Lovely photographs of your garden and I love your bounty of apples! I make an apple crumble at least once a week...oh dear!

    Just a note to say that Mr Langford's is indeed down Albert Road - just up from the Sally Army! If you go in you will see my last purchase still occupying some shop space!
    Best wishes
    Jenny

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  15. Yes I adore your basket! You have brought me into your beautiful garden and peaceful world, thank you! How lucky you are to have the geese for company I loved seeing them, many thanks for all your kind comments too, they mean so much to me. X

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  16. What a beautiful garden you have Sarah and I love both your baskets, they're so pretty.

    We had some geese flying over Berkeley a few days ago, what a lot of noise they made we could hear them before we saw them and it was only then we realised what they were. I wish I'd had my camera ready to capture the moment. There's a WWT centre nearby so I guess thet's where they were heading.

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    Replies
    1. The geese only started flying ahead in the autumn about 5 years ago. I have been trying to capture their flight, it is so fast that it has proved difficult. I need to get out the camera manual and learn to use another setting!
      Sarah x

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  17. Lovely basket, I too redid all my pots for winter this weekend with heathers and pansies and ivy.
    Our garden here is very much work in progress and I have lots of ideas, it was a holiday home before so the garden quite sparse but with lots of potential. Your garden looks lovely Sarah thank you for sharing. Annie x

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  18. I love the subtle colours, yellows and greens, in your herbaceous border.

    We had about twelve apples on three trees this year, so we gave up and left them for the blackbirds. There are so few crab apples, hawthorns and other wild berries for the birds this autumn.

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  19. What a beautiful garden and I love your baskets. Beautiful apples fills one.

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  20. Your garden looks so lush - ours is a muddy bog at the moment with all the lashings of rain we've had recently!

    Nina x

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  21. Dear Sarah,

    I can still see lots of flowers in your garden. In our garden almost all the flowers are gone now. There are still a few Dahlia's, but that's it.

    We have the same problem with our apples in Holland. My neighbour at the allotment complex lost almost everything. Love the basket!

    Happy new week,

    Madelief x

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  22. Dear Sarah,
    your garden radiates calm and so much of peace .... I love the soft colors! Very adorable I find the beautiful baskets, a beautiful autumnal cornucopia ...
    I wish you a wonderful week ...
    Sincerely Flori

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  23. your garden is beautiful as always! all those apples.....yum

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  24. Hi Sarah,
    A sweet way to display pansies. We purchased a flat of them and have plenty leftover after planting some in our front yard, so I'm trying to find empty containers to put them in. I may have to purchase more some this week. Need to have color around in my patio. You garden is so pretty and those apples look delicious. Happy days to you.

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  25. I think that might be a mushroom basket? I have a similar one - not that I use it for mushrooms! You still have some lovely flowers - and I particularly like the heathers in pots - really pretty!

    Pomona x

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    Replies
    1. I have just done some research and it does look like a mushroom basket. Thank you for pointing it out. I'm so glad I bought it for £6.00.
      Sarah x

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  26. What a beautiful garden you have and still plenty of colour - I love those Fuchsias are they the ones that seed everywhere? We had a very poor apple crop this year not sure if it is the weather or the fact that the trees surrounding it were blown down in the gales leaving it rather exposed. Looks like you potentially have a lot of Apple Pies/Crumbles in your basket! xx

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    Replies
    1. I haven't had any fuchsias that I have seeded, it is just a perennial one. We have been enjoying using the apples in some different ways and it sounds as if we have had a good crop compared with others.
      Sarah

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  27. Hei Sarah.
    Meidän talo, aurinko katoaa kaikki klo 14.00 tällä kertaa. Mutta päivänvalossa hyvin etenee 19.00 noin.
    Pidän ruska, mutta se on surullista, kun puutarhan kuolee alas, ja talvi on tulossa.
    Mutta se on täällä pohjoisessa, olemme niin niin hyvin toisin.
    Halaukset teille Kate

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  28. Hi Sarah,

    You have a beautiful garden and I loved seeing your flowers. I have some pansies flowering, they are always so pretty.
    The basket is lovely and will be ideal for picking apples and fruit.

    Happy rest of the week
    Carolyn

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  29. Hello Sarah,
    Like every one above says, it is always lovely to visually walk through your beautiful garden.....
    I have a teeny forecourt, that has been hammered with dreadful rains, soo I love to see all the flowers on here.
    Your basket is perfect for apple picking.
    Thanks for kind words over on mine about the universities and it is always lovely of you to visit!
    Have a lovely week, and am keeping my fingers and toes crossed for that 'Indian summer', as this week has been just perfect!
    LoVe Maria x

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  30. Hi Sarah, you have such a pretty garden in every season of the year!The basket of pansies is really lovely.

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  31. you still have lots of lovely flowers in your garden and i love your basket! x

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  32. Hi, Sarah :o) Your garden pictures are amazing. So beautiful flowers you still got in the :o) I only have cornflowers in bloom at my balcony garden by this time of year. Hope someday I'll have the real garden and beautiful house too :o)
    Have a nice day
    Love
    Natasha

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  33. Looks like you have a lovely well stocked garden. Yes what a splash of colour the Verbena gives to our gardens in Autumn. I had masses and pulled them all out as they were over taking but am now letting a few flourish because I miss them. Will enjoy coming back and scrolling through more of your blog.

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