‘All that was gracious triumphed’

E.M. Forster A Room With A View

Autumn this year has been the most glorious season! Temperatures have remained high, skies largely blue and the colour show has been magnificent. Carpets of crisp glowing leaves lie across my lawns and the trees are lazily shedding their autumn gowns. There has been an abundance of mellow fruitfulness but very few mists. The year is heading to its end on a triumphant wave of colour rather than the usual dank days that November is better known for. Before it is all over for another year I thought I would share a few photos of my garden with you. These were all taken in the part of the garden that lies at the front of the house, which is dominated by 3 very large plane trees and 2 huge yew trees. This part of the garden is surrounded by old flint walls and is home to the flint building we call The Coach House.

I have a bit of a thing for tree trunks – they seem so individual and suggestive of each trees personality. This old yew seems to be offering a safe haven in which to spend the winter sheltered by its trunk and branches – at its feet there is a multi coloured carpet of crisp rustling leaves – just heavenly.

The last few leaves on this ancient plane tree were dancing in the morning sunlight, casting a shadow show onto the huge trunk before pirouetting to the ground to join the thick carpet.

I know it can’t stay like this but this really is my favourite way to view my lawn! And think of all the leaf mould these will make – the very best soil conditioner a girl can get her hands on,

Despite the summer drought this has been a magnificent year for the hydrangeas. I love their fresh bright shades in the summer but it is these muted greens and pinks that I enjoy the most. This hydrangea looks particularly stunning against a backdrop of the old flint wall that surrounds the garden at the front of the house.

The yew hedges and topiary were trimmed in late September and stand in perfect contrast to the disheveled mess that is the lawn and flower beds at this time of year. Autumn is a feast for the senses – the reds, yellows, golds and ochres delight our eyes, the sounds of leaves, wind and rain comfort us as we lie cosy in our beds, the autumn feast that is squash, beetroot, parsnips and leeks and basket upon basket of apples, pears and quince provides comfort in the kitchen. And then there are the changing temperatures, crisp cold morning air or perhaps a damp atmospheric fog, can give way to warm bright sunshine. On other days once again we feel the rain on our faces, the wind chilling our extremities and we enjoy the heat of a bonfire or a woodburner keeping us warm on chilly nights.

This plump little hen is my newbie this year. She was hatched at the end of June by one of my Buffs and then looked after with ferocious attention from both Buff ladies until she was able to take care of herself. Now one of the flock she is still very skittish and not at all keen on any human presence – even when I come bearing special meal worm treats. Hopefully she will be laying shortly after Christmas when the daylight starts to slowly return.

I love this old door. We rarely use it as you can see by the rose growing across but it always reminds me of the entrance to The Secret Garden.

This huge arch comes from Agriframes and marks the entrance to some deceptively large flower beds that are dominated by a beautiful ornamental cherry tree. Summer colours in these beds are moody blues and mauves with some light relief from a variety of pink roses. In the months from June to September there are sultry peonies and almost black bearded iris, echinops, salvia and buddleja. These borders are now collapsing and ready to be tidied before the narcissi start to flower in late winter and the cherry bursts into blossom in early spring.

The old flint built Coach House would have housed the Rector’s coach and horses back in Victorian days and I expect the groom and stable hands would have slept in those upstairs rooms. Now home to my chickens and all our garden machinery this building still has the original mangers in its stables. Outside is a clipped yew which the chickens love to shelter under and one of three enormous plane trees that are often populated by rooks throughout the winter months. Cascading over the top of the clipped yew you can see what remains of the honeysuckle that will drape the yew in scent and flowers in May and June.

This autumn has felt like it has held a whole year within just a few months. Back in September the ground was parched, the grass brown and the roses had stopped flowering. After a few days of rain it was as though spring had come again – the grass grew lush and green, the flowers started to bloom and the cooler temperatures were followed by rapid growth in trees and shrubs that was absent back in the real spring. October was another summer, gardening in t shirts and shorts, picking flowers from heavily laden dahlias and roses and eating an abundance of crops that had been so slow to produce throughout the summer. Now in November winter is close. The stars can be seen on a clear night through the dark framework of empty boughs and the beds are slowly starting to crumble back to the earth, ready to be planted with bulbs and covered with a layer of last years leaf mold. Dahlias have been lifted and tulip bulbs planted. Now begins the massive task of collecting all these beautiful leaves, leaving the bare garden to its revel in its winter framework. The days end early and I retreat gladly to my desk by the fire, the scent of wood smoke luring me back inside. Behind the scenes snowdrops are growing under the soil and hellebores have a multitude of buds waiting to push up to the January light.

Temperatures are now dropping quickly, but for this week at least my heart is still singing a tune to the joys of autumn, whilst winter is knocking loudly on the door.

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