THE WEATHER -

Cool but bright weather for the first half of the month. Becoming very cold by the 20th, with the first frost of the autumn overnight. Dull on the 22nd, with light rain overnight, and showers the following day. Still not enough rain to penetrate beneath foliage however. The drought goes on!! Bright but very cold for the following few days, with a northerly wind. Becoming warmer by the 25th, with more light showers (still not enough rain though). Finally...... heavy rain overnight on the 28th, and again on the evening of the 29th. This is the first good rain we have had for months, and at last it penetrated beneath the foliage to refresh drooping trees and shrubs. Really heavy rain followed on the 30th and 31st, which has finally watered the garden sufficiently! I think I can put the hose away now!! Maximum temperature 12°C (64°F). Minimum temperature minus 2°C (28°F).

I was lucky enough to be given a few plants of ornamental cabbage by a neighbour earlier on in the year. She had grown lots of them from a packet of mixed seed, and had some spare. I planted them out, and despite their being attacked a few times by cabbage white caterpillars (I never spray for caterpillars, as I've found that like greenfly, if left alone, they disappear all on their own!), they have recovered well and have produced the most beautifully coloured centres. I'm very impressed by these, and will probably grow some more next year.

I've never had much luck with Nerines in the past, but this year, probably due to the hot dry summer we have experienced, I have had several different varieties come into flower. This particular one is Nerine bowdenii "Cordoba", which has larger flowers than the usual species, and it makes a very impressive specimen.

Most people think of Crocus as spring flowers, but this isn't so! There are a few species which actually flower in autumn, and this is one of them. It is Crocus speciosus, and has lovely mauve pointed petals with darker veins, and wonderful bright orange stamens inside. The flowers appear before the foliage, and last for a couple of weeks. A welcome addition to the autumn garden.

Crocosmias have enjoyed a comeback in recent years, and there are now a great many to choose from, usually, but not always, in different shades of orange or yellow. Mine have been wonderful this year, but this is one of the later flowering varieties, called "Babylon". It has large orange flowers, with lovely fresh green leaves, and grows to around 2 feet in height. At the moment, it really stands out in the border with its stunning orange colouring.

No autumn garden would be complete without a few of the many varieties of Asters, often known as Michaelmas Daisies. I have about six different ones in flower at the moment, all looking very beautiful! The three pictured above are all Aster novi-belgii varieties, very different in height, colour or flower formation. On the left is a tall growing variety called "Dasthree". It grows to around 2½ feet, and has masses of mauve flowers. Although it eventually suffered from the dreaded scourge of Asters, mildew, it was not until well into the season, and probably only because of the extreme dryness experienced this summer. In the centre is one of my favourites, "Marie Ballard". This is short grower, only reaching around 1 foot, but has beautiful lavender-blue flowers. Again, mildew-resistant. On the right is a very neat little plant called "Heinz Richard". This is another short grower with lovely pinky-mauve flowers with open yellow centres - this plant makes me smile every time I see it!

That's all for this month...... Happy Gardening!!

Blackbird, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Crow, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, House Sparrow, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Robin, Rook, Seagull, Starling, Thrush, Wood Pigeon, Wren.

OCTOBER'S PARTY
George Cooper

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came -
The Chestnuts, Oaks and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.

The Chestnuts came in yellow,
The Oaks in crimson dressed;
The lovely Misses Maple
In scarlet looked their best;
All balanced to their partners,
And gaily fluttered by;
The sight was like a rainbow
New fallen from the sky.

Then, in the rustic hollow,
At hide-and-seek they played,
The party closed at sundown,
And everybody stayed.
Professor Wind played louder;
They flew along the ground;
And then the party ended
In jolly "hands around."