THE WEATHER -

This September is officially the warmest on record, and also the sunniest! A cool and dry start to the month, with sunny periods, but becoming warmer towards the middle of the month. No rain until the 7th, but not really enough to do more than wet the leaves. No more rain until the 22nd, but again, not enough to do any good. The ground is extremely dry now, as we haven't had much rain for nearly three months, other than the odd shower here and there. I must have spent hours and hours with the watering can or hose, and still it doesn't do as much good as 4 or 5 hours of good heavy rain! Nice sunny weather followed the showers, but it became extremely cold at night by the 23rd, with the temperature dropping to only 2°C (36°F). Becoming warmer towards the end of the month, with only a short shower on the 28th, and an even shorter one on the 29th. Although the weatherman has forecast heavy rain on numerous occasions for this area, it has actually completely passed us by, and we are now desperate for some good, heavy rain, preferably for three or four days solid! Maximum temperature 26°C (79°F). Minimum temperature 2°C (36°F).

A star performer in the garden this month is Rudbeckia "Goldsturm". This is a hardy perennial, and I just love to see its cheery yellow daisy flowers, each with their dark eye typical of Rudbeckias. The flowers last for weeks, and are excellent for cutting. There is also double value from this plant, as the brown centres of the flowers stay on the plant for a long time after the petals have fallen, and these are also useful in flower arrangements, giving warmth and texture. This is a plant no one should be without!

I love Kniphofias for their strong linear forms in the garden. There are many varieties, and with a bit of thought, you could have a Kniphofia in flower in the garden from late spring right up to late autumn. This particular one is Kniphofia "Bee's Lemon", and has lovely yellow flowers. It is a hardy evergreen perennial plant, which forms clumps of strap-shaped green leaves. I always find it useful to tidy up the old leaves in the spring, just as the new growth is starting, by pulling them sharply from the plant.

Are you a chocaholic like me? Then you'll love this! It is Cosmos atrosanguineum, commonly known as Chocolate Cosmos. It isn't the colour which gives it its common name, but the delicious smell. To me it smells not so much of chocolate, but more of cocoa. This is a semi-hardy perennial, which needs a sheltered position in order to survive the winter. Some people dig it up and overwinter it in a frost free greenhouse or conservatory. I love its beautiful deep red velvety flowers, and I have mine growing in a pot just outside the kitchen door, where I can see it all the time, and smell it if the door is open. Heavenly!

Last month I featured three different Eucomis varieties - bicolour, "Swazi Pride", and autumnalis. This month, I was surprised to see a flower on this one, which is called Eucomis "Sparkling Burgundy", which has beautiful deep pink flowers and stems, and deep red leaves (if grown in full sun, which mine isn't!). Although I have other plants of this variety, I was surprised by this particular one, because it suddenly re-appeared after about two years, when I thought I had lost it. I originally bought three bulbs of this, and planted them in a pot with other plants. They came up well, but never flowered. The following year, after a particularly cold and wet winter, none of them appeared. After digging around a bit, I found some very rotten bulbs, and deduced that they had been killed by the frost. Nothing appeared again the next year, and I forgot all about them, and bought some replacements. However - this spring, I noticed one of the original bulbs had suddenly appeared again - very strange! This grew quite well, but I didn't expect it to flower, as all the other varieties had already started to produce flower spikes. But surprise, surprise, just when all the others had flowered and set seed, up came this lovely flower! Gardening is full of wonderful surprises - that's the beauty of it!

This plant is called Cimicifuga simplex "Brunette". It has dark leaves, and its flowers are spikes of beautiful white, with pink buds and stems. I haven't grown this particular variety before, and bought a very small plant in the spring. I didn't expect it to do much this year, but it grew very well, and produced just one large flower spike. Whilst walking in the garden recently, I noticed the most delicious scent, just like strawberry bubble gum! I didn't know what it could be, but it was very strong. I finally tracked it down, and it was this! For anyone who loves scented flowers (and who doesn't?) this is a must! I'm looking foward to more flowers on this plant next year, once it has bulked up a bit!

Although I love flowers in the garden, I'm a great fan of foliage too - especially of the giant variety! The two plants pictured above come into this category, although it's hard to get the scale of them from the pictures, but trust me, these are seriously big leaves! On the left is Paulownia tomentosa, the foxglove tree. I bought this plant around April or May, and it was no more than 18" high. It has now grown to 5 feet in one season, and is still growing! Its leaves are around 2 feet wide, and soft and velvety. This will eventually grow into a tree, with smaller leaves, but to keep the large leaves, it needs to be cut back hard each spring, when it will produce giant leaves which will make the neighbours sit up and take notice! On the right is another beauty - this time a tender shrub, called Tetrapanax papyrifera "Rex". Its common name is Rice Paper Plant. It has huge green leaves, but the stems and underside of the leaves are covered in dense felt - fascinating. Obviously, being tender, it needs protection in the winter, and I bring mine into the conservatory. It's growing so fast though that I don't know if I'll be able to do that for much longer!

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, Swallow, Thrush, Wood Pigeon, Wren.

PUBLIC GARDENS
Patience Strong

Along the High Street people flock, a seething human stream,
And just a few steps from it all, I sit alone and dream.
Tall, shaggy-headed Dahlias look down into my face,
As I drink in the beauty of this quiet and lovely place.

Beyond the iron railings traffic roars and rolls along,
While overhead the bird-choirs fill the air with happy song.
The sodden, tattered autumn leaves come falling one by one,
The bronze and red chrysanthemums are glowing in the sun.

A white swan moves upon the lake where willows dip their gold,
Between the Yews the parish church looks dim and grey and old.
I don't know who has given us this beautiful retreat,
Where birds make song and flowers bloom just off the crowded street,
But thank you, thank you, thank you to whoever it may be
Who gave the town this quiet place - this garden sanctuary.