THE WEATHER -

Well, there's been more records broken again this month, as it's been the warmest September on record! The 1st September was a lovely day, with sunshine for most of the day and a warm breeze. The 2nd couldn't have been more different. Cold and dull all day with frequent showers accompanied by a strong, almost gale force wind! Mixed weather with sunny periods up until the 14th when torrential rain for most of the day on the 14th watered the ground sufficiently to revive the flagging trees in the garden! Very warm and sunny on the 21st - a real treat for this time of year. All change again on the 22nd, quite cold and dull in the morning, with very heavy rain all afternoon. Remaining quite warm with a mixture of sunshine and showers for the remainder of the month. Maximum temperature 26°C (78°F). Minimum temperature 6°C (44°F).

The hot weather we had earlier in the year seems to have suited this plant, called Sagittaria sagittifolia. It is a water plant, which grows in the margins of ponds and lakes. I've had several of these plants for many years, but this year, not only have the arrow-shaped leaves been bigger and more beautiful than ever, but the plants have also flowered profusely. It grows from a tuber, and dies away in the winter, re-emerging again in spring. It produces small offsets in large numbers, so there are always new plants available to sell for a good cause! The flowers are beautiful, with three petals surrounding a large lime-green centre, and they are borne in tiers all the way up tall stems growing to around two to three feet high. Its common name is Duck Potato, the tubers being very attractive to wildfowl, which I can verify as local ducks often come in to the garden in spring and uproot these plants to eat the tubers! A tropical-looking but hardy plant for the water garden.

Phytolacca americana is a large herbaceous perennial, bearing spikes of white flowers in summer, followed by striking berries which are green at first, becoming cerise, then almost black as they age. A mature plant is very large, growing to around four feet wide by three feet high, so you need plenty of room to grow it! The berries are very attractive when used in flower arrangements, but care should be exercised when using them as they are poisonous, and the sap can stain.

What could be more wonderful than picking your own ripe figs straight from the tree? Ficus carica is the botanical name of the Fig Tree, and mine is planted in the open ground and is doing very nicely, thank you! One of the most reliably hardy and good-cropping varieties for the UK is 'Brown Turkey', and that is the one I grow. Fig trees bear two crops of fruit per year. In this country, unless you live in a warm area or have your tree in a very well sheltered position, you are only likely to get one crop, which will be from tiny figs formed the previous autumn and overwintered. These remain dormant over winter, then continue to grow and ripen in summer. A second crop begins to form in late summer, and in warmer climes will mature the same year, with some later embryo figs overwintering to form next summer's crop. In this country, or at least in my area, most of these second crop figs will not reach maturity as the summer and autumn is not long or warm enough. They will be killed by frost and only the later small embryo figs will survive the winter. Ripening figs are strange things. They grow very slowly, getting a little bigger each week. Suddenly, they get a faint flush of brown, and within a few days, they swell to about twice their size, getting softer and browner as they ripen. I like to cut them in half and scoop out the sweet red flesh from inside - mmmm, delicious! Even if my tree didn't bear fruit, I would still grow it for its beautifully shaped foliage, and of course the leaves come in handy when you haven't a thing to wear!!

September is the month for Anemones, and this is a particularly attractive variety, called 'Party Dress'. It is lower-growing than the Japanese Anemone, Anemone japonica, and bears large double pink flowers on tall stems. These last a long time, and give a good show of colour in the garden at this time of year.

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.