October Sun

October Sun

There was a change in the air this week with cold starts and artful spider webs adorned with pearls of dew.  The low morning sun often above the trees in summer now cuts behind the sycamore copse before appearing in the south-east corner, turning the greenhouse into a golden orb  sending out rays that make the chard appear as glowing embers.

Easily fooled by the promise of a warm sun we decided to don shorts and head into the pond to carry out a bit of autumn maintenance.  Chilly water didn’t deter us and with floating buckets to hand we removed as much of the decaying vegetation as possible while the fish avoided our feet  and an inquisitive dragonfly came to inspect our progress.

Elsewhere we’re still picking tomatoes in the greenhouse and they get a little water once or twice a week.  Nearly all the fruit in the orchard has been picked, stored, or turned into juice and just a handful of our late maturing russets remain along with a few of the delicious Conference pears.  The lawns are having a cut every fortnight and it’s just a matter of time now before the falling leaves keep us busy on and off for a month or more.


Exceptional trees - Savernake Forest's Big Belly Oak

Located in Wiltshire’s Savernake Forest, The Big Belly Oak, a millennium-old giant, really is a living witness to English history.  This sessile oak, Quercus petraea, was named among 50 Great...
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The plants around us - bamboo

From fishing rods, to cooking utensils, sunglasses to flooring, bamboo has a multitude of uses.  In recent years bamboo products have been appearing in shops offering a sustainable alternative to...
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Modern heroes of horticulture - Harriet Rycroft

Harriet Rycroft is best known for being the Queen of Pots.  Her position as head gardener at the Warwickshire based Whichford pottery gave her the chance to hone her skills...
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