Trees in winter

I like winter trees. Against a blue sky they look like sculptures...

..they look dramatic with the sunshine and a grey sky....

.. they look pretty with raindrops shining like beads...

...and picturesque with snow.

The garden in November

The weather has been several degrees higher than it should be at this time of year, making the plants in the garden a bit confused.

I planted this Rowan in 1995, 4 months after we moved in. The leaves normally go a nasty grey-brown colour and fall off. This year they have turned this lovely golden colour. A result of the weather? The blackbird has been finishing the last of the berries.

I love the shape and colours of this Hydrangea quercifolia.

Schizostylis coccinea, a plant given to me several years ago. It always flowers in November. 

Euporatium rugosa 'Chocolate' loves its new home although its going over now.

Verbena boniarensis is still flowering.

October in the garden

Lots of good things going on in the garden.

Abelia grandiflora

Euporatium rugosa 'Chocolate'

Geranium 'Rozanne'

Aster latiflorus 'Black Prince'

Calamagrostis

Gaura lindheimeri 'The Bride'

Gaura lindheimeri 'The Bride'

Geranium

Anaphalis triplinervis

Self seeded Verbena

I took these photographs at the weekend when the weather was still warm. Temperatures have now dropped with the first frost of the season forecast for tomorrow.

In my garden

I haven't spent much time in the garden lately. The weather has been cold and blustery with at least one day feeling more like autumn. We have had the coldest May nights for ten years.

The past couple of days have seen the weather become less cold and with some sun. It's much more pleasant, and I have been able to catch up.

The grass was cut for the first time in about three weeks, some weeding was done, seedlings potted up, clematis tied up. 

I have some 'Thalia' narcissi in pots. They were a late purchase after I read about them in a magazine. I am really glad I bought them. They have a delicate white flower with a lovely scent.

Today I caught up with the front garden. Linaria purpurea and Aquilegia have seeded too much so they came out. In their place Eschscholzia 'Purple Gleam' which I have grown from seed, and a geranium sanguineum which may be 'Max Frei'. 

Despite the chilly weather the spring plants are looking good. One of my new plants is Epimedium  youngianum 'Niveum' which has been on my must have list for a while. Unfortunately, it was wrongly labelled. Thankfully, it is still a beautiful plant, with deep pink flowers.

Three baby sparrows visited the bird table with their Mother this week.  

The weather forecast for this week is for increasingly warmer weather and sun. Thank goodness.