Caption: Bee filling his boots
Caption: Mallow madness
The weather has changed and so has the air. It has a certain smell that reminds me of first day back at school. The drop in temperature in the past few weeks means late summer foliage gets a few cool nights which in turn creates that particular scent. Like many of us, the memory of the walk or bus ride to school is filled with the colour and smell of autumn. Sure enough, hips are forming on roses in the hedgerows and I can see crab apples beginning to turn pink.
In the garden, I keep space for late season colour at the expense of some early flowers, particularly in June. Whilst every inch of my neighbour’s garden is bursting with colour on the longest day, I know that come September I’ll be pleased I held back some interest until the beginning of Autumn. The colour mainly arrives thanks to asters, sedums mallows and eupatorium.
Their wishy-washy mauves are a gentle reminder that all things must end, and that berries and seed-heads are waiting in the wings to take over.
To the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness…
Juliet