I have been in Suffolk, England for the last two weeks and in that time many of the trees have changed their colour from green to gold; and from there being no fallen leaves in the garden, suddenly the grass is covered with a layer, albeit thin, of yellow leaves.
It seems to me that this is quite late, but maybe I am remembering Guy Fawkes Night with the crunch of masses of leaves underfoot. There is still time for that to happen of course, as it is still only the 22nd October, the day I celebrate all things foliage for Garden Blogger’s Foliage Day – Welcome!
As I’m not at home I’m just going to share a couple of images of how the garden was looking before I left. I am very much looking forward to seeing what you all have in your gardens whether it is the new bright foliage of spring or the colourful displays of autumn in the northern hemisphere.
I just love the way prostrate rosemary folds itself around the tuffo wall by the gate
Newly pruned Cistus in the upper drive border
I’ve added wonderful spheres of light to the new garden and placed spot lights to illuminate the Quercus ilex (Holme oaks).
This part of the garden is almost totally foliage focused so I’m sure you are going to see a lot more of it.
I’m returning home tomorrow for the olive harvest; I’m very much looking forward to seeing how the new planting is establishing.
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Creating my own garden of the Hesperides 
Love the spheres of light, they look so beautiful with the new planting behind them. Your plants are certainly growing and filling out very well. Your design is coming together and it won’t be long before it will look as though it has always been there!
My link is http://leadupthegardenpath.com
As all gardeners I am very impatient to see everything looking as I see it in my head!
I agree with Pauline the new planting is looking great – what a lot of work you’ve done. Love the spheres and idea of the lights to show up strong forms at night. Can’t wait to hear and see more.
We always had one of the spheres but in a different place, they are now visible from the windows too so an added pleasure.
I love those spheres-do they light up at night? Also the clipped cistus bed has great texture and form-gorgeous.
Yes, the spheres are lights, they have LED bulbs and so are very energy efficiency. I didn’t used to have many lights because I don’t like to cause light pollution but all our Italian neighbours have huge amounts of lights (they say for security) which are on from dusk until dawn so I know I am not the cause of spoiling the view of the night sky!
I like your prostrate Rosemary too; it seems much more behaved than my variety which is insistent on taking over the path. Yes, Autumn is much later this year – well up here in Scotland anyway. The local paper showed a photo a week or so ago which showed how the leaf colour was a lot behind that of a year ago. That said, I think the colours are particularly vibrant this year. I will try to post a few photos for you. Your new planting is looking great – I bet you can’t wait to see it again.
I think the prostrate Rosemary needs something to climb up or around, it is surprising how it hugs into the wall.
Wow, those spheres really look good Christina! Can’t wait to see more of this new area. Safe journey!
The large light is 80 cm diameter so it does good amazing.
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I do like the new layout of your garden, it will be a pleasure to watch with you as it fills out. Whilst I have acers and cornus providing a shock of colour the native trees are showing only the slightest signs of change, although we do seem to have plenty of leaves littering the ground.
Here’s my link: http://www.rustyduck.net/2015/10/22/bring-me-sunshine/
Have a safe journey home.
Thanks Jessica, I am looking forward to going home. Thanks for joining GBFD again this month, I love your gorgeous colours!
You garden is so well appointed in structure and form–beautiful. I agree that the rosemary is a wonderful companion to the wall–I love the way the stems sort of “curl up”. And those lights–wow! I’d love to see a night time photograph of them sometime. I haven’t joined in for a while, but am back today–thanks as always for hosting and safe travel back home. http://mygardenersays.com/2015/10/22/foliage-day-october-2015/
Thanks Tina, and thank you for joining in this month. I’ll try to take a photograph of the lights alight, but my night photography skills aren’t that great.
I love the spheres too,and the new planting. Today we have leaves covering the grass, and the asters are looking battered, but they have had a good time in the sun this year. The best foliage colour so far is grasses, particularly the dark panicums.
Yes, I imagine it will be the grasses that are the best thing in my garden too.
The spheres are marvelous…and courageous. Well done.
https://johnsviccellio.wordpress.com/2015/10/22/garden-bloggers-foliage-day-october-2015/
Lighting is always so difficult, outside and in because you can’t see what the light will be like in a shop. I’m thrilled with these. Thanks for joining in again this month John.
I love the way prostrate rosemary grows. It would be worth building a wall just to get that effect. You will see a lot of changes in colour once you get back. Amelia
I’m not sure there will much change, I don’t think it has been cold while I’ve been away, and we don’t get much Autumn colour.
Enjoy your olive harvest. I’d be interested in knowing what happens. Looks like you should get tons of pleasure from your new planting. Definitely need an evening photo of your spheres to satisfy our curiosity!
I’ve posted about the harvest before, I’ll certainly post something and I can add links to other years. The process is very interesting, and the pleasure and satisfaction enormous.
I am also an admirer of the rosemary by the gate, looking up the slope the shapes and foliage lead the eye upwards and onwards, the curve of the drive adds to the mystery of what maybe beyond,
safe journey home Christina, Frances
my foliage offering:
https://islandthreads.wordpress.com/2015/10/22/october-foliage/
I really enjoy the planting by the drive, even though it wasn’t very well planned. Interestingly the Rosemary is beginning to climb the wall behind it, clinging close into the wall, I wonder if I have a new climbing form?
Your renovated garden is already looking good, Christina. I love the spheres.
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Can’t believe I missed GBFD–even had something planned for a few days but couldn’t seem to get it ready. Your new planting area is looking quite strong already. Like everyone, I love those lights. Spheres in the garden seem to be so special. The cistus is wearing its new haircut well–that border is looking tidy and well-balanced.
Love the spheres, and your garden is looking great for autumn! Here is my contribution. https://gardeninacity.wordpress.com/2015/10/23/a-slow-fall/
The new planting seems to be taking shape beautifully! The spherical lights will be such a wonderful match with the shaped shrubs. My post this month is unequivocally of the desert: http://smallsunnygarden.blogspot.com/2015/10/garden-foliage-october.html
It is always exciting when you see a plan becoming reality. Thanks for joking on this month.
Hope you have a bountiful olive harvest! Looking forward to a taste next summer. And I agree with the others — your new space is looking wonderful already.
Your new garden is taking shape wonderfully well Christina, I love your new light globes. And that prostrate rosemary has always been a favourite of mine in your garden. My post is up, albeit written in haste before our weekend visitors arrive. http://plantaliscious.janetbruten.co.uk/2015/10/garden-bloggers-foliage-day-problem-corner-mark-2/. Thank you again for hosting!
The Rosemary is a great plant, I moved some from another spot because they were so slow to start growing, I’m regretting that decision as they are slow to begin but then !!!! Thanks for joining in this month Janet, it’s always fun to see what’s happening in your quite special climate.
I’ve missed some of the progress posts you have made about your new planting etc Christina and in a way it’s a bonus. I can see just how much thought and effort that has gone into creating this wonderful new space. Well done. It’s amazing. I love those light balls.
You will notice a huge difference when you get home I’m sure.
Here’s a brief look at some autumn colour in my garden this October.
http://mygardenblogs.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/red-and-green.html
Hi Angie, it is lovely to read your comments, sometimes you can get so close to a project that you lose sight of the overall picture. Thanks for joining GBFD this month, I’m interested to see you autumn colour
Sorry that went too quickly. I meant to say that I am interested to see the autumn colour in your part of the world.
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Jealous of your time in Suffolk, Christina. I was there for a couple of nights in June and fell for it completely. Your garden is looking gorgeous and so blooming tidy!
As you can imagine I didn’t actually get out much, so no need to be jealous. The leaves did change colour a lot while I was there which was lovely, something we don’t really have here as night and day temperatures aren’t that different
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Christina, we were having a similiar conversation today about how much later our leaves are changing. I remember autumns when we hit the height of color by the third week of October, and the leaves were nearly gone by early November. Perhaps our warming climate is changing our schedule for fall color is well. Your garden looks very elegant with your new plantings and wonderful light spheres. I hope you have a wonderful trip and safe travels home. Here is our garden in its fall colors: https://forestgardenblog.wordpress.com/2015/10/23/bright-and-beautiful/
Sorry I haven’t responded sooner, I was travelling and then involved with the olive harvest and hosting my husband’s niece and nephew. Thanks for joining GBFD, I’m off to read your post now!
What a wonderful home coming! I hope this year’s harvest is a good one. We have 3 small olive trees in pots which are three winters old. I’m wondering whether we can re-pot to larger pots and leave them outside this winter coming. I love olive trees, and would love to eventually have them in the garden. Any advice?
Olives can withstand quite low temperatures as long as the soil is free draining. Temperatures here have been as low as minus 12 C. If in pots, the pot shouldn’t be too large for it, so only go up one or at most two sizes. Obviously plant or position in full sun. The harvest was good, I’ll post tomorrow.
That is wonderful! I’m glad to know your harvest was a good one! We never get as cold as minus 12 C. I have a sheltered position in full sun where I keep them against a brick wall. That should do the trick. Thank you, Christina! ❤ ❤ ❤
Always happy to help when I can.
Hadn’t read through all your post till today Christina, so I only now realise that you will; be at home again. You must be thrilled to be back in your garden again (and perhaps to see your partner too!) after your errand of mercy. Presumably you are all pleased with how well the last few weeks have worked out in Suffolk and i hope your mil will soon be able to truly stand on her own two feet again. I am amazed at how quickly you have laid out the revamped part of your garden – seems no time since you were completely unsure about what to do. I am looking forward to seeing how the lighting works in action. Re autumn – they have become so variable in the UK as we have got older, and there have been some years when there are still leaves on some trees at the end of November – gone are the days when autumn was done and dusted in September! My foliage post is at https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2015/10/23/october-foliage-yellow/
Sorry there wasn’t time to meet when I was in the UK but I will be going back in a few weeks when I’m sure we can work something out. Maybe we could meet somewhere near where your daughter lives as I will be passing through the Windsor/Maidenhead area. I’ll contact you when I have some firm dates.
And your mil was the priority anyway. It would indeed be a good idea to take advantage of meeting somewhere around there, so yes, please keep me posted
The new area looks great, what a fantastic update! I love the lights, very modern and clean and I think that contrasts so well with the natural grays and greens of the foliage and paths. I don’t miss the perovskia at all!
Glad to hear your MIL is doing better, and I was thinking about your olive harvest the other day and wondering if you’d have time to post 🙂
The harvest went really well, I’ll update about it later in the week. I’m glad you like the new look, I don’t miss the Perovskia either!
I really am loving the new garden and those spheres….here we have about half the leaves down, but the garden is hanging on. I would love to be part of an olive harvest one day!
We are always happy to have a couple of volunteers to help with the harvest; a niece and nephew this year. You’d be very welcome to come.
Mmmm…those spheres of light ring my bell. Sorry, but life has interfered with blogging of late. I’ll catch up next month.
Whatever we may sometimes think, LIFE is always more important than blogging. I’ve missed lots of posts recently but I’ll be back regularly by the end of this week I hope. I hope the life issues are good ones.
I love what I can see of your new garden! It is always exciting to see changes in the garden after returning from a trip. Fall is certainly happening here. Cooler days have resulted in some fantastic foliage. A wonderful time of year!
I have only justgot to this post. How exciting to have an olive harvest, and new lights. They are a real statement.Your garden is looking very tidy but perhaps you are only showing us the tidy bits?!
There are always some places in the garden that aren’t so tidy Doris!