A day late due to rain yesterday afternoon when I was about to take the photographs but I’m sure Cathy at Words and Herbs won’t mind.
When I wrote my post for IaVoM there was a terrific storm, enough water fell in a very short time to fill the hollows around the evergreens planted last year, even when I use a hose it is difficult for them to be filled in such a short time; but the storm passed and from 10 am on it was a sunny if slightly chilly day.
Yesterday was overcast with rain threatening most of the day and there was heavy rain during the afternoon; today is sunny with a mostly blue sky but there is now a definite chill, there can be no pretence that autumn hasn’t arrived.
Tuesday view at 10am
The light was bright and harsh; my mother used to say that it would rain when the light was like this (she was often correct, but it isn’t forecast for today)
Teucrium marum has a few more flowers, I need to either tale cuttings or hope some of those seedheads will drop their seeds and that they’ll germinate
This is right under my feet when taking the Tuesday view so just out of shot.
Cotinus, the leaves haven’t been a good colour since spring and it rarely colours as they do in the UK
In the middle distance in the ‘view’ the Arbutus is beginning to flower and its fruits are ready.
Arbutus is flowering which will keep the bees happy
Arbutus, the fruits are red, I will pick a few to eat but the rest I’ll leave for their ornamental value
In the background, in the Upper Drive Border the crab apples are changing colour.
The crab apple is beginning to lose its leaves revealing the bright red apples
This Pennisetum looked dead for much of the summer but is now making a contribution with its pink flower heads
Do visit Cathy to see others contributions or join in, it is a great way to carefully follow what happens in one part of the garden.
Your garden has come through the summer very well. The Arbutus looks lovely. I planted another one last year, as the first one is in a very bad place, I did not realise they grew into trees when I planted it! I am still waiting for rain. Tomorrow, so they say. Amelia
This part of the garden is ok as it is planted to be drought tolerant, in some other places where the plants are not quite as tolerant as I hoped there are still gaps so I don’t know if the plants have survived or not, I may have to wait for spring. Arbutus are very slow growing so I shouldn’t worry too much, even if they become trees they are very small trees! Hope it rains for you.
What a gorgeous blue sky again Christina! Looks like perfect gardening weather… 😉 I can see your plants were glad of the rain and cooler temperatures. The Pennisetum is lovely, and the apples and berries provide that autumny feeling. Will you do anything with your crab apples?
I still have crab apple jelly from other years, we don’t use it much. So this years’ will be purely ornamental. There are some fluffy white clouds as well today but not in the direction I took the photographs.
Given the summer conditions you have, i imagine it must be quite a relief to see the gardening picking up like this as the seasons turn. Cool season grasses pick revive in autumn, so, for me, it’s interesting to see that your warm season pennisetum is doing the same thing in your garden. Is it Karley Rose?
I think it’s Karley Rose but I bought it from a nursery that just called it a pink pennisetum! It is surprising just how quickly the grasses recover.
It looks right for KR, nice and upright for you – mine flop badly, even in a pot which otherwise cures most cultivars of P. orientale. Nice to see it doing so well!
The foliage flops but the flowering stems are upright.
Fascinating!
I’ll take some more photographs to show you.
Oh, thank you Christina, that would be so helpful. Please may I add them, crediting you, to my grassy archives?
Of course
Christina your garden looks I budded after the rains and the beautiful blue sky background. The Arbutus is beautiful and flourishing: a marvel to bees. The crab apple tree has small very beautiful red apples. The Strawberry Tree full of red fruits ready to eat. His garden is very grateful after the summer so hot. Greetings from Margarita
the garden is so different after the rain Margarita, it hardly seems the same place.
Christina is magical change that occurs after rain and lower temperatures. The change of season is slowly but inexorably advances note. Colors are wonderful taking plants. First they revitalized and become more green and bloom. After bear fruit and foliage takes colors from yellow to red, except perennials that do not change. Greetings from Margarita.
Some perennials do change colour in autumn, it is easy to forget that when we look at the large trees and shrubs.
Hard to believe it is the same view as mid summer. It has ‘greened’ up very nicely.
When the garden looks parched and dying I find it hard to believe that with some rain it will recover, but it usually does.
Goodness that is a blue sky. How peculiar is weather. I have never tasted the fruit from arbutus in fact I did not know it was edible, is it nice?
The arbutus fruit doesn’t have a strong taste (not unpleasant though) the texture is a bit like apricot
The arbutus flowers and fruit are pretty – how woulld you describe the taste of the fruit?
Difficult to say; the texture is like an apricot. The flavour isn’t unpleasant but not particularly sweet.
I shan’t go out of my way to try it for myself then!