AUTUMN 2007

So, moving on from the awful summer of 2007. Didn't we all want to, honestly. This is the dug up section going towards the waterfall, many of the pots from England are in here now and I sowed loads of annuals, mainly nicotiana and cosmos. They have done really well, and in the slight gloom of the autumn evening, keep everything bright. The cotoneaster mini-tree with the red berries makes a lovely contrast. A couple of the alliums came up and stayed, lovely green heads that rturned very bright pink! The bed going towards the greenhouse is also coming along nicely. I have decided to put more of the red, yellow orange spectrum in this side of the garden. No real reason, just thought it might be a bit of a change. I had so many of the white tobacco plants they got put in here too, so that rather watered down the yellow/orange effect.

The main thing you notice about this bit of garden development is the distinct lack of vertical nature! This is not to say I chickened out at all, but I did not really know if anything was going to grow in those bits, whereas I was pretty sure not a lot would come up through the grass. And I was right. The section from the green house is on a slight slope though and very sandy, so I think I will be able to grow different things there perhaps. I put in a lovely orange miniature climbing rose which simply flowers away all year really. A lovely plant. It is now just behind the lamp near the edge of the burn and glows when the light is on - gorgeous!

This is one of the loveliest parts of the sheltered garden - the wildlife. We used some of the cut down bits of the beech branches slung behind the leaning tree to provide a bit of shelter for living things. If you look really carefully you can see a rabbit in the middle of the branches. Mind you, if it eats much more of the garden, the wild bit will be rethought! The pheasant is fabulous and pops up into the hidden part of the slope when Husband puts the seed out, running back down moments later. I love this place.