Collecting

my thoughts on autumn

The weather over the weekend suggested that I should do more than I did. I think we’ve had about four or five days in a row of clear days with temperatures in the late teens. While the mornings are cool and the air is chilled, the days are warm and sunny, it definitely feels warm for this time of year. I feel like I should be doing more in the garden but she is on a slow move into her winter hibernation. I am more than ok with that as I am cherishing the dahlias that are still flowering. I make plans for how to manage the garden over the coming months and think that perhaps my annual adding of compost and pea straw to the flower beds might be pushed back to spring. I think when the dahlias turn to mush I will then start a tidy up then.

In the meantime I hunt out other things to do. There is a rather large compost pile at the bottom of the garden which I am planning on replacing with a second garden shed so that bee stuff can be moved out of the garage and things that should be in the garage that are in the house can then be moved into the garage and I can turn the junk room to a bit of a library. No small plan. Combined with this compost move, I decided I would have another bash at the compost cake over the winter so I am collecting lawn clippings, compost, worm compost and garden waste to layer up and build my cake that hopefully will be something deliciously good for the garden in the coming months. It is small at the moment but will grow I am sure over the coming weeks. I might start a second once the first is made so that I can build it up over the summer. One building while the other rests. It seems like my kind of baking.

I’ve also spent time editing photos - I’ve currently time traveled back to October 2023 (photos included in this post are from then) where I deleted an impressive 1000 photos, mostly duplicates. It did however prompt me to then order a number of tulip bulbs after revisiting the photos of tulips. I am kinda in love with the candy colours of tulips and it is something that I am keen to repeat. I also brought some more daffodils- you can never have too many plus there is an order of ranunculus plants on the way - the anemones I brought a couple of weeks ago have doubled in size. I may have also added a few more plants to the garden…. everything is settling so well that I planted a few weeks ago it felt a shame not too take advantage of this golden Autumn. Sweet pea seedlings are starting to grow in their loo roll and I have a few overstuffed poppy seedling pots that I need to tend too. It all just keeps rolling along.

It all feels like planning for a season I am not currently sitting in. The work to create a light that will shine in future months. The direction forward to cast ones eye on those rainy days that I am sure are to come. It does, as mentioned, feel like I am not doing much but I forget that I am now working with a reasonable established garden and also that my knowledge over the years has grown too. Things because of this, perhaps, should be easier and I realise that maybe I am relaxing more as a gardener.

With much love

Mel