Autumn notes: October

October highlights from my French garden

October started wet and stormy, with beautiful rainbows brightening up the grey skies, and mist veiling the landscape in the morning.

I took advantage of a few dry spells to plant a new hydrangea in one of the border, and dig up some of the many plants that need to be moved elsewhere.

Two penstemons “White Bedder” went to a new home - they grew too big for the space and had very few flowers, so didn't give me much joy.  

Next to move was achillea “The Pearl” - lovely but, as I recently found out, potentially invasive. I dug it up and planted it in pots, where it can show its pretty flowers without taking over.

I also started digging up the bulbs edging the path opposite our living room doors. 

When I planted them I thought they would brighten up the view, which they do, but I didn't take into consideration that in order to bloom year after year the leaves need to yellow and die back naturally - not a very nice look.

My plan is to dig them all up and replant them in clusters in the flower beds, among the roses and other perennials, so that once the bulbs fade the other plants will start to grow leaves and bloom, and the new growth will hide the yellowing bulb leaves.

It's quite a big job, but I'm doing a small area at a time to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

I'm also getting rid of the alliums. When I planted them I had a vision of large swathes of purple and white flower heads buzzing with pollinators in late spring and sparkling with frost in winter.

In reality, many of my allium bulbs didn't even sprout, slugs ate most of the ones that managed to bloom, and the wind flattened the lovely seed heads before autumn.
I'll try transplanting the few remaining alliums in a pot, and place it somewhere sheltered from strong winds and voracious critters.

All the plants around the pond are still doing well, and as usual at this time of the year they’re laced with cobwebs artistically draped around flower heads and stalks.

Miscanthus Silver Charms, which I planted from a bare root last April, is slowly getting established; a few silvery white feathery flowers are now gently swaying in the wind, and next spring I'm definitely going to get a few more of these gorgeous grasses. 

Some of the roses kept blooming in October; the most proliferous were David Austin roses Penelope Lively, Eustacia Vye and Eglantyne.

This last one was a surprise: it had a bad case of black spot early in the season, and so very few blooms that I considered replacing it with a more productive rose. I'm glad it's doing well now, as the blooms are gorgeous and smell divine.

The second part of the month has been sunny and quite warm for the season. The leaves are finally starting to turn, but the glorious October colours are late.

The liquidambar we planted two years ago is glowing with orange, red, and purple leaves, but the other trees, including the maple "October Glory", are still wearing a mostly green mantle.
I'm looking forward to cooler weather, red splashes of colour, and the first frost.

I’m leaving you with a link to my latest video - click on the photo below to watch.
At the very end I managed to include a recording of a flock of cranes flying south for the winter; I find their synchronised flight formation mesmerising, a true gift of nature.

Enjoy the video :)