“Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness…” Can you believe we’re into Autumn at last? My September in our garden update is so late this month. What with a week away in Devon, Flora finally going back to school, and a super busy blogging month, the garden has had to take very much last place. Anyway, here we are, squeaking in before month end. So please grab your beverage of choice (wine for me while I type this) and join me to see what we’ve been enjoying recently.
What’s flowering this September?
This month, it’s all about the fruit really. While what flowers we do have are gorgeously bright and beautiful, it’s the ever-ripening edible harvest that’s taking centre stage.
September cutting bed one – bulbs, perennials and annuals
Our dahlias are the stars of the cutting beds at the moment. Technically speaking, they grow from tubers not bulbs but my blog, my rules. I’ve been cutting single stems of the glorious pale pink Penhill Watermelon dahlia for the house and they look fabulous. Down at the front (excuse my head’s shadow) we have a red dahlia whose name I’ve forgotten, and moving along to the right, some more red dahlias grown from seeds a few years ago. These look very cute in little jam jars as bedside posies.
In the middle is one of the foxgloves that I bought in Cornwall during August (also this month’s cover pic), and behind that is one of our roses. Also in the bed is a pot of purple petunias, replacing the sweet peas that finally all went to seed while we were away and had to be taken out. That’s the only problem with sweet peas: if you don’t keep picking them (like almost every day) they set seed and stop flowering. Lastly, down at the front right, we have some self-seeded blue borage, whose edible flowers we’ve been enjoying in ice cubes and salads.
September cutting bed two – bulbs, perennials and annuals
We have some slightly less showy dahlias in this cutting bed as well. Back left is a crimson sparkler, and down at the front, some little white ones grown from seed. Also over on the left are some pink cosmos and my new purple heliotrope. In the middle is another pot of purple petunias, replacing the wigwam of sweet peas that had to come out from this bed too. Don’t you think they fill the gap beautifully? And form a lovely backdrop to another of my new foxgloves. Finally, over on the right hand side, we have some beautiful pink Japanese anemones.
September perennials
Even this late in the month, I’m delighted to say our lavender is still blooming, making the bees extremely happy too. And our pretty little asters by the pond, while slightly less prolific than last year, are still adding to that purple touch.
They’re not alone either – our stalwart Geranium Rozanne is thriving happily. This is SUCH a wonder plant, it comes back year on year, and is content in pots, in the ground, in full sun, or dappled shade. Top tip: if you have to buy one perennial, do make it this one. Speaking of shade, the Campanula Canterbury Bells are doing very well by the back wall too – aren’t they pretty? Your quintessential cottage garden perennials.
September annuals
Pretty in pink, the pots of Cosmos Rubenza and geraniums at the front of the house are giving a lovely vibrant (almost neon) touch to September in our garden. The cosmos I grew from seed earlier this year, and the geranium was from a sale table at our local farm shop. Neither will survive the winter but we can certainly enjoy them until then.
And I mentioned edible flowers earlier – on the left is our lovely self-seeded calendula in between our blueberry pots. To be fair, she’s nearly over but I’m fairly certain, based on this year, she’ll come back again, and again, and again… And on the right, one of the giant sunflowers in Flora’s garden, which was grown from seed earlier this year. She looks a little raggedy but I’m sure we’ll be able to harvest seeds again this year for sowing next Spring 🙂
What’s fruiting this September?
Our grapevine is beginning to fruit – fortunately I did manage to prune it before we went to Devon, much to our neighbour’s relief, I’m sure. I’ll need to do a bit more hacking soon, so that whatever sunshine we get can help to ripen the grapes for all the garden birds. The grapes are edible for us too but I get fed up having to spit out the pips! And our rhubarb plants are STILL going. I’ve given some to our neighbours but there’s still plenty left – much to Ginger’s delight as the massive leaves make great sunshades 🙂
Our Victoria plum tree dropped her harvest just before the end of August and I have made about a kilo of delicious plum jam. Happy days, even if I’m the only one in my family who eats it… Our pears are ripening by the day now and they are just delicious. Soft, sweet, and perfect with a slab of Stilton. I know I’ve said this before but here’s my top tip to test for pear ripeness. Take one and twist it three times around the stalk. If it comes away, it’s ripe. If it doesn’t, leave it on the tree for another week then try again. And this year, our little kiwis are even bigger. Kiwis! In England! Whoop! September in our garden is full of surprises.
Sadly, our lovely apple tree (an early ripening Discovery) has all but finished. Once again, she’s delivered a bumper harvest, we are so lucky. But our strawberries are flowering and developing new fruits again – something to do with the Indian summer at the beginning of the month, I think. And regular readers may recall me complaining in the past about the wild strawberries that grow like weeds. I present Exhibit A: a strawberry plant growing in the gravel of our driveway!
Indoor garden jobs for September
The tomato plants that I planted out at the beginning of June have more than delivered. And in fact are still delivering a large bowl of fruits each week. Honestly, nothing beats the taste of homegrown tomatoes (or any fruit and veg really). Sweet, juicy and I swear you can taste the sunshine. Alan’s chillies have also been a success. It’s my first year growing them and he reports that although they are hot enough to make him weep, they are delicious. Well, he couldn’t really say anything else, could he? 😉
Outdoor garden jobs for September
Much to Alan’s relief his grass cutting duty – the lawn one week and the orchard another week – is slowing down. And our French beans are over so I’ve pulled them up and planted some rather shrivelled potatoes instead. Are they dead? Or will they crop for Christmas? Who knows, all part of the magical mystery fun ride of gardening. But I can confirm that our sole broccoli plant was completely delicious and I will definitely be growing (and netting) more next year.
Excuse the odd angle but just look at that cucumber! This year I experimented with growing cucumbers both inside the greenhouse and outside in a new raised bed. Outside is definitely more productive, so that’s a lesson learned. And that’s what I love about gardening, Nature always has something new to teach you, if you’re willing to learn. Speaking of learning, our cucamelons have been a raging success too. Flora has them in her lunch box and they’ve been a real talking point at school. Definitely going to grow them again next year.
I still haven’t harvested our three (three!) beetroot yet as I’ve not been sure what to do with them. But today I found a recipe for beetroot brownies so I guess their time has come. And over on the right is our tree spinach (which I had from my neighbour in exchange for a cucumber plant this summer). So far it’s nearly four feet high and it’s yummy. Pretty flowers too, although we haven’t tried eating any of those yet. And yes, September in our garden still requires constant deadheading, pruning, tying in, weeding, and watering. These jobs will be ongoing for several more weeks yet.
Wildlife
Appropriately for Autumn, we are being invaded by spiders. Not just outside but inside as well, so it’s lucky we have cats who regard them as a curious delicacy. You’ve not lived until you’ve seen a cat catch a spider and sit there grinning with the legs hanging out of its mouth… And I keep having to scrape off caterpillar eggs from my remaining vegetables and our nasturtium plant. I’m all for supporting wildlife but not when they eat my food.
The frogs are still happy in all our ponds and the birds are finding plenty of food too. Speaking of ponds and birds, do you remember last month I mentioned what a frightful mess the starlings were making of our lawn as they went after the bugs? Well, it turns out we had another cockchafer grub infestation. So Alan and Flora decided to lift huge patches of grass in our lawn. Reader, I wept, it was SUCH a mess. But most of it’s been re-turfed now and the bare patch is going to be another wildlife pond than can also take fish, much to Flora’s glee. Watch this space…
Flora’s garden
I’m not going to post a picture of Flora’s garden because the little minx has shamefully neglected it. To be honest, apart from the frogs, she’s really lost all interest, I’m sorry to say. So I’ll just share a picture of the truly magnificent sunflowers that are towering above our fence. You can see them from all the way over the other side of next door’s field, they are absolutely fabulous.
September in our garden
So that’s my September in our garden round up. The days are getting shorter and the nights are definitely getting colder. It’s time to hunker down with a glass of wine and some of my favourite gardening catalogues to start planning what to buy for planting over the next few months. You can never have too many spring bulbs after all 🙂 And, as you may have seen on my Instagram recently, we have new neighbours. And Flora and her new pal have ladders either side of our orchard wall for quick play date access – which is just lovely, don’t you think?
As always, I hope you’ve enjoyed my monthly ramble through our garden and our orchard, and I’ll very much look forward to updating you again next month, as we head towards Hallowe’en 🙂
Have you been enjoying any flowers, fruits or vegetables in your garden or outside space this month? What jobs have you been doing? How has your garden fared this September?
Wow so many beautiful flowers!! I wish I had a garden. I love Lavender – must be so nice that it’s still blooming, the smell is so good!
Also, glad to hear it’s not just us with Spiders… I am not a fan! & my house cat is useless haha x
Thank you – we are very lucky! And yes, I think the spiders are having a baby boom this year, unfortunately! x
This is such a great post! We planted some stuff during lockdown and we’ve had quite a few tomatoes and we’re finally seeing our second cucumber but our sprouts aren’t too happy at the moment, they got invaded by caterpillars unfortunately but they seem to be doing a bit better!
Thank you so much – and that’s great you’ve enjoyed your harvest – all the more encouragement to do it again next year. I’ve never tried sprouts but I might have a go next year too!
This has been such a lovely post to read. I am excited for autumn but I will miss my garden! Your garden is like the secret garden book – full of treasures!
Rosie
Aw, thank you, Rosie, that’s such a lovely thing to say!
What a fabulous month for your garden! Love oyur rhubarb. Never had much luck with mine, did you grow from seed or a plant originally?
Yes, we’ve been very lucky 🙂 I had two rhubarb plants originally that never did much in their first year but have since self-divided and now we have four!
We love all these flowers!
Thank you 🙂
You really have a green thumb, Lisa! Your garden is amazing! You are growing such a wide variety of flowers, veggies & fruit, including some that are new to me. I’d never heard of a cucamelon! I loved the photo of your cat hiding out in the garden, too.
Oh well, I don’t know about that, I think we have very good soil, haha. And cucamelons were new to me this year too, but they are delicious 🙂
I do love your garden Lisa. The fruit and veg you’ve got looks fantastic! My Dad grows his own and has done well this year.
I have asked him to do some for us next year that we can have at home. I really love the freshness of picking from your own garden.
Enjoy the change of season in your lovely garden x
Thank you so much, Claire, that’s very kind. And yes, you can’t beat picking your own, whether that’s flowers or fruit and veg, it’s a real privilege x
Thank you for sharing this gorgeous post. I love looking at your flowers.
Thank you, Fadima, that’s very good to hear 🙂
I’ve got some big sunflowers blooming in our backyard too! Your yard is heavenly.
Oh thank you, that’s very kind!
There is something about the sight of sunflowers that never fails to bring a smile to my face.
I agree with you on the tomatoes – we grow them every year for the same reason. Nothing store bought compares!
Oh yes, sunflowers are just SO glorious! And I’m glad you agree about homegrown tomatoes, you just can’t beat them 🙂
I look forward to your gardening posts and, as always, your gardens looks beautiful and bountiful! I have a hardy hisbiscus with flowers larger than my hand which finally decided to start blooming this month. Everything here in Vancouver seems late – we had a late start to summer which has meant catch up all month. I’ve ordered some Christmas flowering Amaryllis to had to my collection for some indoor colour which is needed more than ever this year. Thanks for sharing!
Ah thank you, that’s very kind of you! Your hibiscus sounds amazing, it wouldn’t thrive over here, I don’t think, which is a shame. Things are late here too, a legacy of such a lot of sunshine this summer I guess. I need to get my Christmas stuff ordered too, thank you for the reminder!
I love seeing the photos of your garden Lisa! It is always so beautiful. I love the giant sunflowers in Flora’s garden, they always make me think of summer. Your fruit and veg is all looking good too, you’ll be able to cook lots of lovely recipe’s this Autumn.
Eve x
Thank you so much, Eve, that’s very kind – and I know what you mean about sunflowers, when they go over it really is the end of summer! x
What a beautiful garden! I’ve never known someone to grapes in their garden, that’s really impressive! You’ve got quite the green thumb!
Ashleigh | The Ashmosphere
Thank you so much – although the grapevine was here when we bought the house, I just keep hacking it back every year to keep it going!
Your garden has so many pretty flowers! Looking forward to reading your next garden update!
Serena
Thank you – you won’t have too long to wait!
As you know, I love your garden diaries so it is lovely to see this! Our dahlias have died back and our garden is pretty much done for the year, but we got some lovely cucumbers and tomatoes; with a little balsamic vinegar and salt and onion they taste amazing.
We grew the biggest cosmos we have ever grown this year; they were almost eight feet tall and they gave some special pink and white flowers. It is hard to say what makes fruits and vegetables burst one year and do nothing the next, but I love watching the seasons and land change and trying to sink into the cycles.
Thanks so much for sharing your fall garden!
Eight feet tall – my goodness, what variety of cosmos was that???? I’m so glad you got some homegrown tomatoes and cucumbers, Jaya, there really is nothing like the taste, shop bought just can’t compare, I’m going to be quite sad when our plants finally give up cropping. Thank you for your lovely comment 🙂
You have a wonderful garden. So rich and vibrant. And how can I not talk about how cute your cat looks?
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
Thank you so much – and yes, Ginger is a sweetie!
Whenever I read these posts I always want to have my own garden and plant loads of lovely flowers. My favourites are the geraniums, also the little cucumbers are the cutest! X
You can always start with a few pots, that’s what I did for nearly 15 years! And yes, geraniums are a wonderful splash of colour right now 🙂
Considering I’m snuggled in a hoody as it chucks it down with rain outside, this was a delightful read. So full of fresh and bright colours, that’s made my morning! It looks like you’ve had a great September, even if it is resulting in an unexpected additional pond!
Ah, thank you, Lindsey, that’s very good to hear, I’m glad it gave you some cheer!
Your garden looks amazing! You can tell you’ve put a lot of effort into it, and that work has certainly paid off. I love that you’re growing so many fruits and vegetables – I have a massive slug and woodlouse problem (the ultimate plant-destroying combination) in my garden so I can’t really grow many things, but I’ve managed to to grow loads of tomato plants at least. You’ve inspired me to plant some more flowers – I particularly like the dahlias and the pink cosmos!
Thank you so much, Hannah, I’m glad you can tell that it really is a massive labour of love, haha. I have no patience with slugs, I’m afraid, it’s straight to pellets as I’ve tried all kinds of organic repellents and none of them work. But yes, do try a few flowers, it’s lovely to be able to cut them for your house!
Wow, you’re garden is like a little paradise, love the cat that is hiding.
We have also nashi, kaki, big fig tree, lots of hazelnuts and pumpkings..
Ah, thank you, that’s very kind! Love the sound of your garden too, especially the figs 🙂
You have such a lovely garden Lisa, all these flowers are beautiful and it was so interesting to learn about what is flowering right now! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Thank you so much, Lucy, that’s very kind 🙂
Your garden is wonderful! I’m especially intrigued by cucamelons, they look so cute and I’ve never actually seen anyone growing it in their garden before. I’d love to try some one day. My dad and I recently got very into plants and he’s trying to grow his own chillis which is working pretty well!
✨ Marissa Belle ✨
Thank you so much 🙂 The cucamelons were new to me this year too but they’re very easy to grow and good fun to harvest. Good for your dad, I tried chillies for the first time this year too, so far so good!
Your website is beautiful and full of interesting things! I’m happy to have found you 🙂
Thank you, that’s very kind 🙂
I love that your garden is still blooming with flowers! It is definitely fruit season. We harvested like over 50 dragonfruits the other weekend. I LOVE the cosmos!! Such a cute flower – super rich too. I love the brightness of the flower. Awww, Ginger is the cutest thing. Ok, I didn’t know how tall sunflowers actually grew to. Thanks for sharing your garden!!
Nancy ✨
It really is, we are eating so much fruit at the moment! Wow you are so lucky to have dragonfruits, Flora would LOVE it if we could grow them but I don’t think we can over here, sadly. Colour-wise everything seems so much more vibrant in late summer, we’re very lucky 🙂
Thanks for sharing what is going on this month, my tomatoes are still ripening outdoors, even though the wind caught them and they fell over! My Beans have finished now, so it will be only the flowers left 🙂
Nic | Nic’s Adventures & Bakes
Tomatoes are surprisingly hardy, I find, so yours should be fine as long as we get some more sunshine! And yes, Alan and Flora are both glad our beans are over, the ungrateful pair!
Another great garden post Lisa! I love all the bright colours you have in your garden this month. And love the photo of your cat in his little hidey place! Also, I didn’t know you even COULD grow kiwis in the UK? That’s amazing! They’re my favourite fruit by a mile.
Aw, thank you, Jenny! I so wish you could have seen our garden this summer, you’d have loved it, I’m sure, despite the frogs 🙂 And yes, I was amazed about the figs too – I want to try apricots next…
I like your garden diary because they are always full of wonderful photos of flowers. Thank you for sharing it with us and photos with cat is my favorite. She is so cute.
Oh thank you so much, that’s so kind – and yes, Ginger is a sweetie!
What a lovely garden update. I love that sunflower. We have one from our neighbours. They planted it near our fence and now it’s looking into our garden, searching for the sun.
I love the picture with the cat! Hilarious!
Ah, lucky you, that’s what our sunflowers are doing with our neighbours, haha!
Oh I wish I had a garden. I love sun flowers they are so beautifully. I also personally like Daisy’s they are so pretty. Hopefully one day I will have a garden.
Thank you, I hope you will get your garden one day soon 🙂