Loud without the wind was roaring
Through the waned autumnal sky,
Drenching wet, the cold rain pouring
Spoke of stormy winters nigh.
Emily Jane Brontë 1838
Emily’s picture of autumn in this poem is characteristically quite dramatic and stormy but, as yet autumn has been quite mild. This is very welcome to the gardener in the exposed Pennine hills.
In the parsonage garden this means that we can enjoy the flowers a little longer without the strong winds and heavy rains that will easily bring them down at this stage of the year. Hence, still blooming, amongst others, are Phlox, Lavatera, Astilbe and Cranesbill,
The leaves are not yet falling off the trees at a rate that covers the whole garden floor although berries are well established and gleaming on many of the bushes in the garden, hopefully this will be helpful to the wildlife.
Despite this mildness, we are bracing ourselves for what is, arguably, the most challenging time in the garden – “the big cut-back”. I think, as we approach the end of this month we will have to commence this exercise and get the flower beds, one by one, ready for winter. Also we will have to prune back some of the excessive growth on the larger trees and climbers that overhang the garden. So the quiet lull in workload that we are enjoying at the present will soon rapidly change.
The lawn had a full rake and cut before we had reached mid month and was, in my opinion, looking its best all year. Hopefully, that will be sufficient attention until next year, unless we have a long lasting Indian summer.
I am sure Jenny is already beginning to think of how we can utilise our remaining budget for new delights next year. We traditionally go on a garden shopping excursion around this time and see what bargains we can find. Look at next month’s diary to see what we invest in!
We hope you will visiting the parsonage soon and will still be able to enjoy all of its surroundings whatever the season.
Geoff Taylor
Volunteer Gardener