Autumn Gardens

"Leaves rustle and spill yourselves

Ever more splendidly, ever more recklessly..."

- Boris Pasternak

Our neighbour's lake, with lichen-decorated ash trees

As I write this, on a foggy day in mid-November, most of the glorious autumn colour has already fallen from our trees and is collecting in layers on the ground to provide nutritious leaf-mould for next year.

Birches mingling with maple
on the lakeside

Our neighbour, Robert, always encourages us to wander around the lake and river on his property where he and Aurelien, his son, have toiled to grow many different trees and shrubs over the past decade.

Sadly, his son died of cancer over a year ago now, but their maturing arboretum stands testimony to Aurelien's enthusiasm for growing and grafting new trees to produce an amazing palette of colours for all of us to enjoy.

I see him every time I walk through the watery landscape that inspired him, whilst trying in vain to remember all the names he gave me for his trees and cultivars...

Paperbark birch

He's left us an important legacy, especially now we see that ash-dieback disease has reached this part of France.

During the past week Robert has had to cut down several of the trees bordering his lake but fortunately he can fill these gaps straight away with other saplings from his son's plantation.

Aurelien was particularly keen to cultivate North American varieties of ash and maple which would put on a great show of red and yellow leaves. He'd have been thrilled this year as the spectacle started early and just got better and better.

A small acer lights up a corner

I can hear his voice urging me to take more photos and record all his new specimens!

As someone who used to cycle around Kew Gardens on quiet autumn mornings, armed with a camera and tripod in search of vivid leaf tones, I've been inspired by this continuing play of light and movement and colour.
Bravo Aurelien!

A great autumn for berries too

Strawberry tree - Arbutus unedo
shaking off the latest shower

Back in our own rather more subdued garden, we also have a gift of berries on our three different pyracantha bushes - red, yellow and orange.

Plus we now have scarlet berries on the cotoneaster which arrived by bird from a neighbour's plot!

Our favourite, though, is probably the strawberry tree which manages to produce fruit and flowers at the same time.

Sudden rainstorm in early November

This is a month of changeable and contrasting weather: rain, then very bright sun; heavy grey skies, followed by strong wind; early morning mist and fog - we run the gamut, but mostly it has remained mild and provided excellent conditions for moving plants around the garden.

Pot with lobelia and nicotiana

Tidying away fallen leaves - into the leaf bin - allows us to see our perennials more clearly and decide how they can best be spread out, mixing and matching with other plants, trying new combinations.

There's virtually nothing that can't be moved at this time of year. And, of course, I always have a few potted-up seedlings which need to find a home.

Talking of seeds, four of the best examples I've grown recently can be seen in this photo, taken in an area of the back garden which still gets some sun

Behind the pot you can see the mauve heads of Dianthus superbus, which came into flower for the second time a few weeks ago. (This is just one of many excellent species we've grown from Chiltern Seeds and has been admired by several people.)

Feathery Dianthus superbus

To the right of that pot, the silvery foliage spilling out from our raised bed is another seed from Chiltern's - Cerastium tomentosum var. columnae - which flowered in May and spreads itself naturally across the gravel drive. It will eventually die down in cold, wet weather but comes back again in spring.

Back garden, still showing some colour from
leaves and berries

Lobelia 'Blue Fountain' has been gracing our pots since July, in tandem with Nicotiana 'Lime Green' - this particular flower came up from a seed deposited in the pot earlier this summer!

The other side of the garden gets very little sun in winter so its structure becomes all-important. As shrubs on the back border lose their leaves, we're compensated with a sunny view of the fields and hill beyond.

That unknown rose cutting I took less than a year ago continues to provide a succession of blooms and is gradually clambering up its new tripod.

Flowering alongside it is an unseasonal echinacea which has managed to perform despite a lack of direct sunlight.

Salvia elegans

These days, it's not unusual to hear gardeners say that their plants are flowering at odd times. In addition to leaves turning early this autumn, we noticed that our Mahonia japonica is already in full bloom - something we normally look forward to in midwinter.

On the other hand, exotic sages like Salvia elegans have been quite slow to flower and have only recently come into their prime.

It makes us appreciate them all the more now that they're holding sway over other retreating plants and providing slashes of vivid colour to compete with the berries.

Salvia elegans making a bold
statement in the cottage garden

Salvias like these are invaluable in late autumn because they radiate so much fiery energy in a gardenscape which is beginning to wilt and head downhill to winter.

The ones with red flowers are probably unmatched for their exuberance, come rain or shine, but the blue shades have a velvet intensity which I also find quite compelling.

Salvia 'Indigo Spires' has some of the longest flower spikes I've ever seen - well over a foot in many cases - and Salvia leucantha (purple and white flowers) has the fluffiest spikes imaginable.

I've photographed and written about all these sages in previous autumn  postings and they're deservedly popular plants for being long-flowering and trouble-free. Like many herbs, they come readily from cuttings and it's easy to increase your stock and put on a really dramatic show!

Robert's sheep and goats grazing alongside the river

Marais Autumn

"I am a little world made cunningly

Of elements, and an angelic sprite" - John Donne

Horses enjoying the cool bright mornings

Now that so much of our garden is in shadow during the day, we find ourselves taking more shore walks, savouring the crisp air and squinting through bright sunshine to get a glimpse of migrating birds along the estuary.

Cranes... en route to Spain and beyond 

For a few days we're treated to the unmistakable 'call of the wild' as flocks of cranes arrive from north-east France, drawn to the silvery glint of the Gironde Estuary marking their pathway down south.

Sometimes it's just a few birds and, if we're lucky, they might decide to make an overnight stop near our neighbour's lake...

On other occasions, the sky can be wreathed with skeins of more than a hundred calling cranes. It's an unforgettable cry which makes the hairs stand up on your neck and has caused Christina to almost screech to a halt if she happens to hear them whilst driving!

Lapwings on the marais

Recently we've noticed that lapwings have begun gathering again in the fields after a summer break elsewhere.

We went out early the other morning and disturbed a flock of about fifty sitting quietly amongst the reddish tufts of samphire which spreads all over the nearby salt marsh.

I gather this is edible samphire, also known as glasswort from the time when it was used in the production of soda glass.

Salicornia europaea

This type of samphire (Salicornia europaea) turns deep red in autumn - the redder its colour, the more salt there is in the water apparently - and it's certainly noticeable in bright sunlight, transforming the marais from a green prairie into something more like an informal garden.

It's an exciting area to explore on a windy day when light dances off the standing pools of water and feathery reed heads.

Lapwings and other shore birds take wing in fright as you approach and their cries can be heard all along the shoreline.

Crithmum maritimum

The other, non-edible, type of samphire is Crithmum maritimum, an umbellifer from the Mediterranean which grows in crevices between the boulders lining the coast.

This also produces vivid florets in autumn and gives the impression of a well planted rock garden - complete with admiring lizard in this case!

Marsh samphire submerged at high tide

Elsewhere, the effect of a marais garden is enhanced by stands of driftwood washed up after a winter storm and left to weather in the sun.

We used to collect the more artistic pieces and bring them home to decorate our driveway - the cat enjoys sharpening his claws on these stumps, but it turns out they also attract groups of large woodland ants so we've stopped doing that now!

Aster tripolium or Tripolium pannonicum

Another common sight at this time of year is the sea aster (Tripolium pannonicum) which is also salt tolerant and grows in marshland and on the edge of brackish ponds.

Again, its red stems stand out from a watery background and its fluffy seedheads drift lazily on the breeze.

For years we noticed some particularly attractive shrubs in the salt marsh which produce masses of white blooms in autumn, followed by seeds like thistledown. We never knew what this was called until searching through photographs on Google Images...

Baccharis halimifolia
Sea Myrtle or Cotton Seed Tree

It turns out to be a plant native to North America, which was introduced to Europe many decades - or even centuries - ago and has become a bit of a thug due to the fact that its seeds can disperse and germinate so easily.

Baccharis is known by many names... Tree Groundsel or the much more apt 'Silverling' which conveys something of its graceful, light reflecting quality.

Baccharis halimifolia
Silvery seedheads next to a tamarisk plant

It's certainly an interesting shrub and the male version has creamier yellow flowers which attract pollinators, whilst the female has these downy seeds.

Being salt-tolerant even in standing water, they've been used to stabilise the shore in many areas and put on a stunning display in Autumn.

A meditative stroll through Nature's garden

Yucca filamentosa

Another introduction from the south-west US is the popular Yucca filamentosa, producing statuesque creamy blooms from late summer.

This is a plant which loves sand and looks best on the shore or grown in scrub where its spiky leaves aren't likely to attack the poor gardener. 

Yuccas can appear quite inoffensive when small, looking pristine in a pot at the garden centre; but inevitably the spikes become more lethal as it develops.

Its leathery leaves are hard to cut off when they are damaged or become shrivelled with age. Once established, you'll probably never get it out of your garden because the roots go deep and will keep producing new stems once the original is removed. Just enjoy it in the wild!

Salt marsh at Les Monards

Madeira Plants

View from our 'eyrie' above Funchal

GirlsGardening decided it was time for a change of scene and went in search of new and exotic flora on the lush Portuguese island of Madeira.

Although spring might be the most popular time to come and admire its wide range of flowering plants, there's still plenty of vivid colour to excite the eye in October.

African senna
Senna didymobotrya

Garden Flowers

A plant like this striking African senna, for instance, was making a fine display in the gardens around our apartment.

It's a shrub I've not seen before, which can grow to several meters and has rather glabrous, dark brown buds contrasting with the yellow petals beneath. Here the shrubs were kept to a reasonable size but they can get out of hand in certain environments.

There's so much verdant greenery in Madeira that flowers of any colour - particularly red - appear to sing out with a luminous intensity.

Princess Flower

Another attractive plant in our garden was the Princess Flower or Glory Bush (Tibouchina urvilleana), originally from Brazil and producing rich violet blooms.

As if that wasn't enough, we noticed that some of its soft, felted leaves had turned a bright autumnal orange, complementing the scarlet flower buds.  Very exotic!

Tibouchina urvilleana

We soon became aware that a small team of gardeners was keeping our terraced hillside in immaculate order, trimming and dead-heading these fast-growing shrubs, constantly removing any obvious weeds from the fine red soil. To garden in Madeira requires a strong pair of legs, at the very least!

Thunbergia grandiflora aka Blue Thunbergia

Twined over an archway leading to the restaurant, we regularly walked beneath a lovely example of the Laurel or Bengal Clock Vine with its profusion of sky blue trumpets.

Although this vine originated in Asia, the RHS have given it an award of merit as a plant to be grown under glass in more temperate climates.

Aloe arborescens
- helping to colonise the steep hillsides

Having worked alongside prickly aloes in the past, I'm not sure I'd choose to plant any of these spiky fellows in my tropical paradise!

Not called Sword Aloes for nothing, these spiny-toothed succulents are found all over the island and send up sensational crimson blooms similar to red hot pokers. They're fabulous unless you're the unlucky person who has to prune them...

Iron and tufa deposits make a rich red soil

Madeira's volcanic terrain has much to do with the type of planting around the island.

The well-maintained terracing is very reminiscent of the Far East, where every inch of fertile soil is put to good use and a typical family plot will be stepped on several levels.


Agriculture

At this time of year, the main crops in evidence were sugar cane, bananas, tomatoes - and grapes, of course, for making that excellent fortified wine which is still a major export. (Table wine isn't half bad either.)

View of bananas from cable car
en route to Monte - and its
famous tropical gardens.

Their small but beautifully-formed bananas were a perfect size for cutting up on one's breakfast cereal, but we were shocked to hear that they're not exported to other EU countries because the size/shape doesn't confirm to regulations. (How mad is that?)

They're grown on terraces around the capital, Funchal, and bushy plants line the roadside all the way up to hilltop perches like Monte. It's worth taking the cable car up to this village for a bird's eye view of villas, farms and cultivation in general.

When travelling around hairpin bends by car, it's nigh impossible to stop and photograph these impressive ledges!

Eucalyptus trees have been drafted in to stabilise the fragile soil further up the mountainsides. They grow quickly and their essential oils can be extracted as another way of earning revenue.

But in hot summers the trees can easily catch fire from the odd discarded piece of glass and we saw ample evidence of burnt timber when driving north into the hinterland.

Up on the high plateau, the landscape is more sparse and the climate cooler.

Amaryllis belladonna

In autumn roadsides are lined with bright pink clumps of Belladonna lilies - also known as 'Naked Ladies' because their leaves die down in spring so their flower stalks come up bare. 

The lilies in this picture were on show in the tropical gardens at Monte but those we admired on the roadsides had darker, more dramatic stems and were in larger clumps.

Amaryllis have hefty bulbs - like that other ubiquitous Madeiran flower, the Agapanthus - and these too are used to bind the soil and prevent erosion.

Ceiba pentandra or Kapok Tree

Kapok Trees

Down in Funchal town, we kept coming across specimen trees with canopies of pink blossom. Upon closer inspection, these weren't so much blossoms as individual flowers, striped inside like lilies with a thick central style and stigma. The Kapok tree was new to us both...

Kapok Tree or Silk Cotton Tree

Again, this is something which produces flowers without leaves, adding to the stunning effect. It's native to tropical rainforests and the fruits produce a seed hair-fibre known as kapok - used for stuffing cushions and soft toys when I was a child. 

We both agreed that this tree was one of the best discoveries of our holiday and wondered what it would be like when kapok pollen exploded across the streets of Funchal ...

But, away from urban life and tourist intrusion, there still exists a magical remnant of the original island.

Trees in the Laurisilva forest

The laurel forest of Madeira (also called Laurisilva) is now a protected UNESCO World Heritage site and well worth a visit, even if you're just travelling across the island en route to the north coast, as we were. Much of it is at high altitude and largely untouched by man.

The ancient trees and mossy landscape, adorned with ferns and drenched in mist, make you feel as if you've stepped into another world. Truly mysterious, and possibly quite scary if you got lost...

A monochrome rain forest, forever shrouded

Monarch butterfly

Perhaps it was the wrong season for seeing butterflies as we only encountered one or two species, including this handsome Monarch which had taken a liking to hydrangeas in our garden.

We were told that Madeirans have almost stopped using pesticides and, as a result, the insect population has increased noticeably in the past couple of years - a fact which can only be good for biodiversity.

Finally in our journey, we reached the north coast of the island and enjoyed an excellent fish lunch at a former whaling port which now capitalizes on its dramatic lava rockpools, turning them into naturally warm swimming areas for tourists.

Protected pools at Porto Moniz - where you can still be
splashed by the great Atlantic rollers!

Bonne vendange

"Wine is light, held together by water"

- Galileo

Grapes are almost bursting from their skins

As we thought, our local grapes are so ripe that harvesting has begun about three weeks early - and it promises to be a vintage year. (This more than makes up for the disastrous blackberry season, providing us with a miserable couple of bags for the freezer!)

Actaea simplex Atropurpurea
(formerly known as Cimicifuga)
variety 'James Compton' or 'Brunette'

Mind you, this past week has seen some almost tropical downpours which have left the vineyards unusually muddy and unwelcoming for the huge machines employed in hoovering up those precious grapes.

Our plants have definitely benefitted from this added moisture, particularly the wine-coloured foliage of Bugbane (Actaea simplex) which had started to crinkle for lack of water.

A few inches of rain and its dark buds have finally opened to produce some fine spires of white, with an intriguing scent rather like incense. They stand out well against the barn wall which is mainly in shade at this time of year.

Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red'

Where foliage is concerned, I continue to be impressed by the dark leaved penstemon 'Husker Red' - a strain supplied by Chiltern Seeds.

Although I cut down the spent stems a few weeks ago, these plants look anything but tired and have responded by putting on some bright new leaves.

As our garden has gradually filled up with perennials, we're more aware of how important it is to have vibrant or contrasting foliage to provide interest throughout the season, long after flowers have faded and gone.

Berries of Pyracantha with yellow
flowers of Sternbergia lutea

Having passed the Autumn Equinox, there are many more dark corners crying out for fiery berries of Pyracantha or the daffodil-yellow blooms of Sternbergia bulbs which thrive really well under hedges.

So, too, do the obliging flowers of Cyclamen hederifolium that are beginning to weave their pretty carpets in the leaf litter under our ash tree. We have them in both white and pink, and they take it upon themselves to spread into some of the most inhospitable places.

Autumn-flowering Sternbergia lutea
- a bold contrast to the blue of Ceratostigma plumbaginoides

Grasshopper checking out the fiery
blooms of Cosmos sulphureus 'Polidor'

Elsewhere in our borders, Cosmos continues to flower prolifically despite being dumped on by rain and beaten about by strong winds.

Again, this variety of 'Polidor' -with its semi-double two-tone petals - comes from Chiltern Seeds and grows to around a meter in height, providing bright swatches of red, yellow and orange which effectively pick out similar hues in neighbouring Heleniums and Rudbeckias.

It also provides good contrast to blue or purple flowering Salvias and Hyssops which are busy doing their thing right now... 

Verbena bonariensis providing the
perfect foil to Cosmos sulphureus

And not forgetting those indefatigable mauve heads of Verbena bonariensis, which seem to wave at us from all the sunnier parts of the garden, attracting a few late summer butterflies and hummingbird hawkmoths.

Most of the wildlife in our garden is pleasantly benign but we did suffer from a rampant mole who insisted on drilling his way across several borders, uprooting the odd plant in his enthusiasm. We tried planting out a couple of plastic bottles, up-ended on canes to vibrate in the wind, and that actually seemed to slow him down.

Then one morning we found a plump brown body deposited in the driveway, his sharp little teeth exposed in a gesture of defiance, and we concluded that "Moley" had finally fallen victim to our cat, Couscous!

Some creatures are prettier
than others...

Initially, Christina feared this bug on the left was a giant spider when first glimpsed under a branch of clematis, but on closer inspection it turns out to be a cross-eyed cricket.

They are a species of saddle-backed bush cricket (Ephippiger ephippiger) commonly found in vineyards, so perhaps it's not surprising to come across this one in our garden.

Lucky for us it's not a bug that can fly, otherwise it might be truly terrifying!

Autumn sun now favours the herb bed

By mid-afternoon the back garden can still be warm enough for sunbathing and the occasional (small) snake or lizard can be heard skittering over gravel, especially if Couscous is around! 

Lavandula dentata

One of the plants which has done really well in our new raised bed is Lavandula dentata, or French lavender, which my book tells me is actually native to Spain.

Previously, when we've tried growing it in the front south-facing garden, it's died after becoming waterlogged during winter. This time we've planted it in sandy, free-draining soil and the plant has been in flower for months. 

It is still producing new buds and leaves so I'm hoping it will continue to flower until Christmas - as we've seen it in other gardens around here. Definitely good value!

When it comes to our regular lavender shrubs - Lavendula angustifolia - Christina has cut these back hard in order to keep their nicely rounded shapes. 

Any sort of planting repetition is pleasing to the eye and a line of fairly even mounds creates soft shadows and architectural shapes.

Geraniums, verbascum and cosmos

At the base of our rose tripod is a nice patch of magenta provided by the very free-flowering Geranium 'Patricia', a good plant for ground-cover in a sunny and well-drained spot.

Next to it is Verbascum hybridum 'Snow Queen' that had its main flowering stem cut back earlier this summer but has generously gone on to produce several more shorter spikes of white flowers.

Young goldfinch tucking in to teasels on the shore