mid-November

"The tide rises, the tide falls

The twilight darkens, the curlew calls..."

- H W Longfellow

Ebb tide on the Gironde near Meschers

Winter evenings can often produce spectacular sunsets and even the mudflats become photogenic, dotted with grassy islets and silhouetted shore birds.

The bubbling call of the curlew is particularly atmospheric and distinguishes it immediately from the similar-looking whimbrel, another bird with a curved bill which feeds along this coast.

A new carpet of ash leaves on the driveway

Leaves are falling thick and fast by the middle of November and I must admit to a slight obsession with sweeping them into piles and picking them off shrubs like lavender, to keep the foliage dry and their shapes defined.

I also find it's a useful warm-up task to get my arms and shoulders working before tackling more constrained jobs like weeding and planting that tend to give me neck ache.

A good rake makes leaf-clearance a pleasure!

Early in the 'fall' season we managed to break the old spring-tine rake which was our main implement for sweeping leaves off grassy areas and pulling them off hedges (no leaf-blowers needed here).

We also have a useful rubber rake which takes care of leaves on the gravel driveway and in plant borders where you need a gentler action - and less sharp tines.

It's not until you're forced to try a new version of an old favourite that you realise how much a standard tool can be improved over the years, especially as they tend to be more lightweight and rust-proof these days. 

Red leaves of Cotinus coggygria (left) and
Physocarpus opulifolius (right)

Wielding this new rake, I can clear our leaves in half the time and with much less effort than before, dumping as many as possible into a caged area to attract worms and become rich leaf-mould.

The remaining ash leaves, which are pretty small anyway, can be heaped up under trees and shrubs where they will rot down naturally over winter and provide a mulch to help alleviate some of the dryness.

Cotinus coggygria or smoke bush is a must-have
for its dramatic leaf colour, in spring and autumn

Yellow field maple and
young liquidambar

Contrasting leaves inevitably make one reach for a camera at this time of year and I usually head off to our neighbour's lake and the stretch of river where he and his son planted a variety of colourful trees and shrubs.

In addition to natives like the ash and field maple (left) he has recently transplanted a number of lovely young liquidambar trees which were growing in his nursery area.

Sometimes these autumnal tints are so bright that I almost prefer photographing them on a foggy day when their colours are gentler and more painterly...

Liquidambar styraciflua or Sweet
Gum tree - dressed to kill

Liquidambar styraciflua

But if you want colour that will blow your socks off then this is definitely the tree for you!

Once she puts on her scarlet ballgown, this lady doesn't keep her foliage for long and you have to be quick to get photo's.

Even as a small tree, the shiny red leaves are eyecatching (see above) and resemble those of a maple in shape.

Its foliage changes colour dramatically from purple through to red, followed by a rich golden yellow - and then the leaves drop, rolling out a carpet every bit as luxuriant.

Liquidambar leaves

This is a tree which can grow up to 20 meters tall and originated in the eastern US.

There are now several named varieties, such as 'Worplesdon', as recommended by the RHS, and they will grow in any reasonably moist soil so long as it's lime-free.

The flowers are insignificant but it does produce globular, spiky autumn fruits which are left to decorate the bare branches once its leaves have disappeared.



Crabapple Trees

Female blackbird samples some ripe crabapples

Because of their more compact size, the flowering crabs or crabapples are more suitable for a small garden and I wish we'd planted one in our hedgerow as the fruits seem to be very popular with birds.

As it blossoms quite early in spring, the nectar also attracts bees and other insects which help to pollinate any regular apple trees you may have.

Wild crabapple, Malus sylvestris, is becoming rare in British hedgerows but it's well worth planting an ornamental variety in your garden.

Malus floribunda or Ornamental Crabapple -
beautifully tinted leaves and abundant fruit

Clouded yellow butterfly

Butterflies are getting scarcer now but a reliable forager at this time of year is the clouded yellow, seen here feeding on an autumn hawkbit (Leontodon autumnalis) which is flowering in many of our vineyards, together with the wild marigold whose pretty orange blooms brighten up many a misty morning.

Other butterflies still on the wing tend to be species like the red admiral which hibernate during winter.

Mexican Bush Sage (Salvia leucantha)

Salvias

We now have several varieties of ornamental sage which provide us with plenty of vibrant colour from early summer up to the first frosts.

One of the last to come into bloom is the exotic Salvia leucantha from Mexico with its long, furry flower spikes resembling purple caterpillars!

Although we mulch the plant with leaves, it can easily be killed in a hard frost so it's advisable to take cuttings and protect them over winter.

Iberis sempervirens 'Snowflake'

Two other Mexican sages are still performing vigorously: the late-blooming Salvia elegans in our sunny front garden has been in flower for over a month; and the smaller Salvia coccinea in the back border has continued flowering for several months despite a distinct lack of direct sun.

Although this area is in permanent shade from late September until spring, we still manage to get colour from a few roses, the odd Salvia microphylla, and now some Iberis sempervirens has come into full flower.

Our ash tree, generously dispensing leaves over
the car windscreen!

Ornamental pear trees (Pyrus calleryana) holding onto their
vivid colours until the temperatures plunge

November

"It is enough

To smell, to crumble the dark earth,

While the robin sings over again

Sad songs of Autumn mirth."

- Edward Thomas

As long as the soil stays warm - and before all the leaves fall in earnest - it's an excellent time to divide perennials and plant fresh rooted pieces where there are spaces to be filled.

Hibiscus underplanted with
Geranium clarkeii 'Kashmir' -
a white-flowering variety that
tolerates dry sunny sites

This year we've concentrated on splitting up roots of established hardy geraniums to make useful ground-cover under trees and shrubs.

The space under this bushy hibiscus plays host to some beautiful dark tulips but has now become congested with grape hyacinths (muscari) which produce masses of bulblets but fewer flowers as they get more compacted.

I dug up as many of these tiny bulbs as I could, improved the soil with home-made compost and tucked in some rooted pieces of Geranium clarkeii, which has already proved itself in this location and will provide large white blooms in late spring - uninterrupted by all that stringy muscari foliage!

In tidying up this area, I took the opportunity of pulling out lengths of couch grass which sneak in from what we laughingly call 'the lawn'.  Although our edging stones won't deter it completely, they do help to delineate and protect the bed from invasive weeds.

Vines are turning yellow now - and what looks like a cypress
tree is actually a telegraph pole disguised with ivy!

After a spell of back-breaking work in the garden, it's a relief to get out for a walk and enjoy the rapidly changing autumn hues. Once the early morning chill has lifted, days can still be surprisingly warm.

Cow and newborn calf

Out on the marais calves like this one are still being born, licked into life by a caring mother under the curious but protective gaze of other cows who have come to watch.

Many of the cattle here are a breed called 'Blonde d'Aquitaine', which are known to be hardy and docile, able to give birth and look after their offspring without help. They are often left out in the field until late December.

Many of them have wonky horns unfortunately, as does the cow in this picture who looks to be in imminent danger of poking herself in the eye!

Apples

On another walk, we came across this small-holding with a flourishing orchard where the owner was busy harvesting his apples.

Several of his trees were weighed down with fruit so it looks to have been a good harvest despite anxiety over the effects of a late frost.

It seems that those long hours of sun we enjoyed in the second half of September, and well into October, more than made up for our erratic weather in spring which ruined so many early grapes.

Friendly Poitevine goats - not just pretty
but productive too

Goats

At the same small-holding there's a herd of attractive Poitevine goats - a breed which provides milk for the delicious chevre cheeses sold all over Poitou Charentes.

We've been eating it for years now - usually the creamier, milder types - and find it's tastier and more digestible than the soft bries and camemberts from Normandy.

Another testament to the ripening effect of our autumn sunshine could be the vast quantity of acorns which crunch underfoot whenever we walk along paths lined with oak trees.

Their abundance this year will provide the wild boar with plenty of carbs to see them through the winter.

In other places it's easy to spot where they've been digging up meadows and verges in search of roots or bulbs to feed on. 

Meadow of cosmos enjoying a second flowering in October

At the end of our walk we paused to photograph the same meadow which I featured back in July when it originally came into bloom.

Tithonia - or zinnia, perhaps?

By September it was turning to seed and losing most of its colour when the sudden change in weather - from moist and cool to warm and sunny - provoked a resurgence of lovely flowers, including these tall and handsome tithonia (I think) which we hadn't noticed the first time around.

When I recall how I struggled to grow a few rather weedy tithonia plants from seed a few years back, it's galling to discover how easily they take to being part of a prairie planting scheme in full sun...

Leycesteria berries

Pheasant Berry

A small shrub which is easy to grow, I have mixed feelings about Leycesteria as it seeds itself rather too readily in our garden and isn't a thing of great beauty - apart from when the autumn sun shines through it, illuminating those pale leaves and contrasting dark fruits.

We've let this one stay in our dry front bed, which is a challenging environment for many plants, but I try and remember to remove the berries before they set seed!

Twisting seedpods on a Gleditsia triacanthos

Honey Locust

This graceful tree, with its unusual seedpods that rustle in the wind, is popular in the US but less well known in Britain.

Our enthusiastic neighbour, Robert, is fond of any tree which provides good colour and has planted several of these near his lake. They are fast growing and the delicate leaves turn yellow in autumn. 

French country garden

Deep reds and pinks seem to be particularly eye-catching in many gardens right now.

Here, in the courtyard of a typical country house, a tree full of pomegranates lights up the front door, whilst a hardy Fuschia magellanica drapes its scarlet blooms over the picket gate.

In our own garden the biggest splash of colour comes from our two meter tall Salvia elegans, which blooms in both sun and partial shade, and will carry on flowering until the first frost.

Red-flowered Salvia elegans with pennisetum

Autumn skies can be as colourful as the foliage

Fishing huts with a foreground of sea asters