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