October colour

Autumn is one of my favourite times of the year, especially October because of the wonderful autumn colours on the trees and shrubs.

With the extreme heat this summer, plants in the garden were flowering, fruiting, dying back and some repeat flowering. They were confused and with some leaves browning and falling before they had changed colour, I wondered if we would get the normal October display.

However, nature has come up trumps as usual and the wonderful, yellows, reds, oranges and all shades of green and brown are to be seen in gardens, woods, hedgerows and field margins across the country.

In our garden here are a few of the lovely colours, some from berries, but mostly the leaf colour, blueberries are so intense, a delight to gaze upon.

Blueberry leaves take on wonderful colours before they eventually drop. We have to grow them in pots as they require acidic soil. Our soil is alkaline so the blueberries are in ericaceous compost.

Lots of ornamental grasses change colours in the autumn, this one I leave all winter even when the colours fade and it turns brown. It is then cut to the ground in early spring when the new growth starts to emerge.

Peony leaves turn a lovely colour at this time of year, I leave them on until new shoots appear next year.

Pyracanths' berries, red, yellow and orange provide colour in the garden and food for the birds in autumn.

                                                       Berberis has berries in autumn too.