quietly autumnal

In contrast to the bright colours of the Acers at Westonbirt in my last post, the late autumn colours here are quieter and more muted.

We have had wind and rain but in-between there have been lovely calm days

to appreciate the slowness of November.

The last yellow leaves

the golden browns of the dying bracken

and the contrast between fruits and foliage in the hedges.

Some trees like this English maple are full of leaf

whilst leaves have dropped from others producing a temporary colourful carpet.

And most magical, in a clearing, this deer quietly watching me through the bare twigs of the bushes. All very quiet and peaceful.

- wishing for more quiet and more peace in our world.

Maples and Acers at Westonbirt Arboretum

My husband is taking a few days holiday this week so we planned a couple of day trips. One was to Westonbirt Arboretum. I visited as a girl and wanted to see the autumn colours. The weather during the journey down was quite foggy which muted the colours in the landscape and I wondered if it might be disappointing.

I needn't have worried, as we walked further into the woods it became more and more colourful. The arboretum is divided into two parts, the Old Arboretum and the newer part Silk Wood. At the entrance we picked up a map showing the "autumn trail" in each section.

We started in Silk Wood. The following pictures were taken in Maple Loop and are Japanese maples.

The next set of photographs were taken in the Acer Glade. This is in the Old Arboretum and is the part I remember visiting many years ago. The trees here are much larger and even on a dull day the wonderful reds, oranges and yellows were fantastic. Perhaps because it was a damp drizzly sort of day there weren't many people about and I was able to wander amongst the trees taking many photographs.

Enjoy!

a little pot of winter colour

This winter heather was a free gift from a local garden centre, an offer to entice people to spend at what must be a quiet time of year for sales. Although it did seem as if Christmas was in full swing when I was there!

I decided to put it in a pot by the front door. I added some Ophiopogon planiscapus "Nigrescens" and some variegated ivy for contrast. The Ophiopogon will root easily in the pot. I have plenty in the garden, once it is established it spreads rapidly and any pieces pulled away with a little root will survive. I find they are slow to grow for the first year or so but then they do well. The best black colour is obtained when it is in full sun but I have some in shade as well.

With the ivy I pulled the leaves off the bottom 10-15cm of the stems and pushed it in round the side of the pot. It may not take root at this time of year but if it doesn't it will stay green and add interest for a while until the heather spreads a little. Generally though I find ivy takes root very easily.

The heather was very pot bound so I broke and unravelled the roots  it looked like it would appreciate some fresh compost.

Finished - and just for the price of a small amount of compost.

I have placed it by the front door where it sits nicely with the Cyclamen hederifolium and Ophiopogon nearby