The garden is getting confused!

Acouple of strange things to report from the garden, which I imagine have been replicated around the country. First, I noticed a few penstemon came back into flower, having burned brightly but briefly earlier in the year – I think they gave up in around August, soon after the searing heatwave of a few weeks earlier. Presumably, with the current mild weather, they’ve decided it’s safe to show their faces again!

At the same time, my springflowering clematis is in bud! Is this because it too went into a state of selfimposed dormancy in the summer and, now the sun is shining and the days are basically as long as they are in spring, it has got itself confused? Either way, both will provide the late-season pollinators with an end-of-October bonus!

But it does seem to me to be yet another consequence of the extreme weather we experienced this summer. Right now, though, it’s a lovely autumn, if a little dry.

It’s just so wonderful to be outside on these bright, sunny days when there are still lots of jobs for us to get stuck into – one thing I can certainly recommend is growing an apple tree (see our feature on page 18). They’re a year-round delight and so useful in the garden, as well as providing us with tasty rewards for our efforts!

Elsewhere, Carol Klein waxes lyrical about grasses in the autumn garden (page 22) – they absolutely come into their own at this time of year and it’s well worth getting along to the garden centre this weekend to treat yourself to a couple of plants! Have a great gardening week.