Remains of Autumn

Autumn has come and gone really quickly this year. We had only one good week at the beginning of November before cold set in and leaves started dropping off. Leaves are no all gone, and mostly collected.
However,, surprisingly is it a bonsai that insists on holding on to it's leaves despite the cold.
I created this bonsai from quite a large shrub, and it is still work in progress. It is extremely tough, and lives outside all winter, unlike my other bonsai, which come into the greenhouse as soon as winter sets in. I think it is quite a cheerful site, in what is a fairly miserable time of year.



I started this bonsai at a workshop at Kew, and have no idea what cultivar it is. The only information I can provide is that it is covered in dark pink flowers in May. (Could not find a picture in flower, time I had one)

Return to the Garden

I've absented myself from this blog and to a large extent form the garden this summer. For a change we concentrated on the house and let the garden take care of itself, which it has done very well.

While we had an excellent show of roses in June, the dry start of the summer meant that we did not get much repeat flowering until September.
Autumn colour was also strange this year, it started late and lasted only for a few weeks at the end of October before the leaves dropped off.

Now begins the slow job of clearing the leaves from the paths and gravel areas, before it all disintegrates into a mush.