AUTUMN ALREADY?????

Noooooo! Not autumn already, we're only half way through July! I have to admit though that many plants in my garden are coming to the end of flowering so the beds are going to look rather sparse in the weeks ahead. We've had a very dry spring and summer on the island and the countryside here is looking brown already, something we don't usually see before mid August. Let's hope it doesn't mean a long winter to follow, hibernation comes to mind!

 

I think the plants are as mixed up as the weather Armandii. Something that occurred to me this week was that my neighbours large hawthorn didn't have one flower on it this year, it could be it's age of course but it's the first time it's failed.

 

I have a rowan tree with red berries on and I have seen beech and hazel laden with advanced mast and nuts.
I have also seen some trees with autumnal colouring developing on some of their leaves, whether that's signs of early autumn or just a result of the largely dry summer we're having, could be either

 

There's certainly something going on with the seasons one example is my Delphiniums,they came and went more or less unnoticed and were very disappointing this year.The fluctuating temperatures haven't done the plants any favours either,for all the fine hot weather of late,the temperatures over night have been very low,daytime temperature yesterday around the mid 20's yet overnight down to 12,I think the warmest overnight temperature so far has been 15 degrees and that was a one off.

 

That's interesting Loli. Our temperatures here are pretty constant day and night with no real drops so I haven't got that to fall back on. My Cosmos this year have almost completely failed, they grew to twelve inches haven't filled out and there's one pathetic flower sitting on top of each, others failed completely. Antirrhinum's are pretty much finished but Lupins are still blooming. Most of my bedding is under height and the display this year has not been good. Tomatoes are not doing very well either.

And! Where's the butterflies? A lot of us have missed those this year but I still think we'll see them from mid August onwards.

 

Sometimes I think I live in a bubble, my garden always seems to be behind everyone else. That could be because it's newly established. I have noticed the Buddelia flowering earlier, the blackberries are ripening very early and my Cosmos is very disappointing too!

 

Lovely sunshine with rolling mist this morning, lovely

 

We went blackberrying for the first time this year yesterday. Only got about 100 but it'll be buckets full in no time at the rate they're ripening.

 

The blackberries are ripe, damsons almost ripe and it's the middle of July

 

Noticed a tinge in the Virginia Creeper leaves about 10 days ago . Now 90% of the leaves have a slight crimson colour too them. Its one of my favourite plants I hope the leaves can stick on until late September !
Now the Cosmos is coming into flower , just , seems a little late .

 

All the farmers around me are bringing in their harvest already, am I right in thinking this very early?

 

Lots of sales for gardening stuff, it's as if the season's over already. Saw a Halloween cake decorating magazine in Tescos, Xmas stuff will be on sale soon.

 

Not until after the 'back to school' stuff Scrungee!