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Writer's pictureCaroline Gillespie

Autumn colour arrives

Updated: 6 days ago



Unseasonably warmer weather has meant that the grass and the weeds continue to grow at a rapid pace but finding a dry enough day to mow has proved challenging! At this time of year with the shorter days and darker mornings it is difficult to not ‘up rakes’ and call it a day. The joy of harvesting has passed and apart from the lovely autumnal colours there tends to be less inspiration in the garden at this time of year. Wandering around there is so much autumn colour as leaves, seed heads, ornamental grass and late-flowering perennials extend the season as hopefully ease us into winter. 


Top jobs for this time of year include clearing leaves (particularly under your roses), planting spring-flowering bulbs, dividing perennials, moving or planting trees and shrubs.


Do try to get your grass cut one last time if you can as well as a quick weed to set yourself up well for the spring. Leaves make great mulch so collect and bag those to rot down or if you have a lawnmower that will shred them then even better. Vegetable beds would benefit from a mulch now particularly if beds are sitting empty over the winter months – gives the worms a head start.


But more importantly go visit gardens known for their autumn colour. Ramster, Nymans, Winkworth and Savill Garden to name but a few that will be a joy to walk around.


We held our AGM in Hascombe this year and were well supported by over 40 members attending. The Society will be purchasing trees for each village to celebrate our Centenary next year and hope to have these planted before the winter months. In addition, we will be helping to replace overgrown and poorly evergreen shrubs at Dunsfold Church. The hope is that these specimens can add beauty to the churchyard but can also be used by the church flower team in arrangements – a productive way of pruning. We would like to welcome a few new committee members (Karen Shakespeare and Lisa Wheatcroft) to the committee and thank Zoe Childs for her years of support. Sue Vesey will be taking over as Membership Secretary and Minute Secretary. The rest of us look forward to another year and our celebrations in 2025.


Annabel Watts, Head Gardener at Munstead Wood, was our guest speaker at the AGM. She provided enormous insight into Gertrude Jekyll’s life, interests and talents. Miss Jekyll was a formidable woman and certainly one to admire for her boundless curiosity, stamina and skill in everything from needlework, photography, ironwork, inlay, flower arranging, garden design and growing skills. She partnered with Sir Edwin Lutyens, the architect, on many a house and garden in Surrey and has left such a legacy. Munstead Wood, recently acquired by the National Trust, remains closed to visitors as the NT considers how best to make this property accessible for future generations.


Photo credit: S. Sticpewich

 



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