My Garden in Autumn

an autumn driveway

Autumn in New Zealand is a puzzling season. Here in West Melton it's a mixed-up time of the gardening year. The timetable gets a bit confused. The edges are a bit blurred.

Autumn colours are everywhere, traditionally subtle. The locust and the cherry trees have already dropped leaf carpets of basic autumn yellow, and the ginko is surrounded by clotted-creamy mathematical cut-out shapes. The sorbus is still in leaf - spectacularly covered in flames of red and orange. A berry tree opposite is sporting the forest green and scarlet colours of a Scots tartan. Sprays of small burnt orange hips cover the Wedding Day rose. The lime green leaves on the driveway elms are paling, while those on the berberis are darkening to a shocking dayglo red.

polyanthus in Jelly Bean Border

A well bred plant will take this time of year seriously, dying off with dignity or correctly building seed pods. The sedums exhibit this perfect autumn behaviour as they form their russet brown seed-heads. Chrysanthymums know the rules, becoming scruffy and flopping over into the dirt. Phlomis also knows how to make the perfect autumn picture, with new rosettes of fresh green leaves ready for spring while dark brown seed-heads reach for the weakening sun.

Waiting for Winter

The autumn gardener has obviously been doing the right things, in preparation for the coming winter. Catmint in the patio borders has been dutifully clipped, and polyanthus have moved into the house pots. The glass-house is full of daisies, favourite zonal geraniums and curry plants. There are even two rows of timid winter lettuces in the vegetable garden. The seed packets have even been put in piles, ready to start sowing before the temperatures get too cold.

The decay of autumn is evident through the garden, as is the much heralded "promise of spring". Hosta leaves, tired green edged with brown, are dying off, but a cherry red azalea is in bud, and the stalks of spring bulbs are showing through the peastraw.

autumn reds and yellows

Whether the Weather...

The weather is confused as well. In Christchurch the autumn gardener is supposed to look healthy and rosy-cheeked. This should result from the fresh, crisp air temperatures, not the gardener's gross overdressing. The elaborate stripping off of thermal underwear which occurs five minutes after the start of gardening is an interesting New Zealand autumnal custom. But I'm still going to put my woolly balaclava and wet weather gear by the back door, just in case. Mother nature doesn't fool me for a minute!