Thursday 26 May 2011

THE AUTUMN GARDEN

Autumn

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

John Keats, 1820
The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is beginning to put on a splendid display.
The persimmons (Diospyros spp) decorate the bare twigs of their tree.
Myrtle (Myrtus communis) berries make a beautiful show
The bergenias (Bergenia cardifolia) make a splendid show.
The African yellow daisy (Euryops spp) brightens up even the dullest day.
Nasturtium leaves love catching the raindrops.
Ripening grapefruit (Citrus x paradisi) promise sweet delights in mid-winter.
One of the least demanding and most rewarding of fruit trees: The tamarillo (Solanum betaceum). 
A discarded fig leaf leaving branches shamelessly bare...
One of the last yellow tea roses, braving the cold and wet weather.
This one is rather sad...
Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) leaves choosing a watery grave.
Beautiful, bright blooms of the Camellia sasanqua are at their best now.
The humble Viola tricolor rarely stops blooming.
Irish strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) flowers, soon to be succulent prickly berries.
Succulents always look good whatever the season!
The chrysanthemums are just about finishing their display now.
It's a beautiful season...

7 comments:

  1. Love those colours.

    Are the fruits actually growing, even though it is getting colder and colder? I assumed persimmons, grapefruits, berries and tamarillo would need the warmth of the sun to grow and ripen.

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  2. Hels, yes the fruit still manage to grow and ripen eve though the days are getting shorter and it's cold! Citrus fruits are an autumn/winter fruit, just as well because they are full of vitamins and minerals that we sorely need during winter!
    It's quite amazing what a colourful season autumn is...

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  3. I love autumn and your pictures prove that it can be avery colourful, vibrant and dynamic season, rather than a dull and grey one...
    Beautiful!

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  4. O such a glorious collection! The one I didn't know was the Irish Strawberry Tree!

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  5. Hello, I was admiring your beautiful pictures of roses and I was wondering if it would be ok if I could use your yellow tea rose to publish in a poetry book? Please contact me at stormrants@yahoo.com...My name is Andrea Landry. Thank you

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