It's that time of year when my thoughts turn to planting bulbs. As usual I placed an order with Shipton Bulbs. They grow native species like Ramsons and a selection of the usual and unusual suspects on their smallholding in Wales. For example I bought Crocus tommasinianus (which are quite widely available) and Ornithogalum nutans (which only a few of the specialist nurseries seem to cultivate).

 I generally supplement my Shipton order with anything that takes my fancy in the displays at garden centres etc. Case in point Nectaroscordum siculum used to be a rarity but now features in the ranges of several of the mainstream suppliers.

 One issue that bears further investigation is whether bulbs -and plants generally- are "organic" i.e. grown without chemicals. That is a particular concern with edibles but also in respect of pollinators; for instance a pesticide could still be present in a bulb when it flowers the following year. 

 Holland has long been the centre of the bulb trade. I have read some fairly gruesome accounts of the state of some of the waterways as a result of decades of intensive cultivation of what is after all a cash crop. I tend to think that small independent nurseries probably err on the side of organic and that the large scale growers probably do not. 

 As far as I am aware there is not a system of labelling as with food. I notice some sources are now advertising bulbs that are stated to be organic which is a step in the right direction. 

 As well as butterflies [last entry] there are bees seeking out the last flowers of summer. Calamintha nepeta flowers for weeks and weeks into autumn. It needs a sunny spot in well drained soil but other than that no attention at all. I planted one in an old china sink in the front garden a long time ago and it comes back year after year without fail. 

 

 There are still some butterflies on the wing. Here is a Red Admiral feeding on the Asters in the front garden. It came and went several times in the course of the afternoon (or perhaps there are several in the area).

 Nettle-leaved Bellflower (Campanula trachelium) as seen a couple of days ago in a Sussex hedgerow. One of my favourite wildflowers but I don't think I've included it in the diary before. 

 Curiously it's a difficult species to photograph. The flowers are of a particular violet-blue hue which the lens of the camera has a tendency to distort as too violet or too blue. The same problem occurs when photographing Bluebells. 

 I believe this has something to do with UV frequencies. The flowers may be "signalling" to insects on frequencies which cameras (and humans) don't fully perceive.  

 The clouds rolled in as I made my way up onto the South Downs yesterday. I headed for Wolstonbury Hill which has sweeping 360º views.

 Dark, leaden skies and bright shards of illumination played across the folds and undulations of the landscape. These brooding atmospherics made me feel decidedly autumnal. 

 I have noticed that coastal areas often form a zone of transition where the weather of land and sea meet. No doubt the buttress of the Downs adds to this phenomenon.

 

Looking towards Brighton and the Channel the sky was bright with a cloudy haze of blue.

 Yet facing in the opposite direction the view inland was dark and ominous.

 

 A walk on the South Downs, that bulge of chalk that runs along the South Coast. I took a train to Hassocks which is the last stop before the railway tunnels under the Downs towards Brighton. As I approach the slopes I am always reminded of that quote from Kipling's poem Sussex: "Our blunt, bow-headed, whale-backed Downs"

 I planted a Sedum on the allotment a few months ago. Someone had left a healthy looking specimen in a pot in the spare produce box by the entrance to the allotments. Sedums are often grown in gardens, usually the Ice Plant (S. spectabile) or Orpine (S. telephium) or cultivars of one or other.

 Generally planted as an ornamental it seems it can indeed be thought of as produce. In his book Creating a Forest Garden Martin Crawford says "The leaves are great in salads, with a succulent texture and mild flavour...Leaves can be harvested throughout the season, though they can get slightly bitter in very dry weather". I will try a leaf to two and see if I concur.

 Anyway, whether as an ornamental or an edible Sedums are a great plant for a sunny spot. The leaves are evergreen, the flowers morph from green to pink for a late splash of colour and make a striking silhouette when brown and dry in the winter months. Good plant for bees and butterflies now that not much else is in flower.  

 Autumn sometimes prompts a last flush of flowers on plants that flowered earlier in the year. The recent rains have stirred a growing spurt as well. Case in point Meadow Geranium and Musk Mallow have reappeared on the wildflower patch on the allotment.

 In fact I cut the patch down to the ground about a month ago in imitation of scything a meadow. Everything was parched and gone to seed by that point but now it's green and growing again.

 Amazing what a difference a bit of rain makes. In previous years one corner of the allotment has been carpeted by Nasturtiums. [for example see entry dated 27th. October 2021}

 They self-seed copiously and being a fast growing annual reappear early the following summer lasting well into autumn. That didn't happen this year- up till now. Nasturtiums flourish in arid soils and are well suited to drought and heat. Even so they do need some moisture to germinate and there wasn't any for months. The recent rainfall has instantly activated them.

 They won't survive the first frost but assuming we have a reasonably warm autumn they might yet run rampant. As I've noted before the leaves and flowers of Nasturtiums are edible and the seeds too when they are still soft and green. Here on the allotment I think they can be considered a cover crop and green manure as they are (usually) so prolific.

 Writing about those Cobra Lillies in my last entry got me remembering that hike on the Pacific Crest Trail (subject of numerous entries in July/August 2018). It began and ended in Castle Crags State Park. On the way out to Deadfall Lake and back again I pitched my tent each evening on the trail. 

 The final night I slept in an official PCT campsite which was just a small plot in the Park that had been designated as a campsite. As the sign says Milt Kenny Trail runs straight through it which connects to Bob's Hat Trail which connects to the PCT. I enjoyed chatting with some of the thru hikers who were doing the full 2,650 miles.

 There was an actual camp site nearby for respectable citizens on vacation- with a shower block. I had swum in Deadfall Lake but that was my first hot shower and proper wash for 10 days and it was glorious! 

 A mass of cobras. I don't mean snakes; these are the Cobra Lilly (Darlingtonia californica) aka the California Pitcher Plant. They don't bite but they are carnivorous. They trap and digest insects lured by nectar into the modified leaves that form the "pitcher". Thus they derive the nitrogen that is lacking in the soil of their natural habitat- bogs and seeps with cold running water in northern California and southern Oregon.

 As diary entries go this one is completely out of sequence being a photo I took hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail on 12th. July 2018. I've been scrolling through some old images and I don't think I posted this one at the time.

 The flowers of Ivy-leaved Cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium) vary from the purest white through to shades of pink and deep magenta. Will grow in the driest shade. Blooms in late summer/early autumn followed by variegated leaves that overwinter. Self-seeds copiously in spring.

 A few weeks ago I noted that Green Park in London wasn't looking very green as a result of the record breaking heatwave/drought. In the past week though we have had some spells of rain; not particularly heavy but steady and persistent. That has been enough to bring about a remarkable transformation...

 Rosebay Willowherb (Chamaenerion angustifolium) produces a lot of seeds. They're fluffy and easily blown by the wind so it's not surprising that it has spread far and wide.

 I added this mini-pond to the garden years ago- a large trug sunk into the ground with a few pots containing plants like Marsh Marigold. Clearing the undergrowth I noticed it had evaporated to a muddy slush during the course of the summer. I filled it up and immediately a large frog hopped through the surrounding vegetation and dived in! Then a baby frog surfaced, possibly it had been wallowing in the damp mud.

 A pond of some kind is one of the best things to attract wildlife to the garden. This year's drought has made me think I should create a larger pond or add some more mini-ponds. Some watery wildflowers would enhance the existing planting in the garden particularly if long, hot, dry summers become the norm.

 Photos of the two frogs below, well camouflaged in the water. One of my neighbours moved out recently taking her cat with her. Fond as I am of cats this one was dedicated to massacring frogs. I'm pleased to see that some survived and hopefully the local population will recover.

 

 I mentioned the Purwell Meadows are grazed by cattle. When I was a child I recall they were the usual black and white variety, probably belonging to a local farmer. In more recent times the meadow has been managed with conservation in mind. Rare and ancient breeds often feature in conservation grazing i.e. using grazing to maintain or restore habitats.

 The Purwell Meadows rub shoulders with the outer reaches of Hitchin creating a distinct contrast between old and new.

 Never seen this before. My local park Telegraph Hill is quite a high point in South London (with sweeping views towards the centre of the city). I've never known it to be dry to the extent that large cracks are opening up all over the brow of the hill. Some of the cracks are so large that I would be able to insert my arm into them and be at full stretch to touch the bottom with my fingertips.