The diary has had a leaf fall theme lately. The high winds of Storm Bert have more or less bought that chapter to a close. Only the Oaks are stubbornly clinging on their leaves; they are usually among the last to drop.

 And another chapter is underway. Leaf litter has a dynamic ecology/biology of its own as fungi, bacteria and invertebrates go to work decomposing all that organic matter thereby enriching the topsoil.    

 In a brown shade.

Storm Bert has been blowing all day shaking the last leaves off the trees. 

 On the leaf pile: red Acer and golden Ginkgo.

 The various cultivars of Mahonia x media flower in late autumn/early winter. 'Charity' and the appropriately named 'Winter Sun' are two of the most popular. Hybrids of M. japonica and M. lomariifolia their genes tell them to flower now which is handy for gardeners trying to defy the season.

 Bumblebees will seek them out on milder days and even honey bees. These photos were taken last weekend but since then sub-zero temperatures have arrived.

 

 A stunning Acer in one of the courtyards at the music school.

 There are lots of trees at the music school so lots of leaves to sweep and rake during 'the fall'. But that's ok- a pleasing activity on a chilly, sunny Sunday morning.

 

 Wain Wood carpeted with leaves.

In open countryside the fields are fallow.

 

 Bulbs want to grow even when they aren't in the ground. Case in point this Narcissus February Gold. Today I planted various bulbs that I had not got round to planting in early autumn. Mid-November is a bit late but it hasn't been too cold and no frosts as yet. 

 An emerging stem is sometimes evident in bulbs that have been sitting around for a while. A bulb is bulbous by virtue of being a storage organ for nutrients and moisture during a period of dormancy. There is enough pent-up energy in the bulb to initiate growth even when out of the earth. Soon however the roots at the base soon need to draw sustenance from the soil or the bulb will shrivel.

 Finally some sun. The past few weeks have been very dull. I don't mean existentially, I'm talking about the weather. For whatever meteorological reason we have had day after day of low grey cloud without a glimpse of sunshine. So it's been a relief to see the sun this week and some blue sky. I've even felt the warmth of the sun on my cheek from time to time!

 As noted in my previous entry flowers are few and far between at this point in the year. Midsummer's Day (remember that?) is more or less the peak and the beginning of the decline. Most sun=most plants. Gardeners have long tried to fight the inevitable by sourcing plants that will flower in the latter part of the calendar.

 Generally that means using plants from other hemispheres that are hardy or at least half-hardy in UK conditions. Despite the relocation their biological clocks tell them to start flowering when others have faded. So it was nice to see pale sunlight playing across this border at the music school.

 The pink flowers in the foreground are Hesperantha I think, possibly one of the H. coccinea cultivars? This is a southern African genus. In the background the crimson spikes are one of the ground covering mat forming Persicaria. Probably a cultivar of P. affinis which hails from the Himalayas. 

 Flowers are few and far between till spring arrives. Nonetheless the occasional wild flower may suddenly appear out of season for no apparent reason. This looks like the annual 'weed' Nipplewort (Lapsana communis) on a bank that is covered with them during mid to late summer. This solitary specimen is very early (or very late). 

 

 

 The 'woodland walk' at the music school is really only a fringe of the grounds but it feels secluded. On a grey day like today it conjured a walk in the woods. The air was cold, still and damp. Plenty of greenery and the russet tones of autumn. Fallen leaves underfoot, squashy and scrunchy.

 Bumblebees are still on the wing here and there when autumn days are mild. Being furry creatures they tolerate a certain amount of cold and are generally indigenous to temperate rather than tropical zones. Indeed it is speculated that the Himalayas may be their point of origin.

 Honeybees need temperatures of around ten degrees Celsius or more to be able to fly and function. Nonetheless they too will venture out quite late into the year if it is warm enough. The hives at the music school were still fairly active as of a few days ago.

 Bumblebees will forage different plants seeking out sporadic flowers e.g. the Borage mentioned in my last entry. Honeybees work species that are flowering en masse; by this point in the year that means Ivy.

 The Borage on the allotment is still in flower and still attracting bees. Usually it's done by now. I'm wondering if they might overwinter. 

 Typically Borage is grown as an annual but sometimes lasts long enough into autumn to become a coarse, bristly-looking plant with thick stems as is the case here. In which case it seems to have the stamina to become a short-lived perennial in some locales.

 Then again the allotments are something of a frost pocket. Borago officinalis is a Mediterranean species and unlikely to cope with a prolonged spell of sub-zero temperatures. Go back a few decades and it would be unusual not to have had a hard frost by now in southern England. Now it's common to have to wait till December or January.

 The Jerusalem Artichokes grew mighty tall and lush this year. Now the leaves on the stems are starting to yellow and fade. Below ground there will be hundreds and hundreds of the edible tubers. 

 More than anyone could eat without exploding! They should be eaten with care (I speak from experience). Tasty and good for the gut microbiome but potentially 'gassy'.

 Being of the Sunflower family they have bright yellow flowers. Except they rarely and barely flower in UK conditions in my experience despite growing strongly.

 There are actually two beds side by side. On the left one of the usual varieties (not sure which) reached a good ten foot/three metres tall. On the left is a "dwarf" variety which nonetheless grew to about six feet! 

 I'll grow both again next year but I have read it's a good strategy to cut the stems at about five foot high. This prevents them being wind blown and directs more energy into the growth of the tubers. Not that it seems to matter here.

 No need to waste all that good organic matter. I adopted the 'chop and drop' approach and they can mulch themselves. I cut the stems just above the ground so I can locate the clumped tubers when I come to harvest them.

 It's said that Jerusalem Artichokes are a touch sweeter after frost. in any case I'll start harvesting them soon and then for the next few months. The best way to store them is to leave them in the ground until you want to eat them. 

 A very productive crop with little input required: plant them and they grow, chop and drop, harvest, replant spare tubers in February/March. Each tuber grows a handful more. Simple, delicious!

Life is a precious flower.

 A nice combination: Sedum and Hellebore as planted by Jif at the music school. Sedums flower in autumn, great for late colour in an herbaceous border. Helleborus foetidus is generally considered to be winter flowering i.e. January onwards. As I noted recently it seems to have reset its biological clock to begin flowering from mid-October. So there is now a striking overlap between the two.

 H. foetidus is native and I had always assumed that Sedums were introduced as garden plants. In fact S. telephium aka Orpine is native. And some of the popular garden Sedums are hybrids with the Chinese/Korean species S. spectabile for example 'Autumn Joy'. Actually I'm not sure which this is, probably one of the cultivars. Since Orpine is indeed native I'm wondering why I've never seen it growing wild?