Tools of the trade. Long handled loppers for the lower branches. The extending pole with pruning saw and lopper attachments allows me to prune at quite a height without leaving the ground.

 

 Plants for shade part nine. There have been a number of native species among these entries but the majority are introductions from other parts of the world. Gardeners and horticulturalists have long sought out species that adapt well to UK conditions. 

  Then again we shouldn't overlook the plants that have been here all along. I always try to include the likes of Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris), Primrose (Primula vulgaris) and Sweet Woodruff (Gallium odoratum) in a shady garden.    

 

Winter trees silhouette the grey sky.

 Fallow fields from a train window.

 This is Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) which in fact isn't an Ivy. It's a low growing mat forming plant of the Lamiaceae plant family with scallop shaped leaves and tiny flowers. On these grey wintry days I'm reviewing some of the photos I took earlier in the year but didn't get round to posting. 

 Back in April I saw the largest expanse of G. hederacea I've ever come across. It's common enough to find small patches of it in grassland and the margins of hedgerows and woodland. On a walk in Hertfordshire I came across an orchard carpeted with Ground Ivy. It's aromatic so I was interested to know if it has any herbal history; Lamiaceae is known variously as the dead-nettle/mint/sage family. 

 Sure enough according to Plantlife's website Ground Ivy was used by the Saxons to flavour and clarify ale, was known as a lung-cleansing herb to treat coughs and other respiratory illnesses, is rich in vitamin C and can be used to make a herbal tea! 

 Well, a diary doesn't have to be strictly chronological. These Allium sphaerocephalon were flowering like mad on the allotment back in July. I neglected to post these photos at the time so better late than never. And they're reminding me of summer on a dark, cold, rainy night.

  The garden is moving from autumn to winter. The big Sycamore tree at the back is still holding on to some of its leaves but will be bare within a few days. We've even had some overnight frosts which is actually quite unusual in London this side of Christmas.