Autumn Newsletter - September 2022
September is a month between seasons. The weather of the day decides whether we are in late Summer or early Autumn. When September is late Summer, the quality of light shining on the final flushes of flowers and the gradual slowing pace of it all, makes this a magical time to garden and to be out in the garden.
I find it difficult to enjoy a Summer of the kind we've just had. For a gardener it's tough to see plants you've loved and cared for burnt to crisps. During the endless hours of watering, trying to relieve the unquenchable thirst, I've just missed gardening. Helped by the recent rains, I'm really looking forward to making the gardens look nice again in the coming weeks.
Of course there are always lessons to be learned. Our weather has always been unpredictable but now it is extreme as well. It's easy to forget that this year's heat and drought
followed what was a damp, cloudy and cool growing season last year. We must build resilience into the garden in these strange times. Building more drought tolerance into both the planting
and the soil is essential, but so is having a diversity of plants with their many different preferences. That way the weather is always perfect for something, whatever it turns out to be.
Plant of the month: Salvia, Hot Lips
There are several of these drought tolerant shrubs around both the front and back gardens. Several species of bee find their rich nectar irresistible.
Animal of the month: Ivy Bee, Colletes hederae (pictured below)
Often mistaken for wasps or honeybees, the harmless ivy bee is a solitary bee that often nests in colonies. The sand and rubble under a thin topsoil makes this
an unusually suitable nesting site amongst the typically heavy clay soils of our area. Only emerging in September, it is our last native bee to appear each year. The males appear first,
gradually forming a low flying swarm that patrols the nest site in their attempt to be the first to pounce on an emerging female. If you spend time watching them, you will witness this
happening. After mating the female burrows a chamber deep in the soil where she lays her eggs, provisioning each with enough pollen/nectar mixture to raise the larva to adulthood. Having
filled the chamber with eggs (with the male eggs laid last to ensure they are the first to emerge), she dies, leaving the next generation slowly developing under the earth, ready to begin the cycle
again next Autumn. This drama will play out over the coming weeks and can best be seen if you look left as you exit the pedestrian gate.
September is also a time of plenty for food crops. Please pick and eat the tomatoes on the patio, they are for you. The middle plant is a yellow tomato, 'Golden Queen', the other two are 'Gardeners’ Delight', a red cherry type tomato. There are also Chillies ripening in the potting shed, please let me know if you want any.
Best late Summer wishes.
Gary
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