There have been robins courting and blackbirds fighting in the garden this week. As I clear the veg plot for the season, they are all busy helping me with the insects. Despite being very much in clear-up mode, there are still a few surprise blooms having a last go, and some wonderful autumn leaf colour. Here are my #SixOnSaturday.

First a big flush of colour from the Boston Ivy. I do like the way each leaf flushes from green to yellow to red. These won’t last much longer.

A surprise against the house wall. Somehow a lupin has seeded itself between the path and the wall. And somehow it has managed a second flush of blooms. I’m reluctant to pull it out now, even though it blocks the doorway.

Twisty hazel has lost all her fruit now. I never find any, instead the husks of the nuts are hiding in a corner of the garden where the red squirrels drop them after a feast. The new catkins are coming through, even when the leaves have not quite fallen yet.

This year, Japanese Anemone have not been great, but one or two plants have saved themselves for a late season wave, just before the clocks go back this weekend and gardening turns into a morning job.

Roses, roses, what a year they have had. And still a few are trying to bloom. This one has a rich spicy smell and perfect tightly packed petals.

I think my favourite colour in the garden this week are the blueberry bushes. Now bright pink before the leaves fall. A joyful colour, even on a gloomy late-October day.

I hope you enjoyed my autumn colours as much as I have. Need to keep up our spirits as the clocks change and the dark really comes in. And thanks to those leaving comments on the blog – sorry if I don’t always get back to you on time! The blog is going well, but it would be great if more folk on Mastodon, or other parts of the Fediverse got into tooting a Six! Go on, it’s a much kinder form of social media, not controlled by crazy billionaires. All you need to do is find 6 things in your garden to show us. Then post on social, or add a link at Jim’s blog below. For regulars, our organiser is Jim at https://gardenruminations.co.uk/. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot

I’ve had a tour round the garden this morning, looking for lovely colours and textures, before the first ‘named storm’ of the season rolls in tomorrow. Here are my colourful #SixOnSaturday. First, some proper colour from neurones, which have burst through the remains of other foliage to show off.

Some of the decaying foliage looks wonderful, especially with some raindrops on it. The last of the hosts have just flopped, soon to be contributing to my garden compost.

The chives are having a go at their last (I assume?) burst of flowering before dying back for the winter. Wonderful colour and texture in close-up.

I have a diminutive little shrub, that isn’t noticed for most of the year. It does look lovely in autumn, again with rain drops accentuating its glossy rich red coat. Is it a photonia? I’m not sure.

A cool wet summer with low light levels has not done much for my sunflowers. This one is finally trying to have a go. I’ve never seen one deliver such little petals.

This is the time of year for the sedum to come into its own. I have a few of these. Some of the long heavy stems will soon be gracing a vase of flowers for the living room. Wow, what fabulous colour.

I hope you enjoyed my autumn colours as much as I have. We shall see what is left after storm Ashley has blown through tomorrow. And thanks to those leaving comments on the blog – sorry if I don’t always get back to you on time! The blog is going well, but it would be great if more folk on Mastodon, or other parts of the Fediverse got into tooting a Six! Go on, it’s a much kinder form of social media, not controlled by crazy billionaires. All you need to do is find 6 things in your garden to show us. Then post on social, or add a link at Jim’s blog below. For regulars, our organiser is Jim at https://gardenruminations.co.uk/. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot

My first #SixOnSaturday of the month, as I was away working last weekend (and sad to be stuck indoors on a gorgeous day). There have been some lovely autumn days lately that really show off those rich autumn colours and stand-out shades. Here are a few from my garden this week, from whites through pink to purple.

First up this week, I thought my hebes had flowered much earlier, but they have saved some joy for mid-autumn. Here is my favourite, this large shrub is repeated several times around the garden, the structure and colour are pleasing.

Something else that really finished months ago is giving a last blast of colour too. This clematis is a touch frost-burned around the edges, yet still giving a glorious surprise when I walk along the garden path.

In the greenhouse, somehow the last few bunches of grapes have avoided rot this year. I’ve been opening up the greenhouse on sunny days to keep it aerated, seems to be working!

A late flush of colour has appeared on some low shrub roses. The colour is really striking, although these beauties have no scent. Great for an autumn vase though.

Despite a couple of slightly frosty nights, cosmos are blasting away. I always forget how late into autumn these plants can hang on for. Good for them, great for me.

Last this week, it’ll be time to winter my snap-dragon pots in the greenhouse soon, but for now, I’ll let them grace the garden for a little longer. Wonderful form and colour.

I hope you enjoyed my autumn colours as much as I have. And thanks to those leaving comments on the blog – sorry if I don’t always get back to you on time! The blog is going well, but it would be great if more folk on Mastodon, or other parts of the Fediverse got into tooting a Six! Go on, it’s a much kinder form of social media, not controlled by crazy billionaires. All you need to do is find 6 things in your garden to show us. Then post on social, or add a link at Jim’s blog below. For regulars, our organiser is Jim at https://gardenruminations.co.uk/. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot