late september days

Still glorious weather, and still loads of colour in the gardens. I have realised that I am really rather in love with the flowers, they are just so prolific and, well, just beautiful. And so forgiving of my rubbish care at times! Anna Pavord wrote in the Indie this Saturday of her love of late summer cornflowers, ammis, nigella hispanica, I'm completely with her there but while she only rates the traiditonal blue cornflower I do venture into multicolour territory there - the dark pink ones are particularly good in bouquets, but I think I agree with her that if I were just growing them in the garden I would stick with the lovely brilliant deep cornflower blue. I'm also enjoying my dahlias at the moment, a few of the shaggy fuchsia ones and sulphur yellows with bunches of cosmos and purple flowers make me smile.

A trip to Malvern RHS autumn show on Sunday. Fantastically busy so it's wonderful that so many people are interested, but not too many particularly special stands or gardens although the RHS flower shed is always such a joy to wander round. I suppose I went there with a very specific agenda, to see if I could find some really good interesting foliage plants, and came away disappointed, but there were plenty of happy customers brandishing arm and trolleyfuls of goodies. I did however think that my asters here were just as good as most at the Show, but then I did get most of them from the National Collection at Picton Gardens so they ought to be good. 

The dry weather means plenty of opportunities to collect seed so we're getting as much in as we can. I'm also aware there's going to be quite a weed issue next year as I haven't managed to get to lots of the annual weeds before they've set seed and scattered. Heigh ho.