Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.

[SugarPlumTree]

Potting shed thread for those who enjoy talking about gardens and plants. Plenty of garden chairs and the wood burner lit now there is a chill in the air, please join us !

Oh I love AP too and agree about what a special place it is. I haven't been for a while - must plan a trip. That Acacia is gorgeous. I think I saw a huge one flowering on the tow path at Henley in March 2005 (we were there for our 20th anniversary) - it knocked my socks off. And there's another big one in a little garden area in Richmond Park

I've never been, must go. Agree that acacia is gorgeous though it says 'greenhouse' on the rhs website.
Can I ask advice as to whether it is now too late to plant perennials?
I have a few still in pots and am not sure whether to plant or whether to label them and overwinter them in pots in a sheltered frost free spot till spring?

Acacia prav doesn't like exposed positions and is not the hardiest of trees; however this will be the fourth I've planted and I've never had any problems. I put one in in London, about seven or eight years ago, and that survived those very very cold winters a few years ago without batting an eyelid.

Fine to plant perennials now. I'd definitely get them in the ground rather than leave them in pots.

And Funnyperson the tow path at Henley and Richmond party specimens weren't in greenhouses. I am pretty sure I saw the Richmond one since the two hard winters too, so it clearly got through those.

Visited Nymans today. The Salvias were still an array of rainbow colours and the Daphnes were starting to bloom and scent the air. The star of the show though was a huge old Camellia sasanqua Narumigata growing up a north facing wall. Dripping with big bold white flowers, quite glorious.

That camellia is indeed gorgeous!

That's a wonderful camellia rhubarb!
I have a pale pink one, bought from Tesco at about this time last year, which has buds on. Your picture has made me decide to plant it out rather than keep it in a pot!
I think there are quite a few plants where the rhs says 'greenhouse' and they do very well in sheltered gardens in the south of England where there is a microclimate. But there is no real way of knowing which plants unless one sees them growing.
Family keep interrupting my gardening plans. Most annoying are well meaning announcements that they are going to visit and then not turning up. I much preferred their student days when one knew one was free going to be ignored. Days and days of bliss not having to cook family meals or anything. It is hard to know quite how to put it that actually one is perfectly happy not seeing one's offspring, nice as they are.

I mean the done thing seems to be to appear to be homey and boring so that one can be rejected, but under no circumstances to appear to be happy and and busy and unavailable for rejection iyswim. Next time dd says she is coming home she is getting a takeaway and no lift from the station. I say this not to make you all feel sorry for me but as a record to myself. Sorry to hijack a gardening thread but it helps me calm down while I sort out my gardening gloves!

Wonderful morning in the garden! Gentle English rain, slightly windy, but otherwise mild!
Winter jasmine, primroses, fuschia, salvia, lacy pale yellow hydrangeas and a grass with purple flowers are all flowering. Other perennials are fading into the ground, and my next job is to write labels (I bought aluminium ones) quickly before I forget where things are!
What are the stars in your gardens now?

Hijack away Funny! I may need to take refuge in the garden - BabyBearleigh has suddenly turned into TeeenagerBearleigh. He's 15, so it's late, and he's making up for lost time.

When he's feeling really angry he likes to chop logs into kindling, rather than throw things, and I now have two big plastics trugs full of the stuff. The way he's been this weekend, I think we can go into the kindling supply business.

What a gorgeous Camellia I can recommend Trehane ' s (who ha w s sale on their Autumn flowering ones at the moment) if anyone is thinking of buying one.

I think FP that I can imagine a time when I am perfectly happy mot to see my offspring. I too own a 15 year old Bearleigh, though a DD. I have hidden in the greenhouse before if that makes you feel better. To be fair to her she isn't too teenagers really, it is the Teenage intensity I find hard. That's when the gardrn is a huge comfort and distraction. Hope Mr B is doing ok.

Stars in the garden - Geranium rozanne, though still have some cosmos, Bowles Mauve, Penstemon and roses in flower. Very wet day here today.

Pops in nervously and sits in corner.

May I join you?
My name is GrassyBottom and I love my garden which I started from scratch 25 years ago.
It's shallow heavy clay on a bedrock of ironstone so digging a new border is more a mining than a digging project.
My star performer of the year has been verbena bonariensis.
I love to watch Beechgrove Garden because I like the proper gardeners on there but not GW because of Monty Don.

Hi Grassybottom, pull your chair out a bit and have some and

It must be lovely to be somewhere for 25 years and see it develop. I have been in this house for 12 years today just realised. It's the first year of any flowers in the back garden as was given over to grass, shrubs and playthings before.

I am Beechgrove fan and not just because I have a soft spot for Chris Beardshaw. No one else on here is very keen I don't think so good to have another fan. Next year I am definitely going to make comfrey tea after it did best in the tomato trials.

Yes I saw the tomato trials. I couldn't bring myself to plant comfrey though, as I can't get rid of it in places, it's my worst weed.
I had never gardened before moving here and I soon wished I had more land. It was a barn conversion and much of the garden was a farm yard covered with stones. The builder "landscaped" by bulldozing and sowing grass seed. I was too naive at the time to rave it all out and put top soil in. Many years to regret that!
When DC arrived I struggled to keep up with it but now it's about right.
DS2 (16) will do some heavy jobs and likes to come with me to open gardens don't tell his friends though. We recently extended the small veg plot. Not by much because we had to pickaxe through buried rock and rubble. DS wants me to plant veg in neat rows instead of my usual higgledy piggledy mess.

Oops sorry name change fail. I just like this name for garden related stuff

Hello, GrassyBottom. Good to meet another keen gardener and I'm willing to overlook your disobliging comments about dear Monty.

Welcome grassy I like Beechgrove too, but tend to forget when it's on. The presenter is like my father in law. I'm really interested in trying comfrey next year, does Borage work because I have lots of that! Lots of people on my gardening Facebook page don't like Monty, apparently he gives wrong advice and is not a trained horticulturalist. I like him though.

Lovely Camellia rhubarb

Stars in my garden are fading fast, 2 weeks ago I would have said Morning Glory. Today the Tesco orange/yellow Dahlia is still looking fab, and I love my Autumn pots with orange Begonias and Autumn fern.

Sit on the fence with a foot in both camps as I do love watching Monty but enjoy Beechgrove. Plan is to plant Bocking 14 it whatever it is called as supposed mot to seed. You can all laugh at me next year about that.

Can't imagine gardening with a pick axe ! I am noting these 15 and 16 year old DS' s who help out and making a mental note for when DS is older. DD is a list cause on the actually helping front but does take some good photos so forgiven.

Still not planted any sweet peas or many tulips

Ah not all teenagers are willing gardeners. DS1 wouldn't mow the grass if I paid him but is always happy to lift heavy pots or bags of compost.
DS2 did a sterling job on the grass yesterday which really should not need cutting in November.
Callmegeoff My morning glory was dismal this year but the dahlias are still looking good. I notice the Mahonia is in flower. About 2 months early I think?

Welcome grassybottom! For me, the stars this year have been the dahlias, and my Spheralcea "Elroy". I attach pictures of this wonderful plant – which I can't find mentioned anywhere on Googlle, not this particular variety anyway. It has been flowering constantly since I bought it from the Sissinghurst plant centre back in May.

Hi all!

I have (finally) weeded a bed and planted a load of allium and daffodil bulbs. In a few minutes I'll put a load of compost on top. I'm not sure that I've got the depth right for them all but will just have to hope some will come up.

DH bought a couple of sacks of compost so I might get going on bulb planting this week. I have lots and lots of tulips, some anemones and narcissus Pheasant's Eye and some alliums. DH has also put up the plastic greenhouse, so I'll have somewhere for the brugmansia and lemon tree to shelter over winter.

My star plant this year has been salvia Hot Lips. Not only have I managed to create new planats via cuttings but it is also still flowering now. Geranium Johnson's Blue in the window boxes have also been very good.

I love tulips - haven't got any but perhaps if the daffodils and alliums work out this time, I will try some.

It isn't relevant to Autumn but I have tickets to the Chelsea Flower Show.

Ooh. Lucky you. Tickets to Chelsea. I noticed when the RHS magazine arrived a few days ago that next year's show tickets were on sale, but I haven't got my mind round which I might go to.

Hmm, where is my RHS magazine then ? We want to do Hampton Court this year. Anyone bern on a Friday, is it OK?