The mountains have a clarity about them – I feel that I could reach out my hand and simply touch them.

The air, has a tang of the Autumn [...]]]>

I love this time of year and here in Wales September and October can be particularly beautiful months.

The mountains have a clarity about them – I feel that I could reach out my hand and simply touch them.

The air, has a tang of the Autumn that is just around the corner.

Warm sunny days, like to-day are bliss.

At this time of year, the garden teeters between looking rather lovely in a slightly disheveled kind of way ….

Or just plain chaotic!

I have resisted cutting anything down, as last week on two separate occasions I had lovely visits from Veg Plotting and Elizabeth / Welsh Hills Again.

I thought that if I pulled up all the (horizontal) annuals that were infilling the borders

And cut back all the perennials – there would be nothing in the garden for them to look at!

To-day, however, rather than teetering on the edge – the garden toppled into utter confusion and so the secatures came out.

Some of my echinaceas and heleniums are still young plants, and while the seed heads look rather lovely through the lens of a camera -

They look less than lovely lurching through the borders.

I also feel that some of the newer varieties of echinacea, for example E. Art’s Pride, are not as robust and benefit from having the faded flowers removed to encourage growth.

Another good reason to leave seed heads on, is for the birds through the winter.

Frankly the birds in this garden seem to prefer their food direct from the seed and nut feeders.

Seed heads also make for interesting winter silhouettes.

Here in wet Wales we tend to go for rather sodden lumps of dying foliage, as opposed to frosted outlines against a misty sky.

You can tell – this afternoon I enjoyed moving through the “wild border” with my camera,

Before starting on a gentle Autumn clear up ….

And thinking about more plantings for next year!