October Bouquets

Once the mists cleared the sun actually shined through and the flowers looked so bright. There are quite a few seed heads now, which have a beauty only suited to Autumn, and the bees are making the most of these rare sunny days.

When I first planted the kitchen Garden in Spring I never imagined that I would still be picking flowers in October… Dahlias, Scabious, Lavender, Cosmos, Rudbekia and Burpleum. I confess that I have probably had more enjoyment from the flowers than the vegetables so I’ll have to rethink the way I use the space next year.

Chocolate Cosmos

It was International Chocolate Day yesterday and thanks to Cathy from Words and Herbs it didn’t completely pass me by. Her post made me laugh… especially when I discovered that chocolates are afraid of heights (which mean that they’ll jump off the top of cupboards to save themselves!).

It should be no surprise that the Chocolate Cosmos (cosmos astrosanguineus – yes, I’m trying to include the Latin names!) is one of my favourite plants. It’s still in flower by the garage and the bees are loving it too. It has such a rich velvety colour and there is a faint smell of chocolate and vanilla so what’s not to love? It’s one of the most sniffed plants in my garden!

New plants

My lovely husband has been at Silverstone watching the Formula One racing this weekend so I’ve had some proper “me” time. So, whilst he’s been up to his knees in mud (due to the persistent rain) I’ve been visiting nurseries and going all gooey over plants. It used to be handbags and boots (but I’m undergoing a 12 step programme) and now my new high is acquiring plants.
I’m so excited about my first purchase! It’s a lace-cap Hydrangea Hobella and I’ve positioned it in front of the Garden Room so I can look at it every day. It’s unapologetically girly, frothy and gorgeous. It stopped me in my tracks and I had to have it – my normally pragmatic inner voice was nowhere to be heard! Wouldn’t it make a beautiful wedding present?

I didn’t go out looking for anything in particular as I’ve found that most of my shopping trips (clothes, presents, plants..) are more successful when I don’t have a list! The Bumble Bees happily alerted me to my next purchase which was a gorgeous hot pink Bergamot Monarda Cranberry Lace. 

I then came across a Chocolate Cosmos that made my heart sing… once upon a time, a long time ago, a very cherished cat used to sleep amongst the chocolate cosmos. He also used to sleep in the Cornflowers too but they still grew around him! I bought the Cosmos to remind me of George… he was such a gorgeous cat!

The bees were also buzzing happily around the Salvia Mystic Spires Blue so how could I not buy some? They even followed me to my car so I’m reassured that I’ve made a good choice… I think I’ll shop with the bees more often 🙂

It stopped raining at lunchtime and the sun made a valiant effort to shine through the clouds. Hopefully, the tomatoes will start to ripen soon and the courgettes will make an appearance… I have a ratatouille craving so they’d better hurry!