September 2025

Sitting out at the top of the field on a damp morning - and there were many - several colours stood out in the mist. The beautiful lilac of the Artichoke flowerheads, we had so many this year we couldn't eat them all or give them away, but the plus side is that we were able to enjoy the colour and pattern of the heads, adorning the vegetable patch. The dark, rich red of the Silverberry was still in view, we harvested the fruit from the large tree - two more to go, but here the fruits are still too sharp for use. The Sweet Peas were still growing up their frames and producing flowers, Nasturtiums were racing out of their beds, over the walls and tumbling down the hill. Roses were back for another session of growth and the Salvia offered dashes of strong reds and purples. And the best sighting of the month was that of a Ladybird, I haven't seen one in this garden for years, absolutely delighted to meet it. All this inspite of wild, wet and windy days.

Looking back over weather reports from the MET Office the dominant feature was rain.  Lots of reports on flooding all over the UK, and St Ives to Penzance were included. More rainfall than average and the first month to break the long run of dry and sunny weather. But here on The Lizard the rain came but it remained warm with only a few days offering the chill usually felt this time of year.  In between daily bouts of crazy rainfall there was often one or two solid hours of hot sunshine, enough to dry a load of washing and even catch a moment of basking in the heat. Always an extra treat this time of the year as it will be gone soon enough.

I spent a day down at the Beaver farm in Devon which is an oasis of rich, lush growth surrounding great pools of waters with small islands dotted around, created by the incredible damms that the Beavers had built.  The water used to take 10 minutes to get from the start of its entrance to the land to its exit, it now takes two hours. This has had an incredible benefit for the nearest village which had been regularly flooded in the past and now escapes the flow of water. We are hoping to be part of a scheme now being devised in The Lizard that is intending to host Beavers at some point soon.  Watch this space.

A loud chorus of birdsong was still present but the individuals involved changed.  Lots more Robins and Blackbirds were heard in the hedges, alongside Jackdaws, Buzzards, Crows and Wood Pigeons.  Around the house and yard the Chaffinches, Dunnocks, Blue Tits and Long Tailed Tits were all still singing and swooping down to take occasional food from the feeders.

By the end of the month, the trees had started to shed their leaves but the woods still looked green and lush.  Many baskets full of Apples were collected and many an evening was spent creating chutneys, crumbles and jams.  Always an excellent moment in the year. In the field there were dozens of beautifully made Spiderwebs, dripping like diamonds in the early morning mix of sun and dew. The Willow hedge, planted in the Spring, (and later devoured by the larvae of the Hawk Moth), made an excellent recovery and showed good growth, holding onto it throughout the month. The meadow area of the field was finally cut in a rare moment of dry weather and I spent a day mulching the young trees with the cut grasses. We were unable to use a hay baler in the field as the track to the road is too narrow to accommodate the tractor needed for this job. We tried it once and it mashed up the Cornish hedge by pulling out stones and plants.  It seems a shame not to use the hay, or is it?  Maybe it's just as valuable going back into the ground.  Another thing to check!

Weaving my way back through the field I noticed the Oaks in the field were changing into a lovely golden orange colour, entwined with the dried, rusty coloured flower stalks and seeds of the Docks and Sorrels which look like soft wire sculptures. Around the edge of the fruit garden the leaves of the new Blueberry bushes were turning a beautiful deep crimson colour and as I wandered back to the house I came across the Fig tree which was already covered in small fruit.  These will all need to be plucked on Christmas day, that's according to the lore offered by Bob Flowerdew speaking on Gardeners Question Time, (Radio 4), and who am I to argue with such a font of knowledge?  Christmas day it will be!