Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving.  As ever I had way too much turkey but it always tastes so good along with all the trimmings.  I spent a week looking after my grandkids and actually had them help me do some garden clean up from raking leaves to putting all the prunings from the hydrangea paniculata into the wheelbarrow.  The blooms were very large and sagging under the recent rainfall.  

I frantically started to take the hanging baskets down after a sudden cold snap and slowly dismantled the containers.  Happy to say that the plants I salvaged are now safely housed in the garage.  It’s lovely to see the blooms still especially on a dreary day.  I will slowly cut back on the watering and let them go into a dormant stage.  My husband and I worked on the vegetable garden this past weekend digging up the last of the carrots, beetroot and parsnips.  We have been slowly putting the fallen leaves on both the flower and vegetable beds.  I find it helps to protect the plants over the winter and adds nutrients to the soil.

Despite the inclement weather I still have plants blooming including chrysanthemums, asters, a few cosmos, rudbeckia and salvia as well as the malva.  

At this time of the year it is lovely to see the changing fall colours but I plan to add a shrub of interest such as berberis that has bright red berries.  Discovered one the other day while visiting Arrowleaf Winery.

As much as I love to garden and take photos, I am enjoying the change of season so I can cuddle up by the fireplace and read a good book.  It won’t be long before I will be browsing through seed catalogues and planning for the 2017 gardening year.

Just one last photo of the entrance to my garden before we put deer fencing up.  It always looks so ugly but in the end I really do need to protect the garden and hedging trees.  

Enjoy the remainder of these Autumn days.