Autumn colour at The Garden House

A good many of the trees and shrubs at The Garden House have been planted for their autumn colour.  The Japanese maples of the Acer Glade are always the main attraction but many other areas have their own displays.  Here's a few images from this year's displays.  I've not added a copyright notice on these but I do reserve all rights and they may not be used without permission.  As always, click to embiggen the shots.

I'm starting with shots from Oct 19th when colour was realy starting to develop.

The Acer Glade

The Acer Glade

The Acer Glade

Betula ehmanii 'Grayswood Hill' at the end of the Long Walk

The Acer Glade from the Wildflower Meadow

Colour from Koelreuteria paniculata in front of the house

By Oct 26th the colour was both intensifying and spreading further round the garden

The Walled Garden Lower Terrace

Looking over the Walled Garden from behind the house

The Acer Glade

The Acer Glade panoramic shot

Looking back towrds the entrance from the Summer Garden

More Acer Glade views from Oct 29th.  The colour was glorious.

And, finally, some views from Nov 2nd

Prunus 'Tai Haku' in the Walled garden

Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Gold Rush' in the Arboretum

Walled garden Tennis Court terrace

Acer palmatum 'Matsukaze' 

Acer Glade Acer palmatum dissectum varieties

The displays are not quite over but have certainly been spectacular this year.  The hot dry summer has intensified the colour and a mild wet autumn has prolonged the seson beautifully..

 Some misty views of The Garden House

Every Monday I spend a few hours photographing The Garden House for their social media posts.  Last Monday was no exception.  The conditions were totally different to those we've experienced for most of the summer.  Misty, cloudy overcast with a small amount of rain.  Very soft light with the distance fading into white mist.  Any garden looks different in these conditions.  As you'll see from the photos.  Click to embiggen.

The Arboretum lake looking towards the Walled garden

The Arboretum lake with the background hillside hidden in the mist

Another view of the lake

Tennis Court terrace in the Walled Garden

Maples in the Walled Garden with a misty background

The sitting area at the bottom of the Ovals garden looking across the lower terrace

The whole garden has certainly greened up over the last few weeks, a benefit of edge of Dartmoor rain after the summer drought.  The misty conditions were just the icing on already desirable cake.

 Further musings on the 2026 drought

The weather has finally broken from its' unending diet of heat and lack of rain.  Not by much; there have only been a few showers and no prolonged heavy rain.  But enough to cool the air and promote a little bit of green recovery.  

One tiny oddity has materialised.  This is the Tennis Court lawn and surrounding dry borders at The Garden House...

...dry, brown grass as far as the eye can see.

Interrupted only by little patches of green.  Hairy Hawkbit, Leontodon saxatilis, a common UK garden weed, with deep roots that can reach what available moisture is left in the ground.  The grass, alas, is shallow rooted.

Drought adaptation differences summarised in two images.  Ah well, at least we now know exactly where the weeds are.