Great list of autumn flowers! I'm inspired to make my own.Love your description of autumn days - similar here in Wauchope with coolness at last.Im loath to prune overgrown salvias which are visited by 5 kinds of native bee and many eastern spinebills. Must disuss salvias some time with you. Densey

Thanks, Densey. I won't prune my salvias now until late winter as they will go on for such a long time. I found that my light pruning of them (and other plants) that I mentioned in a blog in February did really promote more flowering of some of the plants that had become a bit tired and straggly, so I plan to do that every year in future. Deirdre

Deirdre, its a joy to read your descriptions! Beautifully written. Positively poetic. Makes me want to rush into the garden and ... well ... garden!

Great to hear from you, Jil! Hope all going well in your garden. Deirdre

You have described exactly how I feel about autumn, and find it really delightful to spend time out in the garden after all the horrible humidity. Our Salvia 'Phyllis Fancy' is better than it is in spring, and 'Indigo Spires' and 'Joan' are still producing flowers. These, the fuchsias, and begonias are providing the most colour here, and the sasanqua camellias are opening all over this property.

Thanks, Ann. Good to know others enjoy autumn too. Deirdre

Thankyou Deirdre,your descriptions are wonderful.It is hard to believe how much the angle of the sun changes,I keep moving my pots and also replanting. Janice

Thanks, Janice. It is interesting to see how the changes happen with light in the garden. Deirdre

I see this blog was originally written in 2011 which is interesting as here on the northern beaches while the mornings are pleasant, were still getting 27c in the afternoons which is unusual & not nice at all. Never the less Im pressing on & planting my new irises this morning hoping that after the rain this week that the temps cool down more in the afternoon. Leaving the other bulbs until winter to plant at this stage. Yes, you are right. I think things are a bit different 13 years later. Also, I am sure the shift of season used to be right at the start of March, which definitely doesnâ??t seem the case now. Hopefully with the cooler change this week we will really be in proper autumn. Deirdre

Well Deirdre you were certainly seasonally enthused at Easter 2011! A wonderful read.Here in South Gippsland a very wet spring brought on massive growth of everything- much of which was ripped away or sizzled during the massive mid-Feb windstorm. With no decent rain since early Jan., there's little of hope recovery for a number of favorites including some acacias. Only a few well protected plectranthus in bloom. Ah well Mother Nature! But your first paragraph still applies! Thank you. Thanks, Lillian. It sounds a difficult time in your garden. I hope things improve and you get some nice autumn weather. Deirdre

I agree with you, Deirdre. I hope the season has changed, It is very agreeable to be in the garden in the early morning, even if I often walk into a spider's web, and my shoes get wet. My garden is quite at its worst, with annuals and perennials dying down, but here and there a welcome surprise - dahlias having another burst of colour and flower, and cane begonias still flowering madly. We have had a very wild wet week and now the sun is shining as if nothing ever happened! At least our gardens will be set up for the next few months with so much rain having fallen. Deirdre

The shift seems a little slow this year despite some yellow leaves on the liquidambar. I noticed the morning sun coming in at a different angle through the back windows which is an indicator of change for me. The garden is a bit straggly but happy to see the Plectranthus holding, a new cutting of a yellow salvia about to flower, some dahlias still going, persicarias flowering and the sasanquas beginning. A nice time in the garden to take stock of what has worked. Very varied weather lately! Let's hope it settles down to more 'normal' autumn days soon. Deirdre