The Katsura (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) tree which is still quite young has really started to show its fall colour potential this year after several seasons of more lacklustre performance ……. the books say it needs considerable moisture so doubtless this wetter than usual summer has been a big help to it :
Mid-October is always the time to store the deck furniture away under plastic sheeting and to get out the fishing waders, warm socks and the long pink “mucking” gloves and wade into the rather cold pond to sort out the bully plants that have taken over during the summer and sink the planters containing the choicer specimens into the deeper parts of the pond where they will survive the cold. It has to be done but it isn’t fun and the blood coming back to my finger tips when I had finished showed I had not stopped a moment too soon – quite painful.
The final seasonal job was installing the heated bird-bath on the deck rail where we can watch it from the kitchen window. There is plenty of open water at the pond for now so the heating is not switched on and I doubt any bird has even noticed it but it is already being used by the squirrels – wouldn’t you know it?
