In the garden: The last hurrah before winter sets in 

Where has October gone to this year? It has just flown by, propelled by the heavenly autumnal weather that we experienced for much of the month.

It has been an exceptional start to autumn, with dry weather making for some great conditions to get out into the woodlands and admire the autumn leaf colours surrounding us.

Plenty of fungi are appearing as well, as the moisture in the soil and mild temperatures are favourable to their growth and development.

However, it’s best not to get too adventurous if you’re harvesting these for consumption, unless you’re accompanied by an experienced person, as identification can be tricky, and results can be fatal if the wrong mushroom is consumed.

The fungi are other-worldly looking at this time of year, appearing randomly in different parts of the garden. When they are seen emerging from different trees, they can indicate the ill health of the tree.

Beech trees are prone to being colonised by Ganoderma, which is a bracket fungus and can indicate that there is considerable rot in the trunk of a tree.

The smell in the air is different at this time of year as decay slows, dampness begins to creep in, and temperatures fall.

Fungi and bacteria both play an important role in the breakdown of organic material in the soil and have considerable value to an ecosystem.

Many fungi and bacteria are beneficial to plants, increasing their ability to absorb water and nutrients from the soil, and obtaining sugars in return for their services. A mutually beneficial arrangement for fungi and plant.

Before temperatures begin to drop too much and more wintery weather prevails, it is a good idea to start collecting useful materials for drying and using in seasonal arrangements.

Once the weather takes a turn, then a lot of plant material gets sodden and decay starts to set in. Dried grass seed heads, hydrangea flower heads, and richly coloured autumnal leaves like those produced by virginia creeper (parthenocissus quinquefolia), red oaks (quercus rubra), Persian ironwood (Parrotia persica), or any of the brightly coloured maples or cherries that are looking good this autumn can all be collected.

They can all be dried further once they are collected in reasonable condition, by applying some weight using books or a drying press, and can be used to add colour to displays over the next few months.

Flowers like statice and straw flower that lend themselves to drying easily and providing good colour can also be collected now before temperatures take a nose-dive.

It’s best to hang them upside down in a cool, dark, dry location to dry further and use over winter.

Pine cones and attractive branches like those of birch or contorted hazel are also useful additions to have retrieved from the garden before the microbes, insects, fungi and bacteria in the soil claim them!

We are right in the middle of the last hurrah in the garden before the quiet and simplicity that winter brings sets in.

Autumn is a very colourful month, and nothing provides more appropriate seasonal colour than pumpkins, with their cheerful coats of orange, yellow, green, grey/blue.

There was a good harvest this year with plenty of sunshine to aid with pollination and ripen the fruit as it developed over the summer months.

One of the biggest requirements for good-sized pumpkins is farmyard manure, and plenty of it. They love a moist, nitrogen-rich soil and full sun

Given the right growing conditions, pumpkins will reward by romping all over the garden and producing large green leaves and bountiful fruit, the extent of which will not be revealed until the leaves start to die back in September.

The foliage can often develop mildew at the end of the summer, but this does not usually affect the harvest and generally no action needs to be taken.

If the skins are cured in the late summer and autumn sun, it helps with storage time.

‘Jack O Lantern’ is one of the best varieties for carving and cooking, ‘Jack be Little’ is, just as the name suggests, a miniature variety that lasts for months, and ‘Crown Prince’ is one of the best grey/blue types for cooking.

Pumpkins are a great food staple and are commonly canned for use over the winter months in pies and soups, adapting well to both sweet and savoury dishes.

They are increasingly carved and used as decoration over Halloween now, replacing the turnip which was originally used in Ireland.

While the cooking of these large fruits is relatively new to us, they are high in nutrition and a great seasonal vegetable for the autumn.

The seeds need to be removed to hollow out the fruits, and these can be dried at a low heat in the oven after washing off the pulp for use over time once stored in an airtight container.

Plant of the Week

It has to be autumn leaf colour this week and the winner is Lindera triloba (Japanese Spice Bush) with its stunning orange and red leaf colour.

This is a deciduous shrub native to Japan, which has a distinctive three-lobed leaves as the name suggests.

It will grow best in an acid soil in full sun or partial shade.

The cut leaf is certainly reminiscent of maple from a distance.

Considered a slow-growing shrub, it will get to about three metres tall with a similar spread.

A great plant for a smaller garden, it will look good throughout the year, though it may not be widely available in garden centres.