Harlow Carr In September

Things are almost turning full circle now. My very first photo from Harlow Carr back in January was of the heather, it was blooming at the time. Here is the same bed at the moment, the heather will be back in flower again very soon.

Things are starting to get tidied up at Harlow Carr, there were a couple of flower beds which had been stripped of plants and the earth tilled ready for new planting and this area by the stream is also having a makeover.

I don't know what these flowers are but they look fabulous planted en masse, there were great swathes of them blowing gently in the breeze.

Agapanthus Sarah is past her best.

Agapanthus Arctic Star is already spent. There's lots of flowers going to seed now that the summer months are coming to an end.

One seed head which is just as beautiful as the flower itself is the allium. They add interest to a garden for many months.

I don't know very much about trees but I was fascinated by these flowers. They remind me of nemesia. I don't know what kind of tree it is, I'd be interested to find out if anyone knows.

We ventured in to a large greenhouse which we haven't been in before. Growing there is this wonderful fig tree, it's trained to grow along the side of the greenhouse.

There's some figs on the tree but I doubt they'll ripen this year, perhaps they'll go on to give a harvest next year.

Also in the greenhouse is a passion flower. I've always fancied having a go at growing one but it's something else I haven't got round to doing yet.

I'm fascinated by the flowers, they're such an intricate design. The parts of the flowers are supposed to represent Christ's Passion and Cross.

As you might expect, the Kitchen Garden is fit to bursting at the moment. There's so much here waiting to be harvested, it's a good time of year.

You may wonder what is inside the mesh cage. Here's a closer look, they're blueberry bushes, presumably being protected against hungry beaks.

I've never grown celeriac myself but I know many people have trouble growing it. I don't think they have any problem at Harlow Carr.

The runner beans are waiting to be picked. I'm getting a steady supply from my own plants at the moment.

There was no sign of whitefly on the kale, a pest I can't get rid of when I grow kale myself.

I love the colour of this variety of kale, Redbor.

Courgettes and lettuce are growing in this tyre arrangement. I see the courgettes are suffering from mildew, something my own plants always suffer from. It doesn't seem to do them any harm though, I always end up with a glut.

The squash are growing nicely and are adding a splash of colour to the bed.

It's nearly harvest time for the apples. You can see how the tree has been trained to grow against wires, and the fruit nearly ready to be picked. This is Red Falstaff.

Crab apple John Downie.

Crab apple Neville Copeman is a glorious colour.

Here's the border I'm following, it seems fuller than ever this month. I expect it will start dying down again now ready for the winter months.

Harlow Carr has a wonderful Plant Centre, though I find that the perennials are well established specimens and are therefore, priced accordingly.

There's a good range of alpines on offer.

There was a sale on some of the roses but they'd been well picked over by the time I visited and there were none left which took my eye.

I'm sure many visitors will be going home with a cyclamen or two, their bright colours are very attractive during the winter months.

Gone are the summer bedding plants, autumn varieties have taken their place.

I'll leave you with some plants which are still earning their keep in the gardens during September.

I wonder how the gardens will look next month when autumn is truly upon us.