At this time of year there is a flurry of list-making as jobs to be done in the gardens are arranged and rearranged according to the weather and priority. It's all about housekeeping in November, a case of which glasshouse to empty then clean and in which order.
This is a glorious stroll that takes you from the richly planted ornamental grounds through the simplicity of the landscape park, the arboreal splendors of the arboretum and thence into the upper landscape park with panoramic views of the beautiful South Downs.
There is a wistful softness about golden October, a period that can produce some of our most congenial weather in which to enjoy the less urgent jobs of autumn such as lawn raking!
The dry September with less than 10 mm of rain recorded has been the driest at West Dean in the past 34 years. We could do with some rain, a generous 15 mm right now would suit nicely. Read more in our October blog.
As September slides by the damage limitation exercise that is the garden after a long summer slips into history and we can relax a little. It's also the time to savour the fruits of our labours as the grapes, apples and pears ripen and are picked in the orchards.
As the dog days of August approach and other flowering shrubs give up the ghost those stalwarts of the late summer border, the hydrangeas, come into their own. The common hydrangea, H. macrophylla, has spawned a huge range of varieties that divide neatly into two main types, the lacecaps and the Hortensias, or more descriptively the mopheads.
Having just passed the longest day, 21st June, I think it's fair to say that summer is here and so far it's proving pretty good, fingers crossed!
Last winter's rain has acted like rocket fuel to the gardens, there is fabulous growth on trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials everywhere. As a result the early season wild flower display was floriferous in the extreme - always a glorious sight.
Chelsea week is the one time of the year that gardening dominates the airwaves and takes centre stage in the public's mind which is slightly curious because as any "real" gardener knows gardens are an all year round obsession that occupies one's thoughts and efforts for 52 weeks of the year . It is that constant input and long term commitment that really produces the results and offers the rewards.