September the 7th.

In Orkney, my favourite month is June, the time of the “simmer dim”, a time where the sun dips briefly below the horizon before quickly rising again. Long summer days separated by an hour or two of pale twilight. A time when it seems summer will never end. Behind June, September runs a close second favourite. It shouldn’t be so, September is the month that marks the end of our short Orkney summer. A harbinger, first of a brief autumn, then of gales and winter wet. But it also brings back the things that summer here takes away, dark skies dusted with pinpricks of light, jewelled cobwebs and foggy mornings. The Milky Way, pictured above rising over the house, is visible once more.

The past week has lived up to expectations, bringing early morning sea fogs and clear night skies. The fogs are always localised, more common out on the islands. Yesterday we took the ferry to Mainland, (the largest island in Orkney), no real plans bar a walk around Stromness followed by fish & chips in Kirkwall. We left Hoy with the landscape wrapped in grey, thirty minutes later we drove off the ferry ramp and headed on to Stromness under clear blue skies. We caught the last boat home, the ferry gliding back into a sea fog half way across Scapa Flow. By evening though, the days grey shroud had faded away, dispersed on the breeze. Leaving behind clear skies that bring the chance, if you look to the North, of a glimpse of the mirrie dancers.

Looking North, pinprick stars and the glow of the dancers.

In the garden it’s also all change, while the soil is still warm Jacqui is on a mission to move plants that have outgrown their space. Gravel paths are dotted with clumps of split roots as space is remade for plants that are thriving and, for the few that aren’t, a new home is tried. A second chance to find their feet. Out of the two of us Jacqui is the real gardener, somehow in a few short summers, she has managed to create a garden where a garden really shouldn’t grow, an exposed spot of thin stony soil, lashed by salt laden gales. A spot where if you read and believe the books you wouldn’t bother, but J gardens with her heart and soul and so the garden thrives. I build dykes and make meadows but without her love and dedication, there wouldn’t be a garden here.

Jacqui sows her magic, a front garden plot, from bare space to garden in a few short summers.

A recent trip “sooth”, in Orkney “sooth” is anywhere South of John o’ Groats, saw a couple of Crocosmia’s that had been on Jacqui’s wants list brought home. Crocosmia Emily McKenzie and Crocosmia Carmine. As a species they’re a late summer mainstay for this garden, traffic light red Lucifer is the first to flower but as Lucifer fades cooler colours take over, yellows and pale oranges that sit well in soft light. A favourite for this time of year, one that travelled with us from our old garden in Yorkshire, is C.Pauls best yellow.

Crocosmia Emily McKenzie bows to the rain. Below is Crocosmia Carmine

Rudbeckia’s have also come into their own. They’re a good doer for here, one of the best, which we grew from seed, is Goldsturm, used here and there in both the garden proper and in the “guerrilla garden”. A roadside strip of no mans land beyond the front garden dykes, a grey area of undefined ownership, part ours, part councils.

Rudbeckia goldsturm and Crocosmia paul’s best yellow above, Guerrilla garden below.

I’ve written before that trees don’t gently fade to yellows and reds here. Courtesy of salt laden easterly gales, leaves will turn quickly from vibrant green to crisped brown, stripped away in days and cast to the floor. What the trees can’t give though the garden does. At this time of year, the pale reds of sedums, together with the oranges and yellows of crocosmia and rudbeckia and others, when added to the fading foliage of early summer perennials, give us our autumn finale . A  swan song that, if we are lucky, and the gales from the East stay away, will last well into October.

September brings fog and soft colours.

19 thoughts on “September the 7th.”

  1. Gorgeous photos, Garry – especially the one of the milky way. The Orkney Tourist Association (if there is such a thing!) should be paying you.

    Please can you ask the Head Gardener what the silver-blue grass between the Lychnis coronaria (AKA rose campion?) and rudbeckia in the last but one picture is. I think if it’s salt tolerant enough for your garden, it would probably withstand the sidewalk salt/grit that neighbours put down so walkers don’t slip on any ice we might get in the winter. That mix does terrible things to the plants in my volunteer streetside curb (kerb) bulge garden.

    Thanks!

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    1. Morning Penny, After a couple of months of absence it’s novel to see the night sky again!

      I went here last week, https://www.orkney.com/listings/dwarfie-stane in search of an aurora photo, miles from the nearest house, when I switched off my head torch I literally couldn’t see my hand in front of my face but what a sky, horizon to horizon milky way, I didn’t have a lens wide enough to do it justice.

      I’ve asked the HG, we had it given but we think it’s Reed canary grass, Phalaris arundinacea, it has a pinkish edge to some of the leaves so might be a variety called Feesy. Here it faces East, lots of sun but the worst direction for salt laden gales and has no shelter at all, it doesn’t burn off and seems to be quite happy sitting out a wet Orkney winter. We had a quick look online and it’s described as either a runner or vigorous, or both! Saying that it behaves itself here, its only real fault is that as the clumps get larger they can revert to green in the centre and then need to be divided. Definitely worth a try.

      Have a good week.

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  2. Hi Gary you have a way with words that transports me straight to Orkney and your garden. I was sorry to have missed Jaquie when she ventured ‘sooth’ we were in the Dale’s in our little campervan. The picture of the milkyway looked amazing. We have curtailed activity in our garden in favour of the campervan and we thank goodness for our ride on mower. The bottom orchard was left to rewild for the spring/summer but we will be widening the paths gradually again until its all mown ready for new growth next spring. The brambles and reeds would take over completely and it would become a no-go zone. I often wonder what our plot of land would be like if I was more like Jaquie but parkland and trees are more our style as we get older. Tony is all the sevens this week, where have the years gone. Keep these blogs coming and love to you both x

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    1. Hello Pauline, lovely to hear from you, happy birthday to Tony, Jacqui sends her love. You have to give your eyes a minute or two to get used to the dark but at this time of year the Milky Way is stunning, we lose the night sky for a couple of months during summer, it still feels slightly odd going outside and seeing the stars again.

      We have the same problem here in our meadow that you have in the orchard, if we didn’t mow hard in late Autumn and early Spring rushes would soon take over, ditto the brambles that I think must be bird sown.

      We’re down in Yorkshire next May, it would be lovely to catch up with you both x

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  5. Hello Gary,

    I’m GreenGinghamShed from Allan Jenkin’s BTL Community. There was an outpouring of love but also considerable grief BTL this morning. Whilst I appreciate Allan’s decision is his to make (without warning) and I wish him all the best, it seems sad that the future of such a vibrant BTL community wasn’t considered.
    I’ve signed up to Instagram, but will need to learn to use it – it doesn’t seem very user friendly. Whilst Allan’s writing was good,I don’t feel the need to follow him closely, it was the weekly interest of all the community posts that was so beguiling.
    I have read your blog before and love your photographs.
    Maybe we can work out a way to continue a wider dialogue.

    Best wishes

    Sue

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    1. Morning Sue, the news of the end of the column came so quickly. I wonder what, if anything, they’ll replace it with. There are other contributors but none have columns that are regular enough to build up that long lasting btl community that Plot 29 had. Perhaps something new is in the pipeline but I won’t hold my breath, a real shame but I suppose all things come to an end.

      I tried instagram a while ago, I notice that Andrew (SSB) mentioned that he had signed up, but I didn’t get on well with it, perhaps it needs more time but as you say I didn’t find it user friendly. I’ll have to make my account live again and see if Allans instagram is anything like Plot 29. I think it may well be a more general account of anything and everything. I wonder if there can be an instagram for plot 29 btl’ers but I’m far from tech savvy.

      Thank you for your comments regarding the blog and the photography.

      Best wishes

      Gary

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      1. I agree with you about Instagram. It doesn’t really lend itself to the type of community engagement that the btl group had on Sunday mornings. SSB has set up his Seasonsshift blog and between his blog and yours maybe we can get some ideas going as to what to do next.

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      1. hi Gary, yes a perfect day here as well. More to follow tomorrow, then mist on Friday and fog on Saturday! We are taking the opportunity to drive one of our favourite longer routes tomorrow: north from Inverness, over the hill road to Bonar Bridge, then on to Lairg, follow the wonderful route north west to Laxford Bridge, south over Kylesku Bridge, through Assynt to Ullapool and back home past Glascarnoch. Hopefully there won’t be too many motor homes and we’ll get to enjoy our favourites stopping places and walks.

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      2. Hi Geraldine, I don’t know where this has been hiding, it has just popped up in my WP inbox. 5 days after you sent It. I hope you had a good trip. Apologies for the late reply.

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  7. Hi Gary

    I’ve never posted to anything before, I’ve found your site via the Allan Jenkins column. I only found that very recently & have so reading everyone’s comments. I was so when it finished last week as we’re so many others. I will enjoy reading yours, I have already!🙂 I’ve also found Andrew’s aka Stripesidebob Allan’s column. https://seasonsshift.co.uk/ there are a few comments already thankfully. I will look forward to reading both🤗 Thank you for such a lovely site🤗 Orkney is a wonderfully fascinating place to read about. Happy gardening!

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    1. Hi, thank you for subscribing and apologies for the late reply. A downside of living here is painfully slow and intermittent broadband, we’ve been offline since last Wednesday. Hopefully now cured with a shiny new toy that picks up a satellite signal and doesn’t rely on BT’s ancient copper wire set up! Allans column will be sorely missed, a Sunday morning essential. I’ve subscribed to Andrews site and will be tuning in on Sunday. Happy gardening 🙂

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