The pictures are from this summer, see more pictures here October 2017 Greetings to all my garden friends and acquaintances. I hope that you are all enjoying life, out there in the autumn darkness. Today is Friday, 20 October, and I’ve decided not to plant any bulbs today. So far I’ve planted about 8,000 and so today will be a day of rest. It’s a beautiful autumn day here in Tumba, outside Stockholm. It’s time to begin harvesting the pumpkin, whereas unfortunately the birds have eaten up all of my grapes. We’re in the process of moving all the plant pots indoors for the winter and, quite simply, tidying up. There’s a great deal to do. A couple of days ago I cut the grass for the last time this year. Outside the garden, there’s been a lot of mushroom picking out in the forest. Here, at least, it’s been a very good year for mushrooms. Otherwise it’s mainly dahlias that account for most of the colour in the garden. I’ve decided that next year we will really focus on dahlias, and have lots of them in pots. By the way, did you know that dahlias are named in honour of Andreas Dahl, one of Linné’s disciples? In 1791, the Spaniard Antonio Jose Cavanilles, who was head of Madrid’s botanical garden, brought a new plant from Mexico and called it Dahlia in honour of Andreas Dahl. The dahlia originates from the mountain regions of Mexico and Guatemala and is Mexico’s national flower. It was originally thought the juicy, meaty roots would be eaten, but that never took off due to the strange taste. Instead, the dahlia became popular when it was discovered that, by cross-fertilisation, one could produce an enormous number of colours and types. Over the years, approximately 50,000 different types of dahlias have been registered. We’ve now sent out bulbs to all those members of the Bulb Club who had ordered them, and so good luck to you with planting. Start first with the small bulbs and leave the tulips to the last – where we live they can be planted long into December. Have a wonderful autumn. Enjoy the light days before the darkness falls. The blue sky, the wonderful colours of the leaves. I have, though, somewhat split feelings since we all know what’s waiting around the corner, after the autumn … Be well, Stefan, A Gentleman Gardener
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