some food harvest

healthy looking yacon plants with tubers ready for harvest

 yacon tubers

rainbow chards with a red chilli from the pot behind

an overgrown zucchini

there are flowers still

The autumnal days can be chilly but there are flowers in the garden to bring the bees in.

A bee enjoying the nectar of a Burgundy chrysanthemum.

pink chrysanthemum

a cascade of lobelia

yellow abutilon

pink hydrangea

tibouchina and salvia

protea

the garden is still performing

This is not the best picture to show off the double pink Abutilon, but I captured the image to show that within seven or eight months the cutting grew and have been producing flowers.  It is about 25 cm high and I have the pot sitting on my north facing front porch, together with other "babies" and delicate plants.

Enjoying the sunshine is a baby chestnut which grew from a chestnut I bought from the market, last autumn.  This chestnut is for my youngest granddaughter who is seven months old.  You may be able to see a Japanese maple peeping close to the chestnut.  There are three Japanese maple babies, which a friend gave me from seedlings found in her garden in Ivanhoe.  These are for my three older grandchildren, the eldest, who is at university loves gardening.  I am looking after the baby maples until they are a bit bigger and tougher.  You may also see a curry plant in the foreground.

I am still harvesting tomatiloes, chilli, basil and zucchinis.

These pumpkins will not be growing in the low autumnal temperature so I will be picking them as well as the shoots to add to stir fry or soup.

I found this very small pumpkin while I was removing yellowing leaves.  I will be picking it soon and perhaps bake it whole.

Roses and zinnias still giving me joy.

Potted zinnias and cosmos

orange and pink nerines

cheerful two-tone dahlia

This dahlia has been in my garden over a decade.

Red cayenne chilli, ready for picking.