The Last of Autumn Colour

October went out with a bang. After a long spell of unseasonably warm weather, the storm swept through the garden, stripping the trees of their remaining leaves and leaving the dahlias looking somewhat worse for wear. These photographs were taken just the day before, when the flowers were still standing tall and the garden was enjoying its last blaze of autumn colour. Things are a little more dishevelled now, although the house is full of jugs of fallen blooms, so it's not all bad news.

Last week, in a rare pocket of calm, I sowed my sweet peas. I've tended to sow them in spring until now, but a friend whose garden is always full of beautiful, early blooms has persuaded me to try autumn sowing this year. I've chosen a few lovely varieties from Alma Proust: Mollie Rilstone, Shell Pink and Three Times as Sweet. I'm looking forward to seeing whether a little forward planning will reward me with flowers earlier next year.

Despite the change in season, there's still colour to be found. The nerines, which I planted last year, have been bringing a welcome splash of pink to the garden, just as so many of the other flowers are beginning to fade. They're a brighter pink than I'd usually choose, but now, as the garden grows more austere, I'm so glad I did.As the garden winds down, my thoughts are turning to what I can grow indoors over the winter months. I've just planted up a mixture of amaryllis bulbs and paperwhites in the hope that they'll be flowering in time for Christmas – I love the thought of fresh flowers dotted around the house during the darkest weeks of the year.