by James Alexander-Sinclair
If you can spare a moment from harvesting pumpkins, admiring dahlias and cutting things back then this is a good time to think of your last garden visits of the season.
Autumn is very with us and the days are getting much shorter. I notice it particularly as we walk the dogs early each morning and at the moment we have to start in the dark - a little depressing except that about half way round the sky splits with lines of pink and orange as the sun tips over the horizon.
I mention this because with the autumn comes the last chance to get out and visit gardens. All the big stately home gardens are beginning to close down for the winter but not before a last fanfare of autumn colour. If you can spare a moment from harvesting pumpkins, admiring dahlias and cutting things back then this is a good time to think of your last garden visits of the season. Get out there and see some leaves.
The great places for autumn visits are the various arboreta and forests scattered around the countryside. The autumn leaves will never be quite as staggering as they are in some places but we can get pretty close.
The National Arboretum, Westonbirt, Gloucestershire: if you're within a day's drive of here then please, please go. The acers are particularly fantastic.
Sheffield Park, East Sussex: fabulous gardens laid out by Capability Brown. Staggering trees with guided walks.
Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire: home to Strid Wood, the largest remnant of acidic woodland in Yorkshire. Acidic soil makes for much brighter autumn colours.
Lytes Cary, Somerset: one of the smaller, more intimate National Trust properties. There are lots of autumn activities including wildlife trails around the gardens and estate. For extra information one of the gardeners there has an excellent blog.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond: Try the Treetop Walkway to get a different viewpoint on changing foliage. There is a particularly wonderful specimen of Euonymus alatus there that I used to visit every autumn when we lived in London.
The National Forest: a scattering of woodlands spread through Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire. Lots of walks and a chance to see some truly ancient woodlands: trees that have lived through many credit crunches, wars and pestilence without being that bothered. Good for the soul.
If all this seems a bit too energetic then you can always visit VP's Open Garden. Michelle is a prolific garden blogger who lives in Chippenham. She has opened her garden - virtually via the internet - in aid of Water Aid. Well worth a visit and in aid of a very good cause.
