Hats off to any garden that keeps looking good way into autumn. What a skill it is to drag out the season, to milk each last drop of colour and texture, warding off the evil eye of winter
One of those is the Bishop's Garden in Chichester that I get to wander through every couple of weeks or so on my way to meetings.
These photos were taken on the 13 October, but even so, don't they look wonderful?!
The golden stems of various grasses, the upright candelabra of Veronicastrum seedheads, splashes of plummy Penstemons, and pink pompoms of Verbena bonariensis all keep the garden looking fresh when mine has been tired for weeks.
Admittedly this is a garden that uses quite a lot of supplementary watering to keep things going, when I stick to what's in my water butts and no more.
But these long-lasting herbaceous beds are great for offering a final feast for late-flying insects - on my visit, I saw flies, hoverflies, Honeybees, plus a couple of Red Admirals and a very late female Brimstone butterfly.
So there's a challenge - can you find ways to stretch the seasons in your garden too? Or have you got any late season tips you'd like to share?