By this time mid September, you can sense the garden slowing down. The days are shortening, and with it temperatures are falling and we have lower light levels. Whilst it all depends on where you garden, it is noticeable that tomatoes are ripening more slowly. Unless you want to make batches of green chutney, it will be necessary at some point to cut your losses , and the tomato vines, to bring them inside to ripen.  

When it turns cooler and the tomatoes seem not to be doing much, cut the vines so that you have batches of tomatoes still on the vine. Bring them into a warm conservatory or porch  and its good to lay them out on newspaper. If space is restricted you can put them in a dish on a warm sunny window sill. The extra warmth inside and sun will ripen most, but probably not all. I find when the tomatoes first come in and there is still quite good light levels and sun, the tomatoes continue ripening well,  but sometime later in October/early November, they can look less appetising and then it's compost time for any which are left. The good news is that bringing the tomatoes in from outside or the greenhouse, into a warm place inside, will definitely ripen  the majority. I have used this method successfully for many years and never yet made chutney. 

I love to grow Oregano for the bees and butterflies and on a warm sunny day, instead of tearing around the garden, time to pause to watch the butterflies.  Today I captured a Peacock butterfly flitting amongst the flower heads assiduously extracting nectar and basking in the sun.

Oregano and its close relation Marjoram are very easy to grow, too easy. Oregano is a great self seeded and will pop up everywhere. It can also be a bit floppy and really needs support otherwise it can sprawl sideways leaving a bald mid plant. Easy to grow in a good sunny area Oregano is attractive, the variety in the image is  Origanum onites common name Pot Marjoram with lovely mauve flowers. There is also a popular golden leaved variety called Origanum vulgare 'Aureum' which has the RHS merit award so always a good choice.

Why not create a butterfly paradise and plant a Buddleja, with Oregano and Sedum, around a garden seat so you can sit and enjoy the butterflies. More ideas for plants which attractive bees and butteflies.

If  you buy one Sedum, you should never have to buy another, as they are the plant world's easiest plant to propagate. Sedums are a lovely plant, flowering in August and September, hugely attractive to bees and butterflies. 

Sedum can be propagated in two ways, either by cuttings or rooted in water. 
If by cuttings, a really easy way is in May is to Chelsea chop Sedums to make them bushier later in the year but don't throw the cuttings away. Just push into ground near the mother plant and they will root really easily. This will create a nice clump of Sedums within  a relatively short period of time as they are quick growing.

Alternatively put a cutting into water and watch it root and grow, which is fascinating in itself. In the image the sedum stem has been put into water, it has rooted and grown mini plants. When the roots are mature pot up into small pots and put in sheltered area. Later plant out in the garden and from the one stem you may have around 5 plants.

Sedums are truly dead easy to propagate and a good plant to start with if you have not propagated plants before. It's always good to have plants for free that have travelled no road or air miles.

Sedums are attractive for months starting with the flowers now but even late in the year the flower heads look fantasic with frost on them. Sedums are easy to grow. 

One of the best Ness Gardens

 A visit to Ness gardens is an absolute treat from beginning to end.  The garden presents interesting diversity in the different areas, and its size, at 64 acres is good for a long walk. Before setting off around the garden, there is a lovely café which serves tasty home made fresh food and makes a good starting point.

The diversity of Ness gardens means there is something of interest for all tastes and plenty to see. The range of gardens combines the very differing delights of a meticulously laid out Potager with an extensive wild flower meadow. It also has many water features and attractively planted ponds.

There are several sweeping lawns and views including a wooded area, spinney, and an excellent picnic area with a grass maze. As you would expect, there are also herbaceous borders and plenty of flowers to see and smell.

Ness gardens is one of the most interesting and well laid out gardens I have been lucky enough to roam around. It is difficult in a few images to do justice to the gardens; a lovely sight soon after entering the garden are the wild flowers and poppies, image 1. The garden opens up with sweeping lawns fringed with stately mature trees, image 2. Amongst the many water features is a planted waterfall with terraced sides planted in a Mediterranean style.

Some of the large areas of herbaceous planting are shown in image 4 a very colourful combination of Hemerocallis, Helenium and Penstemon.  Image 5 shows the meticulous attention to detail in the vegetable area and Potager, great symmetry and colour.

For me, the very best, was the lovely walking area through woods, a spinney and wildflower meadow. These were great places to pause, image 6. The wildlife meadow was more natural than many popular in gardens today which tend to be seeded with lots of wild flowers, much of this was left as nature intended.

This area lay the furthest away from the entrance and we met nobody whilst walking around this wildflower part of Ness. It was a hot and sunny day:  the air smelt of warm grass, it was silent apart from the bees and insects and for once we could hear the steady drone of bees. As we walked butterflies tumbled off plants and shrubs flitting around us.  It was a country walk through an unspoilt area of spinney and fields, relaxing on the eye and nourishing to the soul. In gardens we often seek to tame plants and nature, in this area, minimal interference created a relaxing, silent enclave perfect for a ramble.

Walking out doors is one of the most popular activities and connecting with nature is rated higher and higher as we realise its value in our busy day to day lives. Taking a day out to walk around Ness represents a real breathing space in a busy week and has so much to recommend it.

Details of Ness Botanical gardens what to see, opening times and child friendly activities for the summer of 2014