Late Summer Pictures

Although Summer is barely at an end, the plants on the Hautbois estate have obviously decided that Autumn has arrived! The Autumn, or Saffron, Crocus and the little Cyclamens have been flowering for quite a few weeks already, and the Nerines (natives of the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa) are already almost past their best a full month early. The long hot Summer, and lack of rain, is being blamed for the apparent early arrival of Autumn as Nature has had to switch off early before the plants die of thirst. It has been an unexpected bonus for us though, as usually it is too cold to appreciate this final flourish of colour and hue.

September 13, 2003