The frost arrived this morning.
The frost rimmed fuschia looked like a variegated variety.
There is no time for the pumpkin flower to produce fruit in October but I am sure the bees will be happy to take advantage of its pollen and nectar at this time of year.
All the seasons seem to be confounded at this time of year with frost on the flowers and the seeds providing a treat for the birds.
I enjoy the confusion of the plants with the delphiniums coming up for a second round of flowers.
Sunflowers in October make you think that summer is not really finishing.
But mostly the plants know what they are doing and my saffron started to show two weeks ago. I was rather worried about it as I had sown Phacelia for the bees there in the spring to add natural nitrogen to the soil. Phacelia is one of these handy plants whose roots have nodules sheltering symbiotic bacteria that can fix atmospheric nitrogen. Once the Phacelia had finished flowering I cut it down, contented that not only had I sheltered my Saffron patch from too many weeds but I had fertilised it too. Then the Phacelia started to grow again fueled by seeds dropped during the summer. I wondered if the Saffron would be choked out and I would have killed it with kindness. It seemed to be taking longer but when I checked on my blog last year it was coming up at the same time but the new row of thinned out bulbs was taking slightly longer to flower. So far, the Phacelia bedmate seems to be working – until someone leaves me a comment that Saffron does best in nitrogen poor soil!
I have to pick off the red stigmas of the saffron every day and this afternoon I noticed a carder bumble bee burying its head deep inside the flower in search of nectar. As you pick the saffron its perfume wafts in the air, I suppose it must smell just as good to the bumble bee.
The autumn asters and cosmos are ideal for my solitary bee watching and I was very excited to catch a Megachile that I find so attractive. I think it is a male Megachile willoughbiella (remember I am no expert) and I love his muff like forelegs.
Close by was a Coelioxys bee which is cuckoo bee laying its eggs in the nests prepared by Megachile bees like the one above.
The bumble bees are the most active bees in the garden, flying for longer parts of the day and making the most of the widest variety of flowers.
As for us – we have been spoiled by an exceptionally tasty crop of sweet chestnuts in the woods around us. We have been roasting them in the oven but soon it will be easier to put them to roast in the fire as the nights get colder.
a french garden 
I’m surprised that you have frost before we do! Your season always seems to run longer. Your frost surprised your flowers, too! We have very little blooming now and bee activity has slowed considerably now that the days are cooler.
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The weather here surprises us too! Despite a frosty start the air temperature went up to 16 degrees centigrade with sun which is T shirt weather for working in the garden. The bee hives looked empty first thing but soon got going once it warmed up. Amelia
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Right after posting my surprise, I went out and it started to snow! Yet we have several warm days predicted for next week. (Good thing because I have to finish staining the exterior of the house.) Such is the crooked path of seasonal change.
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That tops an early ground frost! We have just managed to finish a re-varnish of the door and french window before it gets too cold to have them open during the day.
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A lovely post. That carder bee shot is especially gorgeous. No frost here yet!
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That is strange, I would have thought you would have had the frost before us. Amelia
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Lovely to see all the different bees not so much the frost!
I envy you having sweet chestnuts on your doorstep. Roasted chestnuts, a real autumn/winter treat.
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When we first bought the house we planted a sweet chestnut tree without looking at what was around us! It did not do well and is now no more. Amelia
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Lovely photos Amelia as always. No ground frost here yet though we have been down to 2c a couple of nights. The good news is that it’s now cold enough to light the Rayburn. Home made pizzas in the Rayburn are to die for!
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I am surprised I’ve got frost before you. Maybe it is the damper air here. However, it is the season for the fire now. Amelia
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Great photos Amelia, and it looks like quite a significant frost. Is it unusual for it to arrive this early? I wonder if French forecasters are fretting about a harder than usual winter? there’s much talk over here, that we could have a very severe winter …the first Bewick swan has arrived at Slimbridge much earlier than normal apparently!
BW
Julian
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One of the things we notice over here in all seasons is the difference there can be between night and day temperatures despite living so close to the sea. We are forecast warm (16-17 degrees) days and sun for the next five days. I don’t think anyone was particularly surprised about a one-off early frost now. The temperatures bounce around throughout the winter here and I find the good spells particularly cheerful. I must admit I had been thinking we have not had a really hard winter for a bit and we might be “due” one. Amelia
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I especially liked the picture of the saffron, do you get enough to cook with?
No frost here yet but we dont see many bees as there are few flowers about.
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I get enough to cook with and as the filaments are very fine they dry up inside in a few days. It must be the most valuable item I take from the garden and I would much rather gather my saffron that collect the tomatoes or carrots. Amelia
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Pretty photos of your frost, Amelia. We haven’t had a white frost on the plants yet, just a tiny white sparkle on rooftops last weekend. But yes, it will have to come to us soon too! I would love to know what you use your saffron for.
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I use my saffron in my rice mainly. I cook my rice the Persian way. The rice is finished by steaming it either on its own or with other ingredients so when you add the saffron, it too is steamed. Amelia
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Our first frost dates coincided exactly this year but ours was far later than the usual mid September. Our bumblebees are still active but very sluggish.
I’ve never eaten a chestnut. I’m going to have to try one sometime.
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I am surprised about both the frost and the chestnuts! I should not be as I have just checked and Castanea sativa is a European species. It is still very popular to see street traders in the cities in Europe selling roasted chestnuts in the street in winter. Amelia
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What a shock…with such a wonderful display of colour as well. And I am envious of your saffron….
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We do grow some vegetables but my enthusiasm tends to pall when I have to go out and collect the stuff at inconvenient times. I never get tired of my saffron though. Amelia
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Gosh, surprised you’ve had frost already Amelia. I normally have my first in September but I’m still waiting this year for it to finish off the tropical border. The photo of Megachile willoughbiella (I’ll take your word for it) is stunning. Dave
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Glad you liked the Megachile, they are some of the cutest bees. We are always surprised by the differences between the day and night time temperatures here or even day temperatures over a short period – this is comparing with the U.K. Amelia
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You get such spectacular photos! Jealous of your flamboyant saffron flowers and that you still have plenty of bumbles and solitary bees around.
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Some of the flowers like the dahlias have been really knocked back by the frost but the honey bees were happy enough and bringing back pollen when the sun got up. Amelia
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That was a surprise to see you have had a frost before we have Amelia, but I always expect our English weather to be worse than yours. I love the idea of growing Saffron, it seems to decadent to grow and wonderful that your Bees are enjoying it too, I love the bottoms up photograph you have shown. I had to google your Megachile bee to see if we might see one here and see its a possibility. I hope so, he is really quite beautiful.
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There are many more solitary bees enthusiasts in the U.K than over here. I use “Bees of Surrey” by David W. Baldock to help me out. It is somewhat off geographically but an excellent book. Amelia
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Oh dear, frost! I am not ready for frost yet. How wonderful harvesting your own saffron. I will look out for the book you recommend, I would love to be able to recognise the different bees that visit here.
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If you can get a good photo of their wing venation the book takes you through a step by step identification to genus level. I’m surprised I’m one of the early ones to have a frost. Amelia
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Sad, but pretty and it happens every year.
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Yup, it’s a turning point in our gardening year. Amelia
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Frost? You’ll be saying it’s time to put the sprouts on to simmer for Xmas next…
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I didn’t know that the spice called saffron consists of the elongated stigmas of a flower in the iris family. Live and learn.
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And I did not know that Saffron was in the iris family. Thank you. Amelia
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I brought in all our pumpkins and apples the day before but we have only had the one frosty morning that surprised all the birds as the bird bath was solid! Diane
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Exactly what we experienced but thankfully we are back now to much milder temperatures and sunshine today (don’t let’s bother about tomorrow!) Amelia
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Very nice narrative and photos.
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