DST has ended - and we're straight into a good chilly southerly.

I'm scampering around trying to get all my half-hardy and downright juicy-tenders tidied up for winter.

There's also the thought of doing micro-greens for over the cold so I don't need to go so far as the garden for saladings. Mesclun has appeal. I like those tasty young leaves.

As the leaves come down I'm adding them to the slow compost heap, while looking at the pruning for later. Leaf-gathering is definitely useful for feeding my particular soil type - and it keeps the gutters clear. It's just, well, I'm not that keen on some of the things I find in gutters. I could wish more of us were 'tidy kiwis'.

Chilly tonight. Could be farewell to the Coleus and the Impatiens. And dry. We had a sprinkle this morning but the leaves are drooping and drying, not turning into glorious colours.

The exception is a deciduous azalea - 'Chocolate Ice'. Last out and first to go. I suspect it of being a Knaphill variety but I haven't looked. And the Weigela is a delightful old gold with maroon edges. Almost better than spring flowering.

Treat in waiting is Narcissus Foundling - a cyclamineus with a pink and pleated trumpet. I was lucky enough to get it for 50c in a sale.

I also bought Russian sage. In all innocence. It looked so tiny and forlorn... and it grows to 1.5m. Oh. And oh, again.

I tempted fate and planted out the tulips. Ignoring all the Laws of Fridging. The ones in the ground have already started putting out roots, despite the dry. I suspect they've not heard of fridges.

The usual madness of apple trees - some autumn flowers but the bumble bees are busy competing with the tuis on the Abutilons and haven't noticed (or, maybe, the flowers aren't producing a matching nectar for bees at this time of year). And lots of wasps on the late apples. I've been blaming the rosellas but, no, it's wasps leaving 'toothmarks' like rat munching. Thugs. I'm glad I executed all those queens in spring! Don't know where this lot is coming from but they seem numerous.

Almost too late for potting on, except for potted bulbs. And almost time for tool overhaul. Aaaah. Here comes winter, and the quiet chores.

The much-heralded 'weather event' is pattering on the roof. Just steady rain; no cloudbursts so far.

It's still very mild this year. The persimmon has arrived at full autumn glory and had ONE fruit (scoffed by a passing tui) after the flowers were blasted by the late frost last year.

The Salzman crocuses are still showing up in a staggered sequence, usually beside something in glorious autumn array. They go well with deciduous azaleas, Hosta leaves, Berberis thunbergii - and the fallen apple leaves.

The Dahlias and tuberous begonias have met their annual ending while the semp begonias are throwing up another round of flowers - as are the Zephyranthes citrona, and Tibouchina is enhancing Rose Stanwell Perpetual. (The frosts keep Tibouchina from showing its true weedy self.)

In the grow box the mesclun is settling down and the radishes are informing me that short dylight is not enough for producing plump roots. But the leaves are peppery-tasty and a pleasant little snack.

The most interesting part about the grow box is seeing which seeds hold their viability. Some are no-shows within months of purchase, and opening, despite being popped in the fridge.

More observation and monitoring will be needed on this, I'm thinking.

Here comes more SNOW! And rain, of course.

The snowdrops are showing leaves and the paperwhites are showing buds.

There is a lone white autumn lily that finally woke up to the changing of seasons. It looks quite good with the last rose of summer.

The tuis are down into the Abutilons and the Himalayan dogwood. Many squabbles with the blackbirds to the accompaniment of falling fruits.

The various bluberries are showing their true colours now - lovely blue-purples and scarlet leaves. One variety even has flowers. I'm sure the bumblebees will be pleased.

Only one frost so far. Phew! I'm still getting back into the routine. Somehow I always forget the Echeverias and come out to the mushy consequences next morning. While do I keep growing these half-hardy items? I should know the vagaries of my altitude by now!

Three frosts in a row - but none has been severe. The snowdrops are out - G atkinsiae(?) and other varieties are pushing through. Onixotis has hung on to flower despite frost damage on its stem. (Used to be Dipidax) The Iris unguicularis are doing well and I'm waiting for the pink one which comes later and seems to need more summer baking to do well ('Starkers Pink') The I reticulata, 'Sindpers' are both showing but bucharica is just making its way to the surface.

First Narcissus this year was 'Earlicheer' instead of the usual paperwhites. And in the shade of the Abutilon.

The Cymbidiums are toughing it out - with flower spikes. The Dendrobiums all went -Eek! frost! and promptly browned off. Billbergia nutans sneered and kept going.

Some of the early double tulips are showing buds and others have leaves up.

Tha 'annual' (or biennial) Scabious are finally bulking up at rosette level and are still flowering. One has a lovely dark, near-black, flower. Of course the little alpines - 'Butterfly Blue and Pink - are still going. They're rarely without flowers.

First Camellia out in the hedge. Pink and double. The tuis will be round soon for their annual feasts in the single Camellias.

The mesclun is perking along. The radishes are shy about forming edible roots but I'm not sure they'll survive long enough to do so. I keep snacking!

Anemethele lessoniae goes to its new home on Friday. Ah! Space! Perhaps I can finally build a dry wall for the Sempervivums.

Meantime: it's rose-pruning. It's official! The Mad Secateur Wielder can be out and about without the usual - 'Can't you leave those poor things alone for a while?!'

Fewer than eighty days to DST. Yaaaaaay!

The buds are breaking on the Japanese larch. The sap is already flowing upward in the maples. The garden is awash with Galanthus and the Narcissus are showing buds while the jonquils are sporting in the 'fresh' breezes. Oh, and there's a dark blue Iris reticulata out - 'Djit'? Not sure.

The 'I failed the winter test' list includes, so far, some Iris bucharica, my beloved old Cereus cactus who had a tip hit by frost, some yellow crocuses which rotted off at soil level. And the black Aeoniums but they were ever a chancy lot in my dappled garden.

Upheaved a patch of Raoulia and moved it to a sunnier spot entirely where it may - or may not. After parting it from all the Microtis bulbs. That is one prolific orchid! Nearly as bad as Agapanthus for seeding into crevices and sneering at all attempts at removal.

The place is being routinely bombed by a tribe of tui and those gaudy wood pigeons. Every time I hear that heavy wing-flap I, and the plum trees, cringe. The moment the buds break they'll be up at the top feasting on new leaves. Can pigs fly? Too right! And leave calling cards all over any vehicle parked below.

Just over sixty days to daylight saving. And the persimmon will flower - and we'll have the last killer frosts and I get to wait for glorious autumn colour without fruit feasts. C'est la vie...:-(((

Now it's time to clean the starling box (generations have used that nesting site) and set up some sort of Buzz Motel for the bumblebees. Since 'that idiot' brought in queens infected with Varroa bee mite it's only the most dedicated beekeepers who will be out running a miticide programme for the hives - and the pollination levels are way down. A legacy from greed and total stupidity.

(Just like the rabbit 'flu virus. Some farmers think that just because they can run a flock or herd they know it all. Ha. Now we're back to using rabbitohs and that's not greatly effective when the cockies are too idle to get out and do their own pest control. Here endeth rant.)

Now it's the turn of the daffodils. Teeny tiny tete a tete is out in little clumps and the old w-y shorty is doing well.

Tulip 'Abba' is budding up - first as usual. (Early Double and I love it to bits.)

Primroses are coming out - well behind the polyprims and the juliae. Cyclamen are beaming their pink or white smiles.

The chickweed is hurtling into flower-seed and off for some more rule the world.

Over the fence, and through the garden, the avian associates are calling, squabbling, and indulging in spectacular flying feats. Too bad if you're in the way. It will be worse later when there are chicks to feed.

NIWA reckons it's been a mild July. They could be right - but the frosts were nasty for all that. A very pruning effect.

Almost warm enough to start the edibles indoors. Little feasts...

Nothing much to report. Major earthquake in Christchurch on Sept 4 followed by gale nor'westers, and floods in the North Island on the 6th. Must be further into spring.

The Fritillaria are emerging and the Erythroniums. Yum.

With all the bulb foliage lying about like after-party survivors the thought 'bad hair week' keeps coming to mind. Too limp to stand and too green to tie into knots. Wait. Be patient. This too shall pass - and leave a set of scoundrelly weeds already dug in.

There have been lots of grey days for the past month. It's odd to see unhazed sunlight. The plants don't seem to mind too much.

Still waiting for the Galtonias and Ismene to show up but sneak peeks reveal stirrings.

Euphorbia bubalina went to the compost heap after years of good service. An oddy but a goody. And the Sarracenia has a lovely deep crimson flower. Hope the others follow suit.

Guess who planted two sorts of small Watsonia... Even knowing their wicked ways. I must be blase after all the years of patiently eliminating excess Ixias and Oxalis, Not to mention forget-me-nots of various kinds.

Today's foray - how to divide a Euphorbia that actually doesn't fling seed about and has luscious dark foliage. I could use it other places, I know.

The apples are awash with flowers and the bees are about. Feasts come autumn!

Well-drained, they said. Tulip maximowiczii. So I parked it in a big bucket in a suitably gritty mix and let 'er rip.

It flowered this year. The last act of a desperate plant? Don't know. However, I've just decanted it and found most of the bulbs had migrated to the bottom of the bucket (in search of more moisture?) and had seriously diminished in size. Rice grains would be the kindest thing I could say.

On the other hand: T violacaea, in a much richer mix and a smaller pot, had good bulbs - daughters at the top with this season's bulb, and new, plump ones at the bottom of the 'dropper'. Now into a bigger pot and a relatively cooler place to see out the current La Nina three months-plus dry.

Up at 28-29C today. Anything with flowers (Rhodo and Pieris) is shedding the obligation as fast as possible. Dormancy is setting in all round the garden and I'm going into drought management mode. Dunk watering. Cache pots. Double potting. And, sigh, using the rinse water from doing the laundry. We shall prevail (I hope.)

An Albuca! In a pot of mixed bulbs! A magnificent treat! Ecstatic sigh....aaah. :-))))))