Leaves underfoot

I’ve been kept quite busy by the riches in the hedgerows and gardens this month,

blazing maple

all sorts of leaves that I have before had to harvest with secateurs are throwing themselves on the ground in such abundance that it’s quite strange to be able to pick up great bundles of them.

cakes leaves

Some give different colours after the tree has shed them. The alder leaves that gave me delicate green prints only produce a sort of fawn colour after they have fallen.

alder

luckily I saved a bagful in the freezer; these behaved much as they had fresh, and those I took from the lower branches gave green while the ones torn down by the tractor gave mixed greeny purples. This is all to the good as to be turning out sets of matching cardigans would be very sad.

catalpa gold

A big surprise was finding the huge leaves of  the Indian bean tree, catalpa bignonioides, on my accountant’s office lawn, plus a pretty sprinkling of maple leaves all round my car. with this unexpected result on a silk and cotton sweater.

I have sessile oak leaves from Killiecrankie bundled in a cashmere cardigan from a too late cancelled order, and pine needles from Tentsmuir waiting for more experiments, so watch this space.

ruddy bracken

meanwhile the long missed experience of November in Norfolk is continuing to charm.

red bryony

 

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