It’s beginning to feel a bit autumnal, which seems premature.

In the garden, frogs are on the move… And so is Rishi Sumac, the stags head sumac tree, which is sliding down towards the house – but is still less problematic than the UK PM. Frome has declared a housing crisis, and Shared Earth Learning has raised funds for repairs after vandalism at our outdoor learning site. In the garden there are raindrops on roses, chaotic anemones, the tomatoes are tasty and the fuchsia’s bright.

This fantastic Mr Frog was stuck in a bucket by the pond. We fished him out with a net, and he rested by the pond for a while before heading off elsewhere. We’ve put a net over that bucket now, so we won’t be inadvertently catching frogs in there again.

The slugs are HUGE now that they’re stuffed with courgettes. I attempted to admonish one recently but I don’t think it had much impact. Sometimes I fling them towards the blackbirds, and sometimes I execute them with secateurs, but I’ve not got much heart for bug control, and so instead find myself growing vegetables for invertebrates.

The anemones are vibrant in their corner of the garden. We’re attempting to keep them within that general area, but they do like to pop up all over the place.

As does the sumac. It’s popping up shoots from its runners all over the place, while the ‘main tree’ seems to slowly slide its way down the front garden towards the house. It’s planted into sloping ground by the steps to our front door, and seems to be losing the battle against gravity. A large branch that used to elegantly frame the front door fell about three foot lower than it used to be, and we had to cut some big boughs from the tree so that we can still get into the house.

We call this tree ‘Rishi Sumak’ (we like to nickname our plants: Michael Bay the bay tree, Bruce Forsythia etc…) and the Sumac is named after the UK PM. They’re both causing problems, but we like the tree. The sumac leaves turn a brilliant red during autumn. I am hoping the tree will outlast the prime minister’s term in office.

Rishi Sumak has simply outgrown its space, whereas Rishi Sunak has ‘inadvertently’ made decisions that benefit his business interests by ££££££££, and he has completely failed to address the climate emergency, the cost of living crisis, or the housing crisis.

My adopted hometown of Frome has declared a ‘housing crisis’ as the rents here are out of reach of many local people. It’s a beautiful market town with a vibrant independent outlook that has attracted lots of incomers (like me – sorry Frome), which in turn has made property expensive to rent or buy. My friend Sam from Shared Earth Learning was interviewed last week by the BBC, the Sun and the Times, explaining the personal impact of the housing crisis, and the impact we see on the young people we work with. She’s exhausted after telling her story so many times, but right now she’s still temporarily lodging with friend, in a place that’s too small, sharing a bed with her daughter and one bathroom with 9 people.

In other, better news, our Shared Earth Learning appeal for funds to fix the damage done by vandals to our outdoor learning area raised over £500, and so this weekend a team of volunteers are rebuilding the polytunnel.

Back to the garden, where the roses are still blooming, making a bright splash of sunset colours like I’d hoped they would when I planted them out last year. Raindrops on roses are still one of my favourite things. There’s some deadheading and pruning to do that I hope to get round to later today. With luck, these will keep going for another couple of months.

And in the greenhouse, the tomatoes keep coming. The growth is slowing down as the days get a little shorter and cooler, but we’ve still got plenty of fruits to look forward to.

At lunchtime, if it’s sunny, this shady spot by the pond is the best place to be. The hydrangea has bounced back from a savage pruning with a burst of flowers.

And finally, although it’s probably more than six things on Saturday, here’s a look at the fuchsia. We thought perhaps this plant had died, but it’s bounced back with abundance, and I love these dainty red and purple blooms.

I cannot avoid puns about how “the fuchsia looks bright,” although I know I ought to.

If you’d like to see more garden highlights, visit the Garden Ruminations blog, where people share updates for ‘Six on Saturday,’

Whatever you’re up to, I hope your plans come to fruition.

J x