Autumn in the Garden: Highlights, Hounds & Happenings

In Autumn, the garden at Northwick Park continues to offer up interest. The rich, jewel-like crab apples are striking orbs of colour and offer food for birds or crab apple jelly for us, but we truly value their brilliance in the garden as everything else is beginning to wind down.

Sedum, newly named as Hylotelephium, comes into its own at this time of year. Its fleshy, edible foliage and now burgundy flowers are important for the last of the bees and hoverflies, now that it’s becoming cooler. The tiny red fruits of the autumn olives are ready to sample, and the plants are beginning to form the windbreak for the garden.

While many perennials are winding down, this is also the perfect time to divide robust clumps and plant new additions. The soil, still warm from summer, is softened by recent rains—ideal conditions for settling young plants and ensuring their roots establish before the ground hardens. We’ve found, year after year, that autumn planting yields the strongest, most resilient perennials come spring. Crabapple:

The Second Annual Northwick Park Dog Show

Despite the challenges of rescheduling twice, in fact! —The Second Annual  Northwick Park Dog Show finally went ahead on the 20th of September. The event was generously sponsored by Empire Chase, our local estate agent, and we were delighted by the enthusiastic help of the 3rd Kenton Scouts, who carried and set up equipment, litter-picked with energy and goodwill throughout and kept the day running smoothly. The heart of the show was, as always, the ring events, deftly managed by Karen and Tim, our expert dog trainers. Their calm authority set the tone for the show. they shared invaluable training tips throughout the day. Many took advantage of their expertise both during the show and in the friendly conversations afterwards.

Upcoming Events

Looking ahead, our calendar is far from empty! With the success of the dog show fresh in our minds, we have another canine fundraiser: the Halloween Costume Dog Walk, coming up on Saturday, 18th October. Dust off your most imaginative costumes—this event invites both dogs and their humans to don fancy dress and parade from the Northwick Park Pavilion. There will be games, plenty of cake and sweets, face painting, and a flurry of photo opportunities to capture spooky (and adorable) memories. Whether you come for the costumes or just to soak in the fun, all are welcome to join in and share the autumn spirit.

For those who prefer their hands in the soil, we’re organising seasonal tidy-up sessions for the station gardens at Northwick Park and Preston Road and a half-day Permablitz in mid-October. It’s the perfect chance to pitch in as we divide established perennials, plant fresh additions, and gently rein in the garden’s most enthusiastic spreaders. If you’re keen to learn, to dig, or simply to enjoy good company, come along and discover how rewarding community gardening can be and be part of the growing story.