It looks like there's going to be a good crop of sloes this year!

Sloes (Blackthorn) are very small, green-fleshed, inky-skinned, wild plums with an acid flesh and bitter skin. They’re commonly found in hedgerows in England, Wales and Ireland and make a fabulous jam, not to mention the sloe gin!

Sloes are generally at their best from around September, following a bout of cold weather and autumn showers. Many people wait to pick them until after the first frost, which they believe softens the skins slightly and helps release the berries' juices.

Tags:   Sloes Fruit Blackthorn Prunus spinosa Ripening Sloes Summer July 2015 Essex South Woodham Ferrers Woodham Fen Essex Wildlife Trust

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I was fascinated to see this Harlequin Glorybower (Clerodendrum trichotomum) growing in an Ipswich garden this autumn! What an exotic looking shrub!

Harlequin Glorybower is native to China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, India, and the Philippines. The leaves are ovate, up to 12 cm (5 in) long, soft and downy or hairy, producing a peanut odour when crushed. The fragrant flowers are borne on branching peduncles. They have white petals, held within a green calyx which turns red as the fruits ripen. The fruits (drupes) are white, changing to bright blue and eventually dark blue on maturity. They contain the novel blue pigment trichotomine. It is cultivated for its fragrant flowers, autumn colour, and ornamental berries. It is hardy but requires a sheltered position.

Tags:   Clerodendrum trichotomum Harlequin Glorybower Glorytree Peanut Butter Tree Lamiaceae Shrub Ipswich Suffolk October 2023 Flowers Berries Fruit Drupes Garden Autumn

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