It sat briefly on the kitchen table - which I failed to declutter first - and was flashed too much for its own good.

Then it moved down to the Iris Garden. I loved it there, since the colours were most true to the borage and the verbena and the effect they all create together in the garden. And it enjoyed some gentle autumn rain before ...

... it was nibbled by my favourite garden pest!

Finally it came to rest in the Vine Garden where I thought the light and surroundings showed off the colours I was using to best advantage. The balance of red and blue was not really true enough in my other experiments. But yes, I did use flash here, so maybe not really true to life?

I used purple berberis, spent Sedum spectabile flowers, Verbena bonariensis, late-flowering Salvia sclarea, borage, Cerinthe major 'Atropurpurea', Pennisetum alopecuroides and Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus'

I'm getting a lot of pleasure from my self-sown Cerinthe major 'Atropurpurea'. I had it from Hardy Plant Society seed and It seems to be enjoying the heavy soil here much more than it has the soil of my previous gardens. The habits of the borage have, however, become a bit threatening. My fault, because the lure of those blue flowers means I don't weed it out enough.

Normally I wouldn't pick the Pennisetum seed heads, but my original two plants are quite badly placed and due for a move in the spring, so I'd rather pay a bit of attention to them in their vase this week than miss out on them altogether ...

Salvia sclarea is another Hardy Plant Society seedlist addition, one that threatened my young roses last year. Perhaps when the roses are stronger and bigger, it could go back and keep them company, since they look so pretty together?

Abraham Darby, one of the newest in the garden. The purchase was inspired by Holley at 'Roses & Other Gardening Joys' (see blog links to the right, can't do a link on a photo caption!). A David Austin rose, named for the man who built the first iron bridge in the world, in England, close to the Austin nurseries. Still a bit shy with me in his first year.

Abraham Darby again, to the right. He was my 2013 love affair, keeping me awake at night.

Rosy white 'Madame Alfred Carrière', a Bourbonne climber (with deeper pink 'Heritage' to the left) ... she looks a bit mysterious, but actually she's frighteningly vigorous!

'Ghislaine de Feligonde', a pretty little multiflora rambler. She's quite small in stature and our walls here are quite low, comparatively speaking, so I thought she'd suit. So far she's just quarrelling with me and wants to grow out, not back, no matter how much I tie her in!

David Austin's 'Heritage'. Another new rose for this year. Doing well here, even in spite of the wet August and her reputation for 'shattering' in rain. She's very pretty, now that I look at her properly, but we haven't really bonded yet, because she's been hidden behind some nicotiana for much of the summer

This is a real love affair now. Climbing Bourbon 'Souvenir de la Malmaison'. When she was good, she was very, very good. And when she was bad she was ... horrid!

Couldn't resist another picture of Souvenir, with supporting cast

This is where it gets difficult. I knew when I was picking them I'd be confused! I think that the largest rose to the right is David Austin's 'Munstead Wood' and the two smaller flowers to the left are his rose 'William Shakespeare'. But could be wrong. 'William Shakespeare' is new here, so 2015 will allow me to differentiate (I hope). Both are a difficult colour to photograph!

Sitting on their heads in orangey pink is David Austin's Benjamin Britten. This is a lovely rose, although this particular flower is a bit 'balled' by all the rain we've had. Tall growing and pretty healthy.

And I can understand why those old Dutch masters (and 19th century French painter, Fantin-Latour) just couldn't stop ...