FOR me autumn is really singing now. The birds are less well screened as the leaves turn and fall, blackbirds and tits are out and about making the most of the autumn harvest.

The changing colours of the trees and shrubs provide new excitement every day. Two days ago I thought the vibrant orange hue of the little acer that grows in my own garden had reached its peak, however this morning it was even more intense. More subtle but possibly even more gorgeous are the multiple colours in the neighbour’s lilac trees. Lilacs are grown for their wonderfully scented and numerous flowers in spring and not known for autumn colour, yet in them I can see the full range of yellows, reds, greens, browns and amber.

At Ford Park our astonishing dahlias are no more demure; if anything, they too are becoming even more celebratory and colourful. This week visitors to the garden remarked a number of times how amazing it is that there are still bees and butterflies on them. Do come and see these gorgeous flowers before the frosts arrive, which will finally force us to say farewell to this show until next summer, when we will once again be delighted by its brilliance.

Schizostylis is coming second in its performance value at the moment. We have a very pretty pink one, Schizostylis cochinea, Mrs Hegarty, and of course the popular and stunning coral red Schizostylis cochinea itself. In their pots they sprawl and reach and demand the attention of potential customers. In a border they stand well together and provide such an impact that they will challenge any ideas the gardener may have of "putting the border to bed".

The colour of Mrs Hegarty on the terrace perfectly matches the pretty bunting decorating the marquee, making this lovely events space still look very summery. This raised seating area above the cafe is something else for you to see at the moment before we take down the marquee. You will be able to anticipate how you might like to use the space for an event yourself next year. As well as being surrounded by pretty flowers and giving you a perfect view of the productive kitchen garden and nursery, from here you can see across the Levens estuary to the Cartmel peninsula hills and the other way to Birkrigg Common, demonstrating perfectly how Ulverston sits within such a beautiful landscape. If you look behind you of course, you see Hoad and the Sir John Barrow monument. Go up there (a good idea if you are needing to walk off one of Steve’s Sunday lunches or yummy afternoon teas) and you can see Morecambe Bay and the Coniston fells.

Of course I should be referring to Schizostylis as Hesperantha its new name. Plant taxonomists keep gardeners on their toes by changing botanical names from time to time. This is all in aid of avoiding confusion we believe, or ought to believe but inevitably it becomes confusing and frustrating at times. Like many gardeners I sometimes stubbornly stick to the name I first learnt - once you have gone to the trouble of learning a difficult Latin name, you don’t want to stop using it! Perhaps I will turn over a new leaf next year and keep up to date. As we are training more and more volunteers in best horticultural practice, I think I ought to!

The other stunning plant you may have or want to have in your garden at this time of year is aster - the Michaelmas daisy. Some cultivars have finished, while others are yet to perform. I have a really stunning blue one in my garden, with dark stems which is quite unusual: Aster laevis Calliope. Another good performer is the wild-looking little white aster we have at Ford Park which grows in a very sunny border, but they do equally well in shade. White in the shade is very useful to help maintain a full sense of the size of the garden.

You may wish to check if buying asters whether you are getting a rhizomatous or a clump-forming variety, depending on how much you want it to spread. If you’d like it to fill a big space or colonise among other plants which spread well, choose the rhizomatous, if you want the range of lovely colours that Michaelmas daisies offer but are worried that they may take up too much space, you will be fine with clump-forming varieties.

If you have not planted your garlic in the kitchen garden for next year yet it is time to start thinking about it. It is good to get these autumn jobs done while the soil is still warm; if you don’t get around to it in the next few weeks it can be done in March. Autumn onion sets and shallots should be done now too. There are even varieties of broad beans and peas you can sow at this time of year, so there is plenty to be doing - perhaps with the children or grandchildren this weekend - yes I believe it is half-term already. How did that happen?