The baskets on the trellis needed refreshing to cheer us up as we look out the window and winter sets in. I chose antirrhinums (aka snapdragons) and reliable pansies. Both are frost-hardy – there’s a -2C frost forecast tonight.

I chose a bright polyanthus (below, right) to cheer up a shady corner where I’d planted another months ago. It seems to be doing well, so I thought it might like company.

I went around the garden looking for more cheering colour and found a surprising number of fruiting or flowering plants.

In the house, the fruit bowl brings colour inside. NZ persimmons, mandarins and kiwi fruit are in season and the feijoas are a surprise first harvest from my tree.