This year October means dahlias to me because I’m finally getting flowers on my seed grown “Black Forest Ruby” plants! Never grown them from seed before I usually just go for tubers but they’ve turned out great with gorgeous almost black foliage. Just feels a bit late 😂 #GardensHour 🌱

Pinch, punch it’s the first day of spooky month! 🥳🎃🖤 so here’s some dark but lovely plants to welcome in October 🌱

Inspired by the Latin word for “star” due to its shape Asters were revered as a sacred flower (possibly created by the goddess Astraea) by Greeks and Romans who decorated shrines with Aster wreaths. It’s also called the Michaelmas Daisy because it flowers around Sept 29th #FolkloreThursday

Inspired by the Latin word for “star” due to its shape Asters were revered as a sacred flower (possibly created by the goddess Astraea) by Greeks and Romans who decorated shrines with Aster wreaths. It’s also called the Michaelmas Daisy because it flowers around Sept 29th #FolkloreThursday

Disappointing to see obvious racism/dog whistling in the Lord of the Rings fandom during #HobbitDay week/anniversary celebrations. If you dislike choices made by ROP and claim their cast is wrong compared to “proper” hobbits (because of lore accuracy you don’t understand) you’re not welcome here! 👍

Some garden witchy jobs for the equinox here have been planting out some new reduced ferns and cleaning my old cauldrons (I have pots in them) #equinox 🌱

Happy #HobbitDay everyone! Hope you’ve had a lovely first day of autumn as well #booksky #autumnequinox

My “black” fuchsia is back for a second year and it seems to be thriving! 🎉 this is the darkest variety I can find with the centre of the flowers being very close to the petunia in colour which I think makes a great combo 👍🖤 #GardensHour 🌱

On 21 September 1937: J.R.R. #Tolkien's The Hobbit was published. The book tells of a hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, and his journey with thirteen dwarves to recover their treasure from a dragon, Smaug. It's sold over 100 million copies and is one of the best-selling books of all time.

My “black” fuchsia is back for a second year and it seems to be thriving! 🎉 this is the darkest variety I can find with the centre of the flowers being very close to the petunia in colour which I think makes a great combo 👍🖤 #GardensHour 🌱

Just a reminder that I write somewhat regularly about the pagan past of Lancashire for this wonderful magazine and we have a new issue out right now so please consider checking it out if that sounds like your jam www.pagansofthenorth.co.uk/magazine #booksky #writing

Join us on 24th September for our autumn and fall-themed #FolkloreThursday! Our hosts will share posts made to the hashtag at the following times BST: 9am-2pm 3.30pm-4.30pm 6pm-7pm 🍂🍎🎃 (🎨John William Godward, Autumn.)

The joys of an unexpected rain storm and sheltering in a charity shop! I randomly came across this for just £1 so had to get it for my Tolkien collection. The illustrations are just stunning 😍 #booksky #tolkien

Does anyone have tips for growing castor oil plants? Always been a fan of their foliage (and dangerous nature 😂). Saw these ones down the road from me in a gorgeous In Bloom display but I tried them once and nothing germinated and I’d love to have a go again 😭💔 #GardensHour 🌱

Not really #FlowersOnFriday but every year I get so excited by the hips of my Burnet or Scots rose that I have to post them! They’re just so cool 😍 🌱

Not really #FlowersOnFriday but every year I get so excited by the hips of my Burnet or Scots rose that I have to post them! They’re just so cool 😍 🌱

Caught a lovely group of butterflies in the garden yesterday! As you can see I also grow nettles so they’ve got somewhere to lay their eggs and not just a place to feed 🥰🐛 🌱 #GardensHour

There is a cute little slice of Efteling history at the museum in Den Bosch as well! A model of the magical whale from the wonderful Symbolica (still one of the best dark rides out there) and a tiny little replica of the car from the ride 😍

After a month on the road in the caravan we are finishing our trip at the magical Efteling, as always. And as usual I am spotting cute gothic garden decor ideas too 😂😍

And here’s a round up of this years veggies! At Europa Park they always grow vegetables and herbs in some of their planters it’s really fun 🤩 🌱

Mel 🍂🍄@thequietplace.bsky.social · 2mo ago

As always it’s been a wonderful week of theme parking 🥰

As always it’s been a wonderful week of theme parking 🥰

Mel 🍂🍄@thequietplace.bsky.social · 2mo ago

A fitting way to say goodbye to this rattly but beloved coaster and its iconic soundtrack. As always can’t wait to see what’s next at Europa Park. Merch secured! 🥰🎢

A fitting way to say goodbye to this rattly but beloved coaster and its iconic soundtrack. As always can’t wait to see what’s next at Europa Park. Merch secured! 🥰🎢

A little follow up post about our gold medal winning Gardeners’ World garden. We have relocated and rebuilt it at Heaton Park in Manchester so it can be used as a pollinator pit stop and educational space for the bee keeping association there 🥰🐝 🌱

Mel 🍂🍄@thequietplace.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Where have I been? Well for about 2 weeks I was in Birmingham at Gardeners’ World Live building a folklore and mythology centric showcase garden! From fairy wells and rowan trees to fern flowers and Rosalia. And since Tuesday I’ve been settling back in at home with my family #FolkloreSunday 🌱

Can’t believe we’ve got Serkis claiming in 2026 that it’s fine (not harmful) to say Tolkien’s Norse “influences” were not diverse so the source material isn’t/fictional places aren’t either?! When we have plenty of evidence to disprove that view. Like coins found here in Lancashire! Just stop! ✋😩

It appears Andy Serkis is becoming more and more problematic for the Tolkien community. Comments made about Hunt for Gollum seem to reflect White Supremacist talking points. I need some time to digest what he is saying so I will post more in the future. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Andy Serkis: Animal Farm star defends lack of diversity in Lord of the Rings cast

Kate Winslet, Jamie Dornan and Anya Taylor-Joy are among the stars who have been cast so far.

bbc.co.uk

Some delightful dark foliage dahlia varieties I’ve spotted recently! #FlowersOnFriday #bloomscrolling 🌱

Some delightful dark foliage dahlia varieties I’ve spotted recently! #FlowersOnFriday #bloomscrolling 🌱

My “Black Ship” Lilies are back! #FlowersOnFriday #bloomscrolling 🌱 🥰🖤

My “Black Ship” Lilies are back! #FlowersOnFriday #bloomscrolling 🌱 🥰🖤

‘I asked ChatGPT’ Well, I asked Gandalf and he told me you should be silent keep your forked tongue behind your teeth because he did not pass through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm.