Autumn weather can be glorious - it's my favourite season, and we're hoping that the sun will shine this autumn to entice you into the gardens at West Dean.

The line-up for Apple Affair has been finalised, the apples from the orchards have all been gathered in, the chefs have done their prep and the band is ready to entertain...

In 1991 Head Gardeners, Jim Buckland and Sarah Wain, began renovating the 19th century landscape at West Dean Gardens. To mark this we've been celebrating 25 Years of Glorious Gardening this year at West Dean which we continued with a Garden Party on the picnic lawn.

Find out what's involved in volunteering at West Dean Gardens in this blog about Thelma Jack, a keen gardener and horticulturist, who has been helping out for over nine years at West Dean. Having trained as a teacher, studied horticulture and taught rural science for many years, Thelma certainly has a lot to offer. The team spirit between the staff and volunteers makes her feel like they are one big family.

Is there a more exhausting job than hauling long one-inch diameter hoses full of water around a garden and remembering to turn them off and on? Probably, but at the time it doesn't seem that way. After all the rain in June, July has been incredibly dry at West Dean, great for flowers but not so great for vegetables.

Let the countdown to Chilli Fiesta commence... only 4 days to go! The kitchen is heating up with many chilli-related cooking demonstrations, talks and even a Q and A session over the festival weekend.