Dipsacus (teasel, teazel, teazle) - parched plant head in autumn

Heliantus tuberosus (sunchoke, sunroot, earth apple, topinambour, Jerusalem artichoke, indian potato) - young plant flowering in October in Switzerland

The plant is native to North America and was first cultivated by Native Americans for its tuber which was used as a root vegetable long before the arrival of Europeans. Italian settlers in USA called the plant girasole, the Italian word for sunflower, because of its resemblance to the garden sunflower. Over time the name girasole may have changed to Jerusalem. To avoid confusion, the plant is called now sunchoke or sunroot. The artichoke part of the name comes from the name of its edible root. Samuel de Champlain, the French explorer, sent the first samples of the plant to France, noting its taste was similar to an artichoke.

The tuber of the sunchoke, instead of containing starch like potato, has the allied substance Inulin (not to confuse with insulin), which might be a digestive problem in food as it might produce flatulance in some people. On the other hand, it is better for diabetics than the common potato because the carbohydrates and sugars can be assimilated by the digestive tract without insulin.

In Baden-Württemberg, Germany, over 90 % of the sunchoke root is used to produce a spirit called Topinambur, Topi or Rossier.

Heliantus tuberosus (sunchoke, sunroot, earth apple, topinambour, Jerusalem artichoke, indian potato)

Plant flowering in October in Switzerland. 

Heliantus tuberosus (sunchoke, sunroot, earth apple, topinambour, Jerusalem artichoke, indian potato)

growing 3 meters tall at the fence of an allotgarden in Riehen, Switzerland, and flowering in October 

Ptilotus exaltatus (Pink Mulla Mulla, Joey, Lamb's Tail, Pussy Tails, Haarschöpfchen) - potted plant flowering in July in Europe

The plant is native to western and central Australia. Its name means 'tall feathers'. There are around 100 species in the genus Ptilotus, all but one occuring in Australia. They are occuring in habitats from tropical areas to the arid inland. They are usually herbaceous (relating to or characteristic of an herb as distinguished from a woody plant) perennials. 

The conical flower heads with lengths of 15 cm and diameters of 5 cm resemble bottle brushes with hairy pink-purple blooms and they have a little tilt at the top that hints at a feather. The egg-shaped to oblong leaves grow 4 to 12 cm long.

Cultivated in gardens they bring a lot of color in dry, hot spots with full sunshine. There is considerable research being undertaken into the cultivation requirements of this genus because of their potential as cut flowers.

reference is made to: The Australian Native Plants Society (Australia)

Grape harvest - Rivaz, Lake Geneva, Switzerland

Chasselas grapes (Gutedel) - ready for harvest in early October in Saint-Saphorin, Switzerland

Meadowsweet hedgerow - Pajala, Sweden

This is a garden fence built by a meadowsweet bush. A small water stream below the bush helps to form it into a straight hedgerow.