Autumn cheer
Every year I have to remind myself that there really are some good things about autumn. In the garden it’s a great time to think again about what went right and wrong in the year, what existing plants should be split and moved, what can be added and what it might be time to say goodbye to. Plants planted at this time of year has the advantage of a whole winter’s rain to help them establish, and planting bare rooted trees and roses can let you get more for your money.
I’ve been doing all these things in earnest this autumn. In lots of our regular’s gardens we have been planting to extend the season, giving more colour later in the year using plants like Sedum telephium ‘Matrona’; Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’; Gaura lindheimeri ‘Whirling Butterflies’; Miscanthus ‘Autumn Fire’ and Helenium ‘Moorheim Beauty’ in sunny spots.
We’ve also been doing a new planting in a Hove garden with a brief for herbaceous plants and climber only, with as long a flowering season as possible and high wildlife value. A naturalistic planting with lots of spring colour on the north facing side of the garden and with the warm west facing side taking over the display later in the year. Lots of different flower shapes mean that a large variety of pollinators can feed from them, as well as adding visual interest for us humans.
The great thing about planting herbaceous plants rather then shrubs and trees which can take years to establish is that by next year they will already be flowering freely and looking great, and in 2 or 3 years they are at their absolute best. Watch this space to see it next summer!
Plants list
West facing :
Anthriscus sylvestris ‘Ravenswing’
Astrantia major ‘Ruby Wedding’
Crambe cordifolia
Dryopteris filix-mas
Geranium ‘Rozanne’
Helenium ‘Moorheim Beauty’
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Autumn Fire’
Salvia ‘Hot Lips’
Sanguisorba officinalis ‘Morning Select’
Sedum telephium ‘Matrona’
Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Erica’
North facing:
Aconitum napellus
Actaea simplex ‘Brunette’
Astrantia major ‘Ruby Wedding’
Calamagrostis brachytricha
Geranium macrorrhizum ‘Ingwersen’s Variety’
Tiarella cordifolia
Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Erica’