Autumn is here, and the garden is at the stage of looking refreshed before autumn really kicks in. July and August the plants tend to struggle but after a bit of rain, the garden is having a last hurrah before bedding down for winter. The Aster × frikartii ‘Mönch’ is still going strong and provides flow throughout the flowerbeds, the salvia Dayglow and Royal Bumble are back in full flower after they were deadheaded in August and the dahlias are adding further colour to the garden.
This year we even have the benefit of looking out on my daughters’ flowerbed which is still an abundance of colour with dahlia’s, zinnia’s, and salvia’s.
I’m really pleased to see that my rhododendron luteum is already enjoying its new home with a mass of new shoots appearing. Seeing the success here, I decided to move some hydrangea Annabelle that looked like it was getting rather scorched this summer and dug over the area behind the R. ‘luteum’, creating a small bed rather than just having the camellia at the end of the lawn. This now creates more year-round interest in this area, with the camellia flowering in April, followed by the pink azalea I rescued from the hedge and the R. Luteum in May and the hydrangea in the summer. I will move some primroses into this area for further spring interest and have already sown foxglove seeds to help fill the gaps. Autumn is a great time for moving plants around as the soil is still warm and the roots have time to establish before winter sets in.
When my gardening journey started in this garden, most the plants I chose were herbaceous perennials, but I am finding that I am planting more shrubs to help give structure during the winter months. My absolute favourite shrub must be the Philadelphus ‘Belle Etoile’ which has the most amazing scent, and is fondly known as the bubble gum shrub by the non-gardeners in the family. This is my plant of choice to give to friends as a present as every garden should have one, and I’m not sure there is a child out there who doesn’t love the smell. My hydrangea collection is starting to grow after first purchasing Hydrangea Limelight which gives months of enjoyment with the flowers changing from green, to white and a final flourish of pink. I have recently purchased a stunning abelia grandiflora ‘Sherwood’ from Longacres. Abelia’s are a very unassuming plant, but once you notice them you realise how often they are used in planting scheme’s. Great for colour at this time of year and also known as the ‘bee bush’ the bees should enjoy it too.
Another plant I have recently sown with the bees in mind is Phacelia tanacetifolia. ‘Perhaps the single most attractive plant for bees on the planet!’ according to Professor Dave Goulson (founder of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust). I’m not sure if I will manage to get flowers having planted this late in the year, although it does say you can plant up until September, but this may be more from a green manure perspective, so I’m doing a trial and if I don’t get flowers this year I’ll have the bonus of green manure to dig into the soil and I still have plenty more seeds at the ready for spring next year.
Now is the time to purchase your bulbs and on a recent trip to Longacres I stocked up. My alliums seem to have dwindled over the last few years, so I am going to try again. They started off so well and were multiplying nicely, but over the last 2 years, I seem to get lots of fresh new leaves, but minimal flowers. Hopefully with a fresh stock of bulbs I will get a better display next year. I also purchased more crocus and tulip bulbs. It seems crocus bulbs are high on the squirrels list of delicacies in the summer months. They found the pots, proceeded to raid them and then have the cheek to sit on the outside table eating them whilst we were home schooling inside. This year I will attempt to cut wire to size to plant under the gravel to deter them and hope they find a stash of acorns somewhere instead.
A job for this month is to plant daffodils, alliums, crocus and iris. With this year being as it has been, it will be great to spend some time planting up bulbs and having something to look forward to next year. There is just nothing better for the soul than time in the garden and it’s never been as important to our well-being as it is now and will be over the coming months. Grab a hot drink, go for a walk around the garden and really look at all your plants closely, and watch nature. Repeat often over the coming months and you will be stunned at what is growing, and getting ready for the year ahead. Isn’t nature wonderful that such a simple pleasure can do wonders to lift your spirits over the winter months.
