At this time of year I often find myself thinking of the Dylan Thomas line: ‘Rage, rage, against the dying of the light’. While completely out of context it seems a nonetheless apposite description of certain plants which seem to hurtle defiantly towards death and decay via an incandescent crescendo of ruby brilliance. Interestingly, while we speak of these plants as ‘turning’ red, in fact scientifically what is happening is that the chlorophyl pigments in the leaf which are there to photosynthesize and provide the plant with food and energy in the growing season, now break down to reveal the underlying leaf colour. The cambium layer seals off the stem to protect the plant from the cold and the leaf then falls to the ground with the bond between leaf and tree broken. What we gardeners should then do is collect up this rich resource and create leaf mould which is one of the best soil improvers there is. This completes the circle of life for the plant.
The autumnal stars of the garden, leaving aside the bigger trees, include my favourite Euonymus alatus compactus, or ‘winged spindle’, a small tiered shrub with an elegant and compact growth habit and stunning fiery autumn colour. It is an excellent performer in a partly shady border with adequate moisture. Its taller relative, Euonynus Europaeus. is also a stunner with the added benefit of psychedelic flowers in September/October, of a pink and orange combination seldom seen in nature. This used to be called the ‘Spindle bush’ as the hard wood was ideal for making wool spinning spindles. The various species of acer are also stars of the season and definitely worth including in a garden if you have sufficient moisture and shelter from strong winds. They do remarkably well in pots. In terms of climbers it is hard to look past virginia creepers, but grape vines over pergolas colour up beautifully at this time of year while the climbing hydrangeas, great on a North facing wall, turn to a beautiful buttery yellow, before falling.
Moving down a tier into the herbaceous border, this is where we start looking at plants which ‘die well’. Gillenia Trifoliata is one of the best candidates for this category. Not only is it covered with delicate white starry flowers at its summer flowering, but the stems stand strong for many months, gradually turning a deep red before finally collapsing. Most of the grasses are almost still at their best and should be left standing for those magnificent if rare hoar frosts when the stems will be rimed with intricate ice patterns and frozen spider webs will link the wispy heads together. Stipa gigantea is a glorious specimen where there is space to show it off, and Molinia Windspiel, or Molinia Transparent, are among the many I would recommend. All grasses look better when placed where they can be backlit by the sun.
Still flowering strongly at the moment are the Helianthus ‘lemon queen’, sometimes known as the perennial sunflower, and this is complemented to stunning effect by the pale blue of the Aster Monch, which has been flowering since early September. The autumnal bulbs are at their best in the predominantly pinky range, with carpets of hardy Cyclamen coum in the shade, and stunning nerines and hesperantha adding a touch of exotic glamour in sunnier borders.
There are plenty of jobs to be doing in the garden. The soil is still warm and the weather is damp so it is perfect to split and move perennials or even move around small shrubs that may be in the wrong place. Bulb planting is still ongoing, although tulips should wait until the weather is colder to avoid tulip fire disease. There is still time to take cuttings and sow hardy annuals ready for next year. I quite often sow sweet peas now to get ahead. They don’t need to be kept heated as they are happy down to -5 degrees. Keep pinching the tops off and they will be ready to put in the ground in April. Keep weeding and mulching the borders, or consider in bigger areas sowing a green manure to feed and cover the soil. I’m particularly fond of blue Phacelia tanacetifolia, which smothers weeds and has an extensive root system that improves the soil structure and is also one of the top 20 honey producing flowers for honeybees if left to flower. It’s time to wrap up warm and make the most of the shorter days – allegedly there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing!
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