Aloneness over there.
And here.
Month: October 2015
The Tulip Trees in Greenwich Park
The Tulip Trees, Liriodendron Tulipifera, are absolutely stunning right now in Greenwich Park.
Autumn in Suffolk
I think I am coming to the end of the gardening year in Suffolk – the garden is starting to look as though it wants to rest.
Greenwich Park in Autumn
I love wandering in Greenwich Park in the evenings and at the moment the autumn colours are wonderful, although winter seems just round the corner. The ring-necked parakeets and the squirrel are frenetically busy, and very noisy, gathering up the chestnuts.
Quinces
The quince tree looked so miserable earlier in the year, with shrunken fruits, that I had given up on getting any fruit. However, it has surprised me – Quince Meeches Prolific.
Grass & Flower Combinations
I have planted Carex ‘Evergold’ in one of the small, square beds set into the gravel and I think flowers would be interesting standing up above the grass. This is the ‘hot colours’ part of the garden and so I think quite a dramatic combination could work well: Astrantia, Sanguisorba, or a purple Sedum.
Astrantia (www.crocus.co.uk)
Sanguisorba ‘Tanna’ (www.crocus.co.uk)
Sedum ‘Purple Emperor’ (www.telegraph.co.uk)
Grass & Flower Combinations
I have planted low-growing grasses in small, square beds and think they will need some taller, wavy flowers planted amongst them. But which flowers? I have combined Luzula Nivea and Carex ‘Frosted Curls’ and I think blue flowers would look good standing above the grasses, and perhaps the cornflowers are best as this is a cottage garden.
Luzula Nivea
Luzula Nivea in flower (www.crocus.co.uk)
Carex ‘Frosted Curls’
Autumn Grasses in Suffolk
The grasses in the front garden are starting to flower and if the weather holds they should be absolutely wonderful during October – it is hard to believe that winter is just round the corner.
Calamagrostis Brachytricha is flowering abundantly – soft, feathery, pinkish flower heads which are quite ethereal. And I like the combination with the echinacea seed pods. The flowers will stand through the winter and then I will cut down hard in the spring.
Miscanthus Sinensis ‘Kleine Silberspinne’ is thicker and more luscious than ever before and the dark pinky-brown flower heads are just starting to rise above the leaves. The clumps are now in their fifth year and properly established. I will cut down in the early spring.
Stipa Gigantea has done well again, but the bergenias are starting to crowd the plant and I need to remove a few.
And the newly planted Carex Testacea which I have combined with Heuchera ‘Crême Brûlée and a purple sedum.
Luzula Nivea looks interesting.
Carex ‘Frosted Curls’ should also be fun!
Autumn in Suffolk
The front garden is looking just as abundant as the back garden – in the evening light it looked more like high summer than autumn!
There are some late roses – William Shakespeare and Graham Thomas
The bed which was replanted in the spring is working! The Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ are marvellously vibrant – I may plant a few more in the spring – and the Japanese Anemones ‘Honorine Jobert’ are starting to clump in the shade of the hedge.
The sedums are spectacular!
Autumn in Suffolk
I can’t believe that it is early October and the garden still looks good. I started clearing up in the back garden, cutting down the Japanese Anemones before the seedpods could burst – they are multiplying quite fast enough without seeding as well! I need to thin the clumps but I think I will wait til early spring while the plants are still dormant. The Viburnum berries are abundantly red and the sedums are absolutely stunning. The cool start to the year meant they didn’t romp away and I have compact plants with enormous flower heads.