Add shapely seedheads and lofty, wafty grasses for structure
Seasonal seedheads and tall grasses can create a personal sculpture park in the garden, so take some time to think about the shapely and the spectacular. Many husks and pods look dramatic and add real texture and sophistication to a planting scheme.
As the leaves start to fall, trees reveal their bones and can be enjoyed in different ways. Magnolia branches are often contorted and sculptural, while raising the canopy ‘Silberfeder’ with rudbeckia and royal blue aconitum (monk’s hood) of fruit trees and taller shrubs such as camellias (by snipping off the lower branches) creates angular interest and provides a frame for a view beyond.
Tall umbellifers such as fennel or Angelica archangelica can be magnificently structural, while cardoons and verbascums shoot up like slow-motion rockets, pulling their weight even once the flowers have faded. All can provide a lot of drama for a minimum of space. ➤
ECHINOPS RITRO ‘VEITCH’S BLUE’
Nectar-rich lilac flowers pop out from silvery-blue drumsticks JulyOct. H90cm (3ft) S50cm (20in)
CROCOSMIA CROCOSMIIFLORA ‘EMILY MCKENZIE’
Red-splashed orange flowers Aug-Oct and sword-shaped foliage. H60cm (2ft) S25cm (10in)
ERYNGIUM ZABELII ‘BIG BLUE’
Large blue cone flowers surrounded by a spiky collar July-Oct. H60cm (2ft) S45cm (18in)
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