The times they are a changin’

There are some wonderful contrasts in the garden right now as some plants cling admirably on to summer while others fully embrace autumn. In my garden there are still beautiful blooms of dahlias (especially ‘Twyning’s After Eight’), clary sage and osteospermum, while just yards away one cornus has decided to shed its leaves already and show its resplendent red branches. I think it knows I want to move it this autumn and has just given me a signal that it’s ready! Autumn is such a vibrant time in the garden – as Carol Klein says (page 26), everybody loves the colour it brings. We’re less keen on the colder weather and darker evenings but I know they don’t stop the hardy GN readers!