Plants making up for lost time
The garden appears to be in a catch-up phase at the moment. Autumn is definitely here, but a few plants seem to want to make up for their weather-affected summer displays. The African marigolds are looking at their best (a good excuse not to clear the beds of summer bedding quite yet!), with fuchsia ‘Tom Thumb’ and dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’ not far behind.
However, colder nights and clear skies have seen me moving the Phoenix canariensis palm into the greenhouse for a little protection. I know now I’ll soon be into the autumn clear-up in earnest.
One advantage of shortening days is that some plants seem to come alive, with self-seeded evening primrose catching my eye as dusk approaches. In the front garden, the Ginkgo biloba, trained in espalier style against a wall to contain its growth, has its buttery-yellow autumn colour on display and I think this is supposed to be the best time to use the leaves – in a drink! On the patio outside the kitchen door summer pots have now given way to autumn-winter plants, including variegated holly and pots of dwarf bamboo. These are augmented with a few dwarf cyclamen and large chrysanthemums to add a dash of brightness. Also on this patio, trained against the wall, is a three-year-old goji berry. The tiny flowers were alive with the buzz of bees in late summer so a bumper crop was anticipated, but the reality is a miserable mildewed plant with nine berries. Not surprisingly, its days are numbered!
In the greenhouse, the benches are filling up with pots of cuttings and plants that need a little more protection. The yellow-flowered mirabilis, grown from seed, has been lifted, cut back and potted up – if the winter isn’t too bad the roots should be fine for next spring, but as a precaution I’ve also collected a few seeds.
Not one to overlook a plant bargain, I bought a few packs of reduced dwarf wallflowers, which are now potted up into largish pots – they’ve recovered from that miserable, ‘sorry-for-themselves’ phase and are looking quite healthy. Spring perfume awaits!