Enjoying the new view
A bonus of advancing autumn is that suddenly a whole range of half-forgotten plants are visible. The bright stems of Cornus alba ‘Baton Rouge’ and C. sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ are gradually being revealed and the cyclamen have weathered the hot summer well. The very earliest snowdrops are starting to push out of the soil and there’s even a flower or two on the Loropetalum chinense rubrum ‘Fire Dance’ planted in spring for precisely this season. These new colours and new details are a good reminder that the garden isn’t over, it’s just different. And building in enough colour structure and interest will keep things looking good all year round.