Autumn Colour at Perch Hill

Surprisingly, even way up north in Aberdeen the garden still holds on to a Summer look at the very end of September, and with an improvement in the weather, lets hope for an Indian Summer.

Sedum Spectabile Autumn Joy brings great colour to the border when so many other perennials have gone over.

This hardy perennial is a favorite among gardeners for its stunning display of pink flowers that bloom late into the fall season. Delve into everything you need to know about Autumn Joy Sedum Care to keep it healthy and vibrant all season long.

Do not forget the pleasures of Acers in spring and early summer. New buds and leaves are an interesting feature of carefully chosen species. Visit a good garden center or a renown public garden like RHS Harlow Carr in Harogate  We know that Maple trees or Acers have exceptional colour in autumn which is why tourists flock to New England and the eastern seaboard to see the flaming colours. Cold nights and warm days are the conditions that help turn green leaves to vibrant colours. With the falling temperatures, the lush green colours of summer have been replaced with vivid reds, golden yellows and browns.

The Odd Splash of Colour Amongst the Green There’s always a lull in the borders at this time of year when the roses go over and the late summer colour is still in the wings. This is especially true this year when foliage definitely predominates over flowers, but I have got the odd good corner.

I find myself in the grip of various emotions when I visit Perch Hill – awestruck by the consistency with which it looks stunning throughout the seasons, admiring at the endless innovation in plant varieties and plain envious of Sarah’s energy and inspiration in creating a fabulous garden that has been the inspiration behind an internationally recognised and successful brand, and her many books on both gardening and food. The gar

Autumn Glory at Great Dixter The autumn plant fair at Dixter just gets better and better – and going there on a day of cloudless blue skies and warm sun made it particularly glorious. This year there were thirty-two stands including several specialist nurseries from Europe as well as the cream of the UK crop.

This year I planted my sweet peas in a large galvanised water tank and once they had finished flowering I planted it up with a mixed bunch of leftovers from other parts of the garden – while everything else is gently subsiding into soft autumnal shades, this hotchpotch is continuing to perform in quite a jolly fashion. .

Tulip Colour Combinations by Daniel Carruthers I’d like to think I am fairly organised when it comes to the garden but last year I left my annual tulip shopping a little late. Not too late though, according to Fergus Garrett you can still plant tulips up until Christmas Day.

Green is the Colour Chew Valley Trees garden transported me back to my recent visit to Sweden (about which I will blog in due course). Although it was inspired by the Canadian landscape it could just as easily have been Sweden with its naturalistic planting of trees, its limestone pavement and its log cabin aesthetic.

Phillip Johnson’s Dandenong garden Regular readers of the blog will probably recall how much I loved the Australian garden that won Best in Show at last year’s Chelsea Flower Show. The usual Aussie offering of an ‘outdoor entertaining space’ had been replaced by a garden that was an interpretation of the natural landscapes of billabongs, rocky outcrops and wildflowers that inspire its designer Phillip Johnson.

Autumn Sown, Well Grown I know I do bang on about it, but autumn sowing of hardy annuals in a greenhouse or coldframe really does make all the difference. At a time when the light levels are low and leaf growth slows right down, the young plants are able to put most of their energy into growing a substantial root system which will get them off to a flying start when they are planted out in the spring.