Autumn Flowers - Holding Back Time!
Our last journal provided a glimpse of this year’s autumnal Chelsea Flower Show. Although the organisers say this is a one-off occurrence due to Covid, maybe there is a case for repeating this in the future, from time-to-time, to keep things fresh. There are a lot of flowering plants that run on through the summer, sometimes well into autumn and Chelsea show-cased many of these. In a sense these plants ‘hold back time’ – just what many of us need as we start to think gloomy thoughts about the warm weather coming to an end! So here are some of the star performers seen in many Chelsea Flower Show gardens this September:
Echinaceas, Rudbeckias, Gauras, Heleniums, Verbena, Asters, Kniphofias, Persicarias, Salvias, Penstemons and of course Dahlias. These plants could be seen everywhere in many varieties, providing different heights, structures, flower sizes and colours. Sometimes they were planted single and sometimes in great clumps. SeeHow volume 1 provides illustrations of these plants and many others too, that will extend the flowering season in your garden well into Autumn and beyond, keeping the winter blues at bay!
It was also great to see a few vegetables being used decoratively amongst the flowers. Kale, chard, nasturtiums, kohlrabi and cabbage all provided unusual and striking colours as well good structure with their big leaves and distinctive shapes. There is nothing timid about these vegetables – so be brave. They have their place in the border and afterwards, on your plate too!
However, for me, the unexpected stand-out performers at this year’s autumn Chelsea where the grasses. Normally, in May, grasses tend not to be centre stage, but Autumn is their season. After all, they have evolved to spread their seeds in the more-blustery autumnal weather, so the seed heads often look fantastic and some of the colours were really stunning. Grasses can offer a delicate beauty with their subtle colours, slender forms, different heights and sizes and intricate seedheads. Some are evergreen too. Miscanthus, Stipa, Pennisetum, Imperata, Carex, Panicum, Anamenthella, Deschampsia and others were all on show. A future SeeHow volume is planned that will include some grasses.
The above Text and all Photographs are copyright of Wincenty (Wicek) Sosna. Please contact SeeHow for permission to reproduce in any way, in part or as the complete text.