Reasons To be Cheerful
Aye, the nights are fair drawing in...
Many plants are beginning to fade – becoming passed their best. It is easy to become a little despondent, thinking that the gardening year is almost over, whereas we are really just transitioning from one season to the next. But even now, there are many plants still in flower … reasons to be cheerful, so I thought I’d share a few photos below – a way of saying goodbye to old friends and perhaps providing a little inspiration for next year.
Bold Echinacea, with just a hint of autumnal hues
Echinacea are one of many garden-lover’s favourite plants. The daisy-like flowers are large, growing at the tops of tallish stems giving the plant ‘presence’ in the garden and they come in lots of exuberant colours. Butterflies love them too. They also work well in containers, mixed with other perennials such as Guara and Salvias – so a colourful option for terraces and balconies.
Brightly coloured, reliable Anemones are hard to resist
Anemones are another favourite, tending to bush out and filling the border with their foliage above which clouds of large brightly coloured flowers on tall slender stems appear to hover. Flowering lasts for several months.
One of many Dahlias I came across recently. I was struck by the extraordinary beauty of the above bloom – almost as if it had been painted.
I love Dahlias but as they can be a bit tender, I haven’t grown any so far, preferring just to enjoy other gardeners’ plants. But they do grow well here in the mild microclimate of the North Aberdeenshire coast, especially when sheltered from the gusty winds. There were so many to see in a nearby walled garden – all sorts of sizes, blooms and colours – a Dahlia-lover’s heaven.
Hollyhocks typically grow tall … 2m or more, providing a great back drop in small gardens or when used as focal points in larger cottage garden beds and borders
Tall hollyhocks should be grown by more gardeners. They are known for their long flowering period as can be seen from the above photo taken in late-September showing more buds still to open. My own are still in flower in mid-October, also with more buds still to open.
Marigolds provide a wide range of bright yellow and orange daisy-like flowers over a very long flowering period.
The flowers can be small or large, depending on the type. They can be seen from a distance – like small points of light, illuminating the border. They are also good for keeping some unwanted garden pests at bay too, so worth adding a few to the veg patch.
Antirrhinum come in all sorts of colour and are reliable flowerers
Antirrhinum produce many brightly coloured flowers from spring to late autumn and there are lots of different colours to choose from. The candelabras of flowers are held above the foliage creating a vibrant display. The buds start opening from the bottom, working upwards and they look good when planted in a group. They have been a stalwart of UK gardens for decades and many people can probably remember picking the flowers as children and squeezing them so that the flower opens, as if it has a mouth – hence the common name ‘Snapdragon’.
Tall Verbena, Dahlias, Anemones fill the border with height and structure, providing plenty of hiding places for biodiversity
Verbena are statuesque plants with slender branching stems, each one of which ends in clusters of tiny mauve flowers, beloved of butterflies. Their tall open structure lets the sunlight through, allowing a healthy understory of other planting to thrive, provide contrasting colours and leafy structure … doubling up on flowering possibilities in the same location.
Centaurea ‘Montana’ – a leafy plant that will fill the border with its bright green leaves and large, very pretty flowers that combine a ring of blue petals surrounding a maroon centre. Bees like it to.
Although the gardening books describe it as a spring / summer flower, here in Aberdeenshire it continues to flower well into Autumn, as the photo shows. This may be down to the local microclimate, so always worth seeing what can be done to improve local garden conditions.
Nerine bowdenii growing out of an old Belfast sink
Nerines flower at this time of year – no special microclimate required. They produce very large and showing pink flowers and prefer full sun. They are native to the UK and can often be seen growing happily at the base of south-facing stone walls straight out of gravel.
There are many popular plants still in flower that I have not included, such as Rudbeckia, Kniphofia, Helenium, Erigeron, Cosmos, Sweet Peas, Crocosmia, Agrostemma to name a few and yes, roses too … all reasons to be cheerful, as the nights draw in!
One of several roses currently in bloom in late October
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The above Text and all Photographs are copyright of Wincenty (Wicek) Sosna. Please contact SeeHow (07939 226417) for permission to reproduce in any way, in part or as the complete text.
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