Tales from the Garden – Autumn on the way
Autumn on the Way
A few beautiful days here in Edinburgh, with the garden lit up by late summer sun, have encouraged me to get out the camera and write this blog. This year we have had so much rain that shrubs and trees have put on an unusual amount of growth. We seem to have a large number of shrubs which need pruning or trimming at this time of year. In some cases, Choisya being one, it should have been done earlier, just after flowering. Gradually the shapes which form the backbone of this garden are being restored.
This is what you see if you come in through the door on the road marked 23. The porch is a very good place for delicate plants because the wind doesn’t bother them there and it protects them from light frosts. These two plants, on the left Justicia carnea and on the right a Fuchsia ‘Thalia’, over winter in the greenhouse and both flower quite late. The two Thuja ‘Smaragh’ either side of the front door have recently been given a light trim to keep them in shape but they dwarf the front door somewhat and are on the verge of being too big for their space.
Autumn crocuses or Colchicum autumnale flower at this time of year, their leaves having done their work and then died back in the Spring. They grow well in grass as here in the orchard, and this year have been very plentiful. They would probably have more flowers if we dug them up and divided them but we rarely get round to doing so. The rock garden in the distance with the cloud pruned conifer looking smooth in spite of only being half trimmed.
This apple tree is a Norfolk Royal planted by our predecessors. It has a good crop every year and the apples, which go bright red, are quite decorative and it arranges itself in a nice arch over the small gate to the yard. Maisie poses very neatly under it. The pot of pink hydrangeas consists of three two year old cuttings from a friend’s garden which are flowering properly for the first time. The Hydrangeas have been beautiful – in common with many others as it has been a very good year here for Hydrangeas – and they light up this dark corner.
These Begonia ‘Glowing Embers’ do a very good job in these window boxes in the yard. I have had them in this quite shady position for several years but buy new plugs every year, these ones were from Woolmans. They are slow to get going but they flower for a remarkably long time. I like the combination of orange flowers and dark leaves and I like the delicate way they drop their spent flowers. The grass in the pots is Hackonechloa – there are 6 pots of them lining what we call the Old Laundry. Although this grass is deciduous so they are not on show in the winter, they do consistently well in these pots, need very little maintenance, and last well into the autumn. We divide them only when they are overcrowded. The Euphorbias make a good match with them. They are self- seeded from a plant of Euphorbia ceratocarpa near the house and we potted them up for the plant sale but they didn’t look good and no one bought them. So I found a good home for them.
We have a number of Argyranthemums or daisies in the garden and this pot of Jamaica Primrose at the bottom of the steps, is three years old and is one of the best. Over wintering these yellow ones is a tricky business and cutting them back is a danger zone and can be fatal, especially if they have to have their roots disturbed. The pinks and the white ones are more easy going and respond well to being cut back.
Kirengeshoma palmata is not well known in spite of occasional enthusiastic mentions of it in books and magazines. Graham Stuart Thomas calls it “a unique plant of great beauty” and quotes A.T. Johnson in more poetic vane; “A Japanese dignitary with ebony stems and vine-like leaves in a hearty green…” It grows quite well in this semi shady place but the pale yellow individual flowers go brown as they finish flowering – a habit which rather spoils the overall effect, and like many other plants their leaves have been eaten by snails.
Sorbus ‘Joseph Rock’ is a marvellous tree and we are lucky to be able to grow it here, as in the South it can fall victim to fireblight. It consistently produces good clumps of these lovely yellow berries and the leaves go dark orange to set them off. Luckily the birds don’t seem to be too fond of the berries which last well into autumn.
If this selection gives the impression of everything in the garden being yellow at the moment, it is not quite the case for the Herbaceous Border is full of Asters, Sedums, Helianthemums and scented dark leaved Actaea, and of course the autumn crocuses steal the limelight too. This year we have had very few butterflies, and strangely the speckled wood, which I can’t remember ever seeing here has been the most numerous. There have been plenty of birds at the bird feeders, numerous bullfinches and chaffinches, as well as all the tits, but most exciting has been the frequent visits of a Great Spotted Woodpecker which probably comes from Corstorphine Hill and enjoys the peanuts. Autumn is a lovely time of year here and there is much to look forward to.
