GARDENING Plan now for autumn colour

Plan now for your autumn colour


Gardening
Patsy O'Sullivan

Autumn displays of colour in the flower garden can be just as stunning as the glorious and luxuriant shows of summer. However, they need planning and some work now.
There is a wide range of cultivars and plants, including annuals and bulbs, shrubs and small trees, that come into their glory in the autumn and can be used in the flower bed. All these will look well if planted in ‘drifts’ of one colour (which is a group of plants or one large plant, depending on the spread when fully grown). Plan to have a drift of at least 1-1½ metres wide that has an irregular shape and blends into the next drift of another variety.

Seeds
If we start with the annual seeds, now is the time to start planting nasturtium seeds. They look good either in a group or in large plant pots where a trailing variety, such as ‘Hermine grashof’, looks good as a feature. Knautia macedonica is very effective in a large group planting. Rudbekia and Hellenium, both with red/orange varieties, are available, and if started off inside in warmth they can be planted out when fear of frost is past. Hellenium is a good choice if your soil, like mine, is damp or shady, as they revel in this situation.

Bulbs
Autumn flowering bulbs can be planted now. If you are uncertain of the weather then one option is to plant into pots in a warm sunny room or glasshouse and plant out when the soil is warmer and when you have had a chance to eliminate weeds, which will make maintenance a lot easier. Nerine bowdenii has pink flowers in long stems rising from strappy leaves and looks well against a backdrop of Day lilies and dahlias and these can also be planted now. Montbretia (variety Crocosmia lucifer) grows well in the west as do gladioli and there is a wide range of colours to match any scheme. Autumn-flowering crocus and cyclamen bulbs can be planted now. Many varieties in the lily family are late to flower, including kaffir lilies ‘Schizostylis’.

Perennials
Perennials for autumn displays can be bought from the nursery or garden centre (or acquired from a fellow gardener in plant swaps!) They include blue Caryopteris, Asters such as the ‘Michaelmas Daisy’, Japanese anemone and Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia). Sedum Spectabile provides beautiful flowers and fleshy foliage that turns golden orange in autumn and the flower heads provide good structure in the winter lasting through to the spring when most other perennial plants are hibernating.

Foliage
The various shades of green and bronze provided by foliage plants, give the eye a rest from the stimulation of colour and act as a foil to complement more vibrant flowers.  These include ornamental grasses and plants such as Actaea Simplex ‘Brunette’. This grows to 1-2 metres tall so take care to position it towards the back of the flowerbed. The variety has arching bottlebrush white to pink flowers and a wonderful fragrance too.

Colour combination
If you are looking for a good autumn colour combination, try bronze fennel with nasturtiums, Crocosmia lucifer or the regular montbretia, Actaea simplex ‘Brunette’, kaffir lilies, Euphorbia polychroma, Knautia macedonica and Bergenia sylvestris. This last plant is flowering now and the large, elephant-ear foliage turns golden later in the season.