The autumnal garden has a faded elegance that’s unbeatable for atmosphere. Liz Potter reveals the Decadent Dawdlers and Late-season Lovelies for a rosy romantic glow
As September tips into October, a cool breeze rifles through my small country garden. Towering stems of bronze fennel brace themselves against it, scattering seed far and wide, while shivering cornus foliage starts to blush pink. Tufts of sun-bleached stipa bob and dip as Japanese anemones unfurl dazzling hot pink flowers like flags. Autumn has arrived.
These subtle changes, brought on by a dip in temperature and shortening days, are but a drum-roll for the main seasonal finale: the vibrant transformation of deciduous plants as their chlorophyll ebbs away. Statuesque stunners such as Acer palmatum, Rhus typhina, Cercis canadensis and Liquidambar styraciflua steal the show in a mantle of orange, gold, pink and red. But theirs is not the only story here: there are lots of charming little subplots to savour at this time of year. Certain summer-flowering plants are still producing buds and blooms – apicture of faded elegance draped with sparkling dew-laden cobwebs. Many of these Decadent Dawdlers will have already enjoyed their moment in the sun and are now returning for an autumn encore; others simply keep flowering non-stop.
Repeat-flowering roses
These can bloom non-stop from June, provided you keep the secateurs to hand and deadhead regularly. Feed them, water them then mulch with organic soil improver and they’ll reward you with dozens of fragrant blowsy blooms. Go for a fragrant shrub rose such as soft-apricot ‘The Lark Ascending’ (H&S: 1.5m) or pale-pink climber ‘The Generous Gardener’ (H: 4.5m). These subtle hues set the tone for any gentle, romantic scheme, their semi- and double flowers attracting bees. New this year is ‘Dannahue’ (H: 1.1m, S: 1.25m), which is the colour of cinnamon dust, with a lemon-lychee fragrance and cup-shaped double blooms. After its final flush of flowers, leave the hips for the blackbirds and thrushes, until pruning in January or February.
Hardy geraniums
Another autumn stalwart, blooming from May to the frosts. ‘Rozanne’ (H&S: 60cm) is a popular choice – awallichianum type prized for its late flowers, sprawling habit and tendency to clamber up its neighbours; ‘Bloom Time’ is a pretty pink version. There are lots of other species and cultivars, but many run out of steam in late summer: sterile hybrids such as magenta ‘Patricia’ offer best longevity.
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