Asters, grasses and autumn tints are the main ingredients that brought my garden to its final crescendo this year.
Following a long hot and merciless dry summer in which everything struggled including myself, autumn arrived with just a little rain and everything changed.
Autumn tints were early, but many old clumps of Miscanthus grasses were very late coming into flower. This was not from lack of warmth, they are warm season grasses, but because of the 100 consecutive days of drought.
Asters took the weather in their stride and because of the endless warm sunny days of autumn, have never flowered for so long.
Tough stalwarts of the autumn garden such as Rudbeckia and Chelone have grown well and been flowering for months.
But when Kniphofia cooperi eventually flowers, autumn’s end is surely nearby.
So far our Indian Summer is continuing. Textures are becoming finer and more detailed, highlighted by the ever lower-angled sunlight that we hope will keep shining .
Plans are implemented for next year’s highlights and this afternoon we begin planting as many tulips as we can squeeze in. Savour the moment and dream that next year will be even better. The perennial meadow garden project continues!
