I’m looking out on my garden which I’d say is 95% green so I’m writing here about a little touch of colour, late summer colour, for those of us who haven’t got a lot apart from green.
Here’s the front
Front garden looking from the front door
and here’s the back.
Back garden where planting is mostly green
I read about late summer colour and see gardens full of dahlias, asters, red hot pokers, heleniums, sunflowers, rudbeckias, echinaceas, salvias, and lush herbaceous borders flowering their hearts out. Many gardens open around now to show off their dahlia collections and some have prairies with swathes of oranges and reds.
Well I don’t have any of that and maybe you don’t either.
Where can we get a bit of colour if we can’t or don’t grow those fabulous late flowering plants?
Well if I look a bit closer I can see lots of little bits of colour scattered around. I just need to notice them.
Pink Japanese anemones – a spreading thug but looks good and will flower for months
A wonderful low growing creeping sedum called Red Cauli (available from online nurseries)
African Basil giving colour and scent well into winter and sedum coming into flower
Hardy geranium flowers – scattered here and there, gorgeous blues and purples
Grasses giving gold and bronze in a yellow pot
A dark buddleja still flowering
and of course lots of green: gorgeous, fabulous, wonderful, evergreen, winter colour, swaying in the breeze, thousand shades of green. That what gardens are – green. I love it.
For more about my garden in the autumn see here
Every season has it’s on glory.
Oh yes, and as someone who doesn’t manage hot weather very well I just love autumn. What about you?
This week I really liked your sedum. A vibrant color compared to mine. The back garden is cosy and very welcoming. You must have a good time watching the wildlife passing here (between 2 weeding)
Thankyou Fred. Yes the bird feeders are a few feet from the window and birds are feeding all day long all through the year. It’s so lovely to watch. The sedum is one that creeps along the ground and has red stems, not one that stands up and then flops open. It is a very intense red whereas most others are a pinky red. Best wishes, Julie
It’s good to hear the anemones are thugs because I have just planted some and it is good to know they will make themselves welcome in the garden.
At this time of year, my garden is mostly green too. You have more pops of color left in your garden than I do.
Hi Cindy, are your anemones white or pink?? My white ones are beautiful and not such thugs as the pink ones. Green really is the best colour isn’t it and in fact there are hundreds of shades of green so lucky us I’d say.
I think the grasses are a lovely sunny spot in your green garden and red cauli is nice and bright. What a perfect name! I would love anemones to be a bit thuggish in my garden, but I have too much sun!
Hi Jane, I thought anemones grow anywhere don’t they? You could try the pale pink one – it seems determined to grow anywhere and everywhere. I’ve even tried digging it out, every bit of it, and it still comes back! Good luck and thanks for your comment.