Tuesday 22 September 2009

September in the Garden


Despite the strange summer and early autumn some of the flower beds are still worth looking at.

The dahlias in the foreground and the Japanese anemonies against the background of the purple leaves of the cotinus give structure and colour.




This is one my favourite borders, it is full of tall, architectural plants and grasses. The housewall behind is smothered in creepers like the passiflora and a winter clematis. Although the window in this wall has almost disappeared under the growth, I can't bring myself to chop it down.

The only time we can look out of this window is in winter.




There is still plenty of life left in the rose border.

From a gardening column in the paper I learned today that it is now time to stop dead-heading.
What they need now is to hunker down and prepare for the worst, and producing seed will allow them to toughen up. You never know, given the chance they may even produce some beautiful, colourful hips.

The time for planting shrubs has come. The roots need winter to stretch out into the soil and become used to their new abode, before starting growth in earnest in spring.

Here is Anne Scott-James' advice
on planting.

Circles of Soil.

All the gardeners I have talked to, professionals and amateurs, have stressed the importance of leaving a generous circle of cultivated soil round shrubs, roses or fruit trees planted in grass for at least two years after planting. One nursery will not consider replacing dead plants unless a circle at least four feet in diameter has been left
for trees and at least three feet for small shrubs.

In gardens celebrated for their roses, I always observed round every rose a good circle of
cultivated soil accessible to air, rain and
supplies of food.


The four shrubs pictured here are, from the top,

Hypericum (St. John's Wort)
Berberis
Hydrangea
Fuchsia













All photos may be enlarged.

18 comments:

  1. More than worth looking at, to judge by your photographs. Our dahlias, too, have doe well and are still a picture. Also the Chrysanths and some late roses, but yes, it has been a strange season.

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  2. these are well beyond "worth looking at" this is a stunning garden!!!!! i'm intrigued by the gardening advice. i garden in a very haphazard fashion so anything in the way of knowledge is welcomed!!! have a lovely day and thanks for sharing these beautiful flowers here. steven

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  3. The first picture is my favorite. I love berries. I have two bushes, I think are called nandina that have orange berries in the winder. Of course the hollies are beginning to redden up too. This rain we have had for three days was needed but I'm ready for some sun. Some good ideas, thanks.
    QMM

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  4. Friko: Your garden is beautiful - evidence of a lot of love and hard work. Love your grasses. Great tips - thanks.

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  5. Beautiful autumnal garden, Friko.

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  6. Gorgeous surrounginds, Friko. I didn't know about the circle of cultivation - doesn't bode well for our newly-planted trees, but maybe we can tear away the grass when the rains start.

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  7. Just beautiful Friko. If I had a green thumb like yours and did not live in such cold winters maybe I could grow something like that. I do love flowers so I am babying my african violets, They are pretty but Your garden of flowers is just great.

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  8. Wow Friko. Your garden looks so pretty. Lots of hard work has gone into that. Well done you. A x

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  9. Gorgeous! Looks like a lot of hard work but how wonderful to have this oasis to contemplate on a September morning! The photos and the enlargements are divine! Thank you for sharing them with us all!

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  10. I love your photos. I had been feeling guilty about the circle of soil around much of my new planting and now you have given me a kick to act on it!

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  11. There's so much life and colour and vibrancy in your post and images. Many thanks.

    Greetings from London.

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  12. I really like the look of that little bench at the end. I bet that's a great place for reading. I've just bought Daphne du Maurier's short story collection and I wish the world would just stop so I could get off, sit on a bench and read.

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  13. I love your Autumn photos Friko - what a beautiful garden you have.

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  14. What a joy it must be to look out on such a beautiful yard. I would enjoy it more if someone else did the work, though. Gardening is rewarding but backbreaking.

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  15. Yes, Well worth looking at. And Balzac would agree!

    Aloha!

    Comfort Spiral

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  16. Dave King - a strange season indeed.

    steven - thanks for the compliment - I'm not really as good and organised as you think; I'm just showing the prettier corners.

    QMM - I have a couple of nandinas too, they are also called 'Heavenly Bamboo' and are truly spectacular.

    Bonnie - well, you did show your beautiful garden too.

    Prospero - thanks, Prospero

    Pondside - there is time, but do it, if you can. the plants will be grateful.

    Lucy - thanks - most of the plants I grow are fully hardy.

    Wipso - thanks for the compliment. How's yours?

    Gloria - thank you for visiting and welcome. Any green fingers where you are?

    elizabethm - thanks; I haven't actually followed this advice myself everywhere. Must get round to it.

    ACIL - thanks Cuban, country life has some compensations.

    Fran Hill - that bench is hard and the shrubs get in the way. I hadn't heard of du Maurier's short stories, are they worth reading? Do tell me, please.

    Twiglet - thanks for the compliment, Twiglet. How's Tuffin"s?

    Darlene - Okay, I admit, I have help for the hard jobs.

    Cloudia - thanks, Cloudia, would Balzac? An old cynic like him?

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  17. Beautiful garden with so many lovely flowers !! This is so beautiful !! Thanks for sharing..Unseen Rajasthan

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  18. Lush and moist, such as we rarely encounter. Thanks.

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