seasonal change
Have you noticed the seasonal change?
We can see that a shift into Autumn is happening now. This is clearly visible when we look into nature, and especially our gardens.
It is a season that should be considered much more carefully when designing a planting for a garden.
One of the ways to play to the strengths of the autumn time in our garden is to consider planting more shrubs that will add an abundance of striking colourful berries at this time of year.
There are many varieties of Cotoneasters that will deliver a bounty of berries, which contrast beautifully with their green foliage.
The visual appeal of a garden can also be enhanced by adding small ornamental trees, like for example Malus ‘Evereste’, which will give a great display of small, red-flushed apples. These red jewels, that will decorate the tree’s branches, will remain in place until winter months.
At this time of the year ornamental grasses are at their best, with their striking panicles blending with your garden’s other perennial plants. This creates a hazy effect, making the time spent in a garden in autumn more memorable.
Ornamental grasses can act as tall, straight punctuations along a garden border, which Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’ grass does perfectly. By selecting medium size varieties, the grasses can also filter and diffuse the colours of other perennials, adding another layer of depth and contrast into the overall planting.
As we pass by, we can see ornamental grasses heavy from morning dew, the small droplets hanging on the arching stems, our clothes baring the signs of close encounter.
And what a pleasure to watch a spectacle of ornamental grasses moving gracefully in the wind?
Time spent in autumnal garden is not marked by the excitement of growth and the development of overwhelming colour. The energy in an autumnal garden is more relaxed.
We are admiring the fruits and work of the previous seasons. We are getting accustomed to the presence of fading flowers and the skeletal forms of many perennials. We also notice the shifting colour palette of foliage on many trees and shrubs.
The autumnal garden is also saturated with scents: the soil, the late flush of blooms, the leaves, the fruits and the decay.
And there is the light, which is more beautiful and inspiring than at any other time of the year.
The light illuminates the silhouettes of grasses and perennials, highlighting their forms, and casting fantastical shadows.
The autumn lights also creates memorable visual effects by sneaking in between the branches of trees or gently filtering through their buttery-yellow foliage.
I find myself sitting on a bench in a quiet corner of a garden, facing directly into the sun, I am hungry of these warm kisses, I close and open my eyes, I soak this calming and energising moment.
Near my feet are an abundance of figs, fallen from the shrub, dotting the ground. Some of the fruits are squashed. The smell of sweetness is filling the warm air. Their big foliage casts palm-shaped shadows on my hands. I pick up one fig and gently scrape off the remains of soil.
I hold the fig in both my hands and slowly open it, revealing its brown flesh dotted with seeds.
The sweetness of the fig lingers on my tongue, the gritty seeds cracking under my teeth.
For me, this moment is a pure celebration of the autumnal season.