OCTOBER IN THE GARDEN

Autumn is here, and with it the plants are beginning to take on a range of warm tones, picking up on our rusted metalwork. Amidst the senescence, plants are still coming into flower, like the scented white Clematis terniflora var. terniflora by The Bookstore gate and the red pineapple sage, Salvia elegans, by the side porch.

While it may feel like things are winding down, in many ways this is the beginning of the gardening year, as we look ahead to next season. Our spring bulb order has arrived, and we’ll be getting these in the ground over the next few weeks, while in the greenhouse, seedlings of hardy annuals are already emerging from our recent sowings. We’ve been taking cuttings from our pelargonium collection - these will become part of our stock for The Exchange’s stall at the Garden Museum Plant Fair in April. In addition, we recently received a generous donation of plants from fashion house Hermes, via designer Mark Grehan of The Garden. 

At the beginning of the month, the volunteers and I took a trip to Great Dixter in Sussex, the home of the late garden writer Christopher Lloyd. It’s a dynamic, innovative garden, with an emphasis on education and biodiversity. Part of my horticultural training took place here, and the garden’s philosophy is key to my own approach to gardening. We all left feeling energised and inspired, with a selection of interesting specimens which will mostly find homes in the front garden, adding height to the borders and upping the levels of drama from the street.