SEPTEMBER IN THE GARDEN
September is one of the most beautiful months in the garden, as the late summer colour reaches a climax, and the first autumnal shades creep in. The mulberries above you are still bountiful - feel free to try any you can reach (but please mind your footing and don’t step into the planting on the bank!)
In the main garden, the colour changing Rosa x odorata ‘Mutabilis’ keeps on going, while tall, fluffy, purple Eupatorium dubium ‘Baby Joe’ is popular with the bees. In terms of annuals, we’ve trialled Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Kiiro’, with its pretty pale yellow daisy flowers. It’s not a particularly strong grower however, so we we’ll try different varieties next year. The dramatic Cobaea scandens is also coming into bloom on the railings - see if you can work out why it’s known as the cup-and-saucer vine.
Around the Aleppo pines by the terrace, the rust-toned seedheads of Turkish sage (Phlomis russelliana) are freshened by the white of Oenothera lindheimeri and Centranthus ruber ‘Albus’. The Korean feather grass (Calamagrostis brachytricha) runs through this, adding a soft haziness to the picture. On the fence here, the grape vine is fruiting and the beautiful purple morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea ‘Grandpa Ott’) is looking great. As the name suggests, the blooms close up by the afternoon, opening afresh each morning.
