As we go into Autumn, flowers are in short supply, but some of the roses are still producing a few blooms, including this one, which is Rosa ‘Judi Dench’…

At the base of the fruit trees, nasturtiums are still going well, perhaps because they germinated late; the early seedlings having been nibbled off by hungry rabbits…

Asters (Symphyotrichum) have seeded themselves all over the garden – I had no idea they would be so prolific! While the main plants have gone over now, some of the seedlings are in full bloom…

The quality of the new plants is variable. Some have flowers that are somewhat small; very similar to a very vigorous aster that was in the garden before we arrived (and which I subsequently split up and re-set). Others are closer to the bigger bloomed varieties we’ve added subsequently. One seedling has white, rather than lavender/blue flowers.

Another enthusiastic self-seeder is the ubiquitous Verbena bonariensis, and there are plenty still in flower…

Marigolds would be everywhere, but were also demolished by the rabbits. Some that made it through in the vegetable plot are still doing well…

In the first year we sowed some Phacelia as a green manure. The flowers were so pretty, and so loved by pollinators, that we decided not to hoe the young plants back into the soil. They too self-seed every year. They flower over a long period…

The flower spikes of Gaura (now Oenothera) lindheimeri ‘Whirling Butterflies’ keep going over a very long season, and float above everything else, creating quite a dreamy effect. It does need to be kept in hand, or else it will take over the garden…

‘Royal Bumble’, a woody salvia, surprisingly came through last year’s cruel winter, and has been amazing again this year, blooming from mid-summer into autumn. And it looks good with a backdrop of Cotinus coggygria (I think this one is ‘Royal Purple’)…

Geranium ‘Eureka’ has a few flowers left, alongside Achillea ptarmica ‘The Bride’, which we grew from seed in spring…

Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ is another late flowerer. It’s just coming to an end now. It looks great in a shaded position, as here…

Colour, of course, doesn’t have to come from flowers. I put in an Artemisia ‘Powys Castle’ earlier this year, and its silvery foliage looks great against the dark leaves of the Cotinus…

Fruits typically give us clusters of reds and oranges that intensify the orange glow of any low sunshine we’re lucky to get at this time of year. This summer I realised there was no need to dead-head the roses that flower only once (I can be a bit slow sometimes!) and consequentially, we’ve got rose hips. These are on the climber ‘Constance Spry’ (named for the famous flower arranger)…

And of course there’s the obvious colour from turning leaves; here in Rhus typhinus…

This Euonymus alatus ‘Red Cascade’ is in its first year, so still quite small. The leaves turned a deep red, but I wasn’t quick enough with the camera – they’ve almost all fallen already…

The Cornus behind the pond (C. sibirica ‘Alba’ and C. sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’) are looking good as the leaves begin to change colour…

The falling leaves will reveal brightly coloured stems in red and orange, which will add interest throughout the winter.

Interesting how different trees and shrubs come into leaf, and shed their leaves, at different times. Last autumn I also put in a Liquidambar (L. styracyflua ‘Slender silhouette’), a columnar tree with great autumn colour. I was disappointed that it was one of the last trees to come into leaf in spring, but conversely, it’s leaves are yet to turn.

Elsewhere, the ferns are looking good now. This is Polystichum polyblepharum (Japanese Lace fern)…

Who would have thought it, but we’ve still got courgettes..!

In the greenhouse, the peppers and chillies were something of a disappointment, but there are some peppers still to be harvested…

Streptocarpus (or ‘Streps’ as they’re referred to) are generally used as houseplants, but I know from previous experience they like it outside over summer. This one was on its last legs, until we put it outside. I’ve moved it to the greenhouse now…

Things are changing fast in the garden now, as it turns darker, colder, and wetter, and one by one the deciduous plants start to shed their leaves. But don’t think it’s all over until the spring. Once the leaves are down, the garden will enter another phase; less flamboyant, but still with lots of interesting things happening.

Text & images © Graham Wright 2023