By Thea Hegland

This is the time in The Gardens when the deciduous shrubs and perennial plants evolve towards the final stage before dormancy. Curious seed pods, flowering racemes that have been left to dry naturally and a sunset of colours provide a whole new element to the garden. As the seasons change, we start to notice things in a different way; beauty that is often understated, mysterious and subtly alluring. The perennial borders often are home to some of autumn’s finest foliage – Amsonia, Lysmachia and Paeonia all provide significant interest and texture as they end their cycle.

Vibrant reds and yellows in the trees, shrubs and flowers

Perhaps my favourite vista in The Gardens at this time is located within the Japanese Garden. An impressive display of Astilbe with attractive dried flowerheads flows like a river under a canopy of Japanese Maples. Earlier in the season, after the pretty pink Astilbe flowers passed their prime, it may have been tempting to deadhead them, therefore missing all the glory of this unexpected beauty.

Astilbe in the Japanese Garden

The gardening staff have started to hunker down and get focused on the task that lays before them; get the 300, 000 bulbs planted that have just arrived from overseas. First step is to unpack and sort the bulbs; this also can prove to be somewhat daunting. Another big job at this time is the Roses. They are ready to be prepped for winter now as well, that means cutting them all back and plucking all the leaves. It seems formidable with all those thorns at times but the staff is well seasoned and this is just another imperative step in the cycle. The rewards of hard tedious work will always pay off… eventually!

The Rose Garden looks rather different than summer at this time of year. Lots of pruning and maintenance ahead.

Plants that are currently blooming

• Abutilon (Flowering maple)
• Acer (Japanese maple)
• Achillea (Yarrow)
• Aconitum(Monkshood)
• Anemone x hybrida (Japanese anemone)
• Aster (Michaelmas daisy)
• Callicarpa
• Chrysanthemum
• Clerodendrum trichotomum(Glory bower)
• Colchium (Autumn crocus)
• Cosmos atrosanguineus(Chocolate cosmos)
• Cyclamen coum
• Dahlia
• Euonymus alatus
• Fuchsia
• Gazania
• Helenium (Sneezeweed)
• Helianthus (Perennial sunflower)
• Heptacodium miconioides (Seven –son flower)
• Hydrangea
• Pennisetum setaceum (Purple fountain grass)
• Penstemon (Bearded tongue)
• Punica (Pomegranate)
• Rosa (Rose)
• Rudbeckia (Gloriosa daisy)
• Sedum (Stonecrop)
• Solanum
• Solidago (Goldenrod)
• Tibouchina (Glory bush)
• Tricyrtis (Toad lily)