September in the Woodland Gardens
This is probably the quietest month in the garden: The weeds have slowed down, there is no mad dashing with hosepipes, and the frequency of deadheading has decreased to a leisurely pace. It is also the calm before the storm because, in mid-October, we start our autumn marathon to put the garden to bed and tuck it in safely before Christmas.
Emerging from its mid-summer ‘green phase’, the Stroll Garden is picking up colour again and will continue to do so until the fiery finale in December. The start is gentle, with pink Hydrangea macrophylla and purple Hydrangea villosa. Along the sides of the ponds, Lobelia x speciosa ‘Hadspen Purple’ is a true eye catcher, standing out against the soft pink of Anemone x hybrida ‘September Charm’.
In the adjacent Rockery, the blue and white theme which is the ‘trademark’ of this garden, is carried by Aster macrophyllus ‘Twilight’ (syn. Eurybia × herveyi ‘Twilight’) and hydrangeas. ‘Twilight’ is a very special aster, as it is not only mildew-resistant, but also one of only two varieties that thrive in the shade.
Throughout the Rockery, there are white Hydrangeas paniculata, arborescens and quercifolia.
Towards the end of September, the Stroll Garden acquires a misty feel with golden birch foliage and predominantly white flowers, such as Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’, Aster divaricatus (syn. Eurybia divaricata) and Ageratina ‘Braunlaub’. At the front of the borders, soft-pink Hesperantha ‘Pink Princess’ emerges, which will flower well into the winter.
A peaceful garden which invites one to muse and wander.