Crimson Flag Lily
Albert Camus summed up this time of the gardening calendar
with a quote. “Autumn is a second spring
when every leaf is a flower.” There are
so many beautiful colours about in the late sunshine. There are also plenty of
delightful colours in the flowers that grace our beds and borders at this time
of year.
Perennial plants continue to throw out lovely hues. Red-hot
pokers are sending their toned reds and oranges into the air and tubular
Penstemon are a delight to see waving in the wind. Large multi coloured annual
dahlia flowers flop and hang in there as the threat of the firsts frost come
upon us. You can see why dahlias are so popular for council planting as they
have a really long flowering season. Asters are similar and can last even the
mild ground frosts in the evenings.
It’s not only perennials that delight in autumn. There are a
lot of bulbs coming up now that add to the myriad of colours.
Bulbs, Corms and
Tubers
Crocus
Crocuses are some of the best known of the autumn bulbs for
the garden. These jewels of the autumn force their blooms through the fallen
leaves to create a festival of colour, even before their foliage appears.
Dahlia
Slightly different from the annual types, these striking
blooms of these tuberous plants start to open in summer, but are at their best
from August to September, bridging gaps in borders as other perennials begin to
fade.
Nerine
One of the hardiest autumn flowers. A bold block of cerise pink nerine flowers
make a breathtaking sight on a bright autumn morning. These South African
plants are unscathed by cold weather and surprisingly easy to establish.
Crimson Flag Lily
The most common one around here is the 'Major'. This hardy
and vigorous clump-forming perennial grows to 60cm in height, with grassy light
green leaves and erect stems bearing lax spikes of up to 10 crimson-scarlet
flowers 5-6cm in width, from late summer. They are similar to nerines in their
growing habits and the fact their origins are from the South African plains.
Sternbergia
Similar to Crocus, Sternbergia make excellent bulbs for
autumn colour at the end of the year. They love full sun.
Gladiolus
The tall, slender stems come into their own in early October.
They will need a bit of TLC though and be dug up before the hard frosts so not
everyone’s favourite.
Begonia
Tuberous Begonias are the most glamorous bulbs for adding a
bright colour accent to shady patios. Their beautiful flowers are produced over
an incredibly long period, from summer all the way through to the first frosts
in November.
Cyclamen
Cyclamen are actually corms and are very useful for
brightening up those dry shady areas beneath trees, where other plants struggle
to grow and make excellent woodland autumn bulbs. Cyclamen hederifolium is the
usual choice for autumn flowers .For later flowers the Cyclamen ‘coum’ is often
used. Braving the cold winter weather as
early as January, the pretty pink blooms emerge ahead of the foliage which
later forms a carpet of silver-marbled leaves., Cyclamen coum enjoys a damper
soil than it’s cousin, thriving in moist shade beneath trees and associating
beautifully with snowdrops.
Snowdrop
With so many different species and varieties to choose from,
the snowdrop has gained almost fanatical popularity and galanthophiles pay
enormous sums for a single bulb. But you don’t need to break the bank to enjoy
these winter beauties. Try the Galanthus elwesii, the giant, honey-scented
snowdrop or Galanthus nivalis ‘Flore Pleno’, the double flowered variety. For
natural looking drifts, gently cast the bulbs across the planting area and
plant them exactly where they land.
Winter Aconite
These cheery winter aconite bulbs produce golden, cup-shaped
flowers surrounded by a green collar of leaves - just like buttercups in the
depths of winter! Not for the tidy gardener - Winter Aconites almost demand to
be grown in bold natural drifts where they can be left undisturbed to die back
naturally in spring. They love a moist soil and a shady position, so they’re
perfect for under-planting among woodland trees
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