A walk in the gardens September 2006

Autumn has definitely arrived. We have had a few lingering days of summer, warm and sunny, this month, some cool nights and plenty of wind and rain over the last couple of weeks. The equinox gales left a fair bit of tidying up to be done in the way of branches and twigs to be gathered up but nothing major as far as I could see.

Autumn colour is beginning to appear especially with the horse chestnuts and on the main drive Parrotia persica.   Kniphofia also provide colour here.

The walled garden again provides much of the flowering plants this month; Michaelmas daisies and Dahlias, Gentian asclepiadea, Scabiosa ochroleuca, Cimicifolia racemosa, Ceratostigma willmottianum and Schizostilus and Kirengeshoma palmata

 Clematis tangutica was covered with its little yellow flowers and I found one flower head on clematis rehderiana. The Lapageria rosea is back in bloom again.  One or two of the small rhododendrons have decided to flower again – Rh. intrafast, impeditum and calostrotum.

Outside the walled garden interest is provided by berries of the various Sorbus species and Cotoneasters. In the north triangle garden the bark of Betula jacquemontii is looking good now.

But the plant of the month must surely be Fascicularia bicolor. There is one growing at the side of the path leading from the car park and its flowers are spectacular.