Tuesday 14 October 2014

Widdershins around the garden


 While we're waiting for MJ (that lazy baggage)* to get up off her quince** and post the Annual Garden Event photos, I though I'd post these photos of the most interesting or colouful plants starring in Castlette DeVice's lush waning gardens this Autumn.
 The photos I submitted to MJ were from June when the gardens here were just about at their peak. Now that Autumn has arrived here in Blighty, the garden is looking a little worse for wear, full of lightly crisped foliage from the dry summer and dying flower heads as I haven't got around to doing any cutting back yet (then you're just as much of a lazy baggage as MJ)***. Still, a few bright sparks can be found amongst the embers, so here they are:

The final new growth of Gunnera manicata before the frosts turn it all to mush!

The bright bells of Penstemon. These should keep going for another month or so.

Colourful foliage of Heuchera.

Ah, Echeveria by the pond. Also destined to become mush in the wet, cold Autumn and Winter.

Garish Dahlia still going strong.

This spreading ground cover plant, Lamium, lightens up an otherwise dark corner.

I think this is Watsonia, an Autumn flowering bulb (I can't find the label).

The elegant and seemingly everlasting Gaura.

Young Euphorbias pushing through some Foxgloves.

Another beautiful Autumn flowering bulb: Nerine.

Seed pods of Eucomis comosa (the Pineapple lily) beside a variegated Euphorbia.

Undulating mounds of moss surrounding the base of an Acer (Japanese maple).

A pot of Salvinia natans in my Japanese garden with a frond of Acanthus (Bear's Britches) poking over the top.

 While the photos are displayed in order as if I went widdershins around the garden taking them (as the post title suggests), I'm not (despite popular belief) a silly witch who would go against the natural course of things. I am, however, contrary, so even though I won't tempt bad luck by actually travelling widdershins, I'm quite happy to give the impression that I did so! 

* Beast?! How did you get in here?
** An affectionate term for Moom's ladybits that has got away from me slightly.
*** You again, Beast? How are you doing this? Clear off!

  

11 comments:

  1. A glorious display, Mr Devine! As always. I am grateful that I took my pictures for the show way back in June, as everything is looking a little shabby out there now.
    I am looking forward to the post on Friday.. it will feature my enormous pink bush sans water feature.
    Sx

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  2. GOd, how can you remember the names ? I mean - it's green, isn't it ?!

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  3. Why, thank you Ms Scarlet. And I'm grateful that I managed to take these photos before the garden suffered in yesterday's deluge.

    I can't wait to see your "enormous pink bush sans water feature"!

    If it makes you feel any better Mago, I had to look up the Lamium and I could for the life of me remember the Euphorbia's name, so that got looked up, too!

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  4. show off...

    I really wish that I could interested in gardening again, but this horrible yard of ours is beating me down.

    On the positive side, the Pineapple Sage got BIG and bushy and is full of blooms.

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  5. why, your garden's quite lovely.

    do the plastic flowers hold up over the winter?

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  6. Cookie: I wonder if your Pineapple Sage can rival Ms Scarlet's enormous pink bush?

    Norma: Only if I remember to pretend water them!

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  7. I've always referred to "Echeveria" as "Hens and Chicks."

    I've just been edumacated.

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  8. I like the Fall vegetation colors. A last fling before Winter sets in.

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  9. I like the Fall vegetation colors. A last fling before Winter sets in.

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  10. MJ: Me too - I never knew that name for it.

    LX: Yes, I like Autumn, too. Although I need to get more Autumn colour for next year as almost everything seems to be surrounded by dead and dying foxgloves at the mo.

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Tickle my fancy, why don't you?