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Adamn Greathead
Hazel Tree
Joined: 12 Sep 2006
Posts: 44
Location: West Midlands
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 Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 6:46 pm Post subject: Adam goes autumnal... |
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| Quote: | | "supermarkets have yet to discover such thing as a ripe pear" |
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Autumn comes through a back door, creeping up on you before you know it, yet leaves with a storm, heralding the arrival of winter. It is sad to think that as I sit here and write all I can help but think about is the winter to come. The winter that I know will be dark and miserable and cold and will seem endless. Shards of ice will paint everything dense covering of clouds will prevail and the light nights of summer will no longer be there- all outdoor activity will end no later than 4pm or else you’ll be cast astray in the falling darkness. There’s nothing more depressing, to me, than the receding hours of daylight in September; waking up and all you can do is wait for the night to pass before a beautiful coating of dew is revealed. Over the years I have found that autumn is a gorgeous but poignant time of the year. The intrepid hues with which are, normally, coated with a delicate shimmer dangle desperately at scarce branches.
John Keats famously wrote about autumn with its “mists and mellow fruitfulness” and I couldn’t have put it better myself. Which other season culminates into lush pickings that, in turn, make indulgence look like an after thought yet makes us feel remorse? Despite the regular effect of global warming warm days still remain on chilling winds and damp dewy mornings. If spring did not exist autumn would be the best season around.
However great the demise in weather there is still a list of jobs which need doing, most of which will fall second to cosy nights beside the fire and long evenings, head in book, accompanied with a mug of tea- I have been good- I have planted 100 daffodils this week, their variety sits unknown with me but whatever they are the hope is there that they will be beautiful. Working beside the dozen blue tits that visit this melancholic house, I have cut all my buxus sempervirens cones and hedges, getting them all snuggled up for the winter chill knowing that such crispness will be deeply appreciated by all. Buxus will fare well with most plants, however, in this garden, it has to make do with the blood-red berries of pyracantha, the electric radiance of choisya ternate ‘sundance’ and the jewel-like ruby hues of cirsicum vulgare and may I say so myself does it most beautifully. This garden currently exists in its immature state therefore my opium poppies have yet to dominate and digitalis purpurea is restrained to the back of the borders.
Autumn undoubtedly brings with it golden squashes, sharp elderberries and holly berries but there are some favourite plants of mine which I think deserve a mention: Cannas are one of them. No other plant thrusts semi-opaque foliage into the face of the fading sun like the canna. Cannas grow in well-drained fertile soil with some cultivars reaching head height and more. Originating from tropical America, cannas require require frost protection; a greenhouse, polytunnel or even a spare room will suffice. Generally I make a habit of not planting out my cannas until the last week in May and do don’t lift them until the bitter attack of November has blackened their foliage but when this is done I cut them down to at least 3” and pot them into old compost which is kept only slightly moist. For real impact try Canna ‘Durban’. It flaunts broad technicoloured swathes of leaves, which are vividly enhanced by tangerine flowers, haunting the garden with its presence.
Concentrating on a particular theme and one that cleaves to this garden, Verbena bonariensis should be mentioned here. V. bonariensis proves irresistible to butterflies and gardeners alike. A garden without without such a plant is either given the term ‘garden’ loosely or, as often is the case, has not been designed and thought out to its full potential. It rules this garden between August and November unleashing a clash of pink perfection when it is needed most. Long has it been advised to over winter their roots in a greenhouse; and sound advice this is too. It does however pay to take a few cuttings of your prized specimen in case the worst happens to happen.
No planting scheme should ignore grasses, they offer delicate foliage to watch and listen to in the breeze. One might say grasses are the performers of the plant world and rightly so. A variety that tends to exuberate in most gardens is Miscanthus sinensis ‘Zebrinus’- a marvellous herbaceous grass boasting tall elongated blades mottled with yellow veins. At the peak of its 5ft or so, tassel-like flowers emerge, grandly shimmering in the dwindling autumnal sunshine- a sight for even the sorest eyes. This cultivar will grow happily in full sun, where its colours can shine, and does best in moist but well drained soil. Like many other of its counterparts it happens to be a clump forming plant therefore benefits from being divided every five years or so and should also be cut back in early spring, avoiding any new shoots which are flung from the base of the plant.
There is one plant, which I know most of you will possess or, if not, you’ll know of somebody who does. Sedum ‘Autumn joy’ (also known by its German title: Herbstfreude). Isn’t it wonderful? I have been threatening to make a negative impact on the amount of Sedums here but just cannot bring myself to forgo such anarchy- so they remain, majestic as ever. Reliability is their middle name and they will last for years producing millions of broccoli-like buds in June and July that gradually set free dense dusky-pink pads of flower, even in the dead of inter their exhausted flower heads give interest when smothered in frost.
Believe it or not: all these plants put together do not switch me to autumnal mode as much as the next plant, or tree, I am about to mention- Pyrus communis (common pear)- supermarkets have yet to discover such thing as a ripe pear- something completely different to the unpalatable bland substitutes they import from foreign estates as far as the Far East; china being the world’s major producer. As much as 41,000 tonnes are shipped over from China: a sin in its self. Personally I find it impossible to understand what attraction an insipid pear (and that’s taking it lightly) holds with the consumer. Especially when autumn arrives, local growers are heaving with delectable fruits stacked 10ft tall and with nowhere to go, half of this become unusable and is merely disposed of. Most of this falls down to politics today- let’s use our own native food before we turn to support chemically enhanced replacements. After all there is nothing more rewarding than planting a young tree, watching it grow and then being able to breathe in the tangible fragrance of the ripe end product and only then can you miss the bus; let the kettle whistle for all it’s worth because nothing, nothing should come between you, a misty autumn morning and your pear- a sensuous moment to be treasured and one which warms my heart every time and I am more than happy to wait another twelve months to experience that ripe pear once again in the knowledge that it has no food miles, no chemicals and, most of all, has been grown and harvested from the comfort of my own home… |
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birdie
Rowan Tree
Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Posts: 119
Location: west of ireland
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| Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 12:40 pm Post subject: |
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| Very informative article Adam. The first pic of yourself with the grasses could easily be used as a cover pic for your first book. |
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GPI
Site Admin
Joined: 30 May 2006
Posts: 1220
Location: West of Ireland
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| Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 3:56 pm Post subject: |
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| birdie wrote: | | The first pic of yourself with the grasses could easily be used as a cover pic for your first book. |
Yes, the picture is very Diarmud Gavin or Monty Don-like.
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Adamn Greathead
Hazel Tree
Joined: 12 Sep 2006
Posts: 44
Location: West Midlands
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| Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 1:09 pm Post subject: Kind words |
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Thank you both for your kind words
I had started some ideas for a book but whether they'll amount to anything-who knows?
I have'nt added a new article as yet for i have been away for a week but aim to do so very soon.
All the best
Adam |
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