The flowers of Miscanthus Malepartus (left), Cindy (front centre) and Rosi (tall right) radiating every drop of low sunlight in the Decennium border.
September seemed to go by in the blink of an eye and now we are already well into October. Encouraged no doubt by the long hot summer (and in spite of the more recent windy wet weather), the miscanthus in the garden are performing beautifully at the moment in areas such as the Dragon, the Decennium, the Mill End borders and the Long Walk.
Miscanthus are a really useful, and beautiful, group of grasses characterised by mounds of narrow bladed leaves that are mostly topped by some pretty impressive flowers in various shades of red, purple, pink and white from high summer onwards.
The effect they have in a garden can be quite dramatic – whether they are offering their highly coloured fresh flowers, radiating morning or evening sunlight, swaying in a gentle breeze or even being blown around in an autumnal gale they offer almost constant movement and myriad subtle changes of colour and texture as the season progresses.
Dramatic as the flower display can be, like most plants miscanthus are most effective when set against other plants such as the autumnal colouring foliage of spindle trees seen here in the early morning sunlight.Various miscanthus as part of the Prairie style planting in the Dragon Garden.Almost obscuring the Dragon sculpture the tall and airy flowerheads of Miscanthus Rosi combine with other miscanthus in an autumnal symphony of colour, texture, form and movement.The fresh flowers of Miscanthus Malepartus are initally dark purplish red but start fading through myriad different autumnal shades which are scarcely less effective than the initial flower. The dried finger like heads of Veronicastrum virginicum are equally effective and a great contrast to the miscanthus seen here in the Decennium border.Another group of Miscanthus Malepartus, although still in the Decennium border, now offering almost silvery white shades in the warm sunshine.Almost in constant motion, the silvery heads of miscanthus partner near perfectly with the unmissable wine red fall foliage of Euonymus alatus in the Decennium border.In another part of the Decennium border Miscanthus Cindy, a Knoll Gardens selection, offers rounded mounds of comparatively compact foliage which is virtually hidden by the enthusiastically produced gently pendulous soft pink flowers that are currently turning a pink tinted shade of soft satiny silver. A spindle tree, Euonymus hamiltonianus (left) offers deep pink autumnal foliage while two of our own selections’ E. Pillar Box (centre) has deep red leaves and E. Verity (right), has impressively bright shrimp pink foliage and fruits. Miscanthus on the edge of the Decennium border where it abuts the Long Walk provide effective contrast to the fast colouring background spindle trees.A few weeks earlier the miscanthus in the Decennium border (from left to right Malepartus, Cindy and Rosi), although having lost the initial fresh colour tones of their flowers still had a largely summer time effect. But in a few short weeks, as the temperatures drop and the light lowers, the miscanthus take on a wonderfully silky silvery hue that catches and reflects every drop of sunshine in a seemingly constantly changing autumnal performance.Miscanthus Memory in the Mill End borders is a very distinctive and very lovely selection. The combination of silvery white flowers and rapidly yellowing autumnal foliage is quite beautiful and much commented on by our visitors. Looking rather fabulous in the Long Walk, Miscanthus Sunset is one of our own selections and was chosen for its combination of elegant soft pink turning silver flowers that are held some way clear of the foliage; which itself turns a warming autumnal mix of oranges reds and and yellows at this time of year. Not a miscanthus admittedly but Poa labillardierei in the Dry Meadow showcasing some Aster Ice Cool Pink rather nicely as the first rays of morning sunshine arrive at the meadow. Although the massed summertime pale yellow flowers of Scabiosa ochroleuca are now more or less over the abundant seed heads shine in the morning sunshine.A view across the Decennium border from the end of the Dragon Walk.
