In spite of the somewhat less than perfect autumn weather, with continual heavy rain interspersed with bursts of warm sunshine and blue skies, the garden has many light fuelled moments of great beauty and is offering a good amount of, albeit sometimes soggy, autumnal splendour.
The warm tints of Cornus kousa opposite the Forum.Covering an old tree stump in excess 5 metres high is the fabulous Vitis coignetiae whose large leaves can display an incredible array of autumnal colours and patterns.Although the colour of the background spindle trees is not yet fully developed a brief period of warm sunshine lights up panicum, miscanthus and cortaderia at the bottom of the Long Walk.Cornus and Molinia Skyracer in a beautiful association of fall colours in the Mill End borders.Taken from a different angle the Molinia Skyracer is now seen through a haze of miscanthus flower and supported by the bright red and yellow leaves of cornus and golden bean tree in the Mill End borders.Backed by the impressive dark red autumnal leaves of Viburnum Lanarth, the flowers of Panicum Sea Mist reflect the very first rays of welcome morning sunshine in part of the Mill End borders.Just before the morning sunshine reaches the Dragon Garden the massed flower of pennisetum and persicaria hang heavy with dew in the pale light of morning.Such has been the damp and mild autumn that many plants, including the Calamagrostis Karl Foerster seen here in the Dragon Garden are confused as to the season. These grasses should be going dormant now but instead they have at their bases massive sheaves of fresh green foliage as though it was spring and time to get growing again!Low morning sunlight highlighting the tops of the Poa labillardierei in the Dry Meadow.Early morning sunlight combining with raindrops hanging on stipa, eupatorium and phlomis in the Gravel garden.On a dry day the early morning sunshine creeps across the bottom section of the new growing field.In the new field a crop of Molinia Poul Petersen in 2 litre pots making the most of the warm sunshine. Most molinia offer superb autumnal colour, and Poul is no exception!Invaluable for their upright habit, and growing in containers as an informal screen by the Plant Sales building, Panicum Northwind offers warm yellow and beige autumnal foliage that is usually a little later to colour than most other panicums.Although still a relatively young plant, Euoymus alatus has an incredibly beautiful display of warm red autumnal leaves that work in effective association with some rapidly colouring Molinia arundinacea in the Decennium border.
