UP THE GARDEN PATH

Louise Tomlin is hoping for a long, mellow and warm autumn for us all to enjoy our gardens and plants before the cold winter sets in.

Maybe it’s because we’ve had such a glorious summer this year, well I say glorious but I’m aware that’s a subjective description as I’d probably define myself as a hot-house flower. The long periods of warmth and sunshine suited me, although I’m not oblivious to the drought and climate change warnings that did start to get a bit alarming after a few months. Something I think it has made me rather sensitive to is the sudden drop in temperatures that have happened, it has seemed extreme and shocking – maybe this is an indication of just how used to balmy warmth I’ve become, or even that I’m a ‘soft southern wuss’ – maybe it’s an age thing – but I found myself hoping or even longing for an… Indian Summer.

And there it is, the expression that I often heard older people mention. It used to puzzle me, in answer to my queries they’d explain it was a warm, hazy and calm spell of weather in October and November. Why Indian? I’d mistakenly assumed it was because it is sunny and hot in India. Don’tforget this was in the days before the Internet made it a moment’s work to discover previously unknown facts. Whoa! What do you know? I had got it wrong all these years, it wasn’t Indian as in the Indian subcontinent, actually it is Indian, as in North Amercian Indians or First Nations, as they preferred to be called in the USA and Canada.

Now I’ve got that straight, I can whole-heartedly agree with those wise older people that I used to hear wistfully hoping for an Indian summer. I love the thought of not having to retreat into hibernation just yet. Bring on sunny days and mellow warmth, without any harsh frosts please, so we don’t have to turn our heating on and can enjoy our colourful plants for longer, before the cold greyness gets a grip. With that thought in mind here are a few plants I have found that do well in these later months of the year that give me pleasure.

Alstroemeria, hardy Peruvian Lily. I have to admit that these beauties had previously escaped my attention entirely. It wasn’t until a gardening friend of mine turned up with one as a present (thank you Richard). They were his favourite plant of the moment, here it is in the main photo, such a lovely mix of vibrant colours, with exotic speckles and stripes in their Lily-like flowers and striking bronze foliage. This one coincidentally is called – I kid you not – ‘Indian Summer’.

They flower continuously from about June to November, the trick to keep them flowering is to tug at the stems once the flowers have died. I thought this looked a bit brutal but it comes away very easily and another stem quickly grows up in its place and it flowersall over again. They reach up to 80cms high and they spread to clumps that are around 60cms wide so you can also divide them and pot them up, that way you can have lots of plants just from one. They are hardy, herbaceous perennials, which means they die down in the winter and come back up in the spring. There are so many colours available, I’ve chosen a deep pink to show here as an alternative, but if you start looking you’re bound to see several that tug at your heart strings.

Another back of year beauty that’s caught my eye is Perovskia Blue Spire. Maybe it’s their upright spikey shape or the silvery leaves that have pretty blue flowers, but they do catch the light in a very lovely way in the autumn sunshine. Also known as Russian sage, they have a wonderful aromatic scent if you brush the leaves. They look great planted in groups next to contrasting plants, and even through the winter can offer an architectural presence in your border.

Sedum Autumn Joy, another hardy perennial, is aptly namedas it starts to flower around September right through the autumn, with big soft pink flower heads that are a great food source for insects as other plants start to fail. They are succulents so you’ll notice the typical fleshy leaves and stems.

Let’s make the most of it and revel in the autumn joy because we all know the winter is coming.