Text by Lynn Yates and Loren Shirley-Carr. Photographs by Loren Shirley-Carr
Source: This article was taken from the April 2011 issue of Garden & Home
Three top landscapers take the stars of autumn and combine them to create mixed containers that embody the season’s mellow beauty
Autumn brings its own beauty, replacing summer’s vibrant colours with the sunset shades of seasonal foliage, berries and grasses. Capture this mellow mood by combining the best of the season in a pot of your choice.
To inspire you, we asked three top garden designers to put together mixed containers that symbolise their interpretation of the season.
Remember to water your containers regularly and make sure that there is sufficient drainage.
GRASS ROOTS
Mia Marsay of Over the Garden Wall created a mixed pot to celebrate the Highveld’s characteristic autumn colours. “I immediately thought of our grasslands, which take on a lovely bleached look at this time of the year. I especially love the fiery spears of aloes emerging from the grass. I chose Carex ‘Comans Bronze’ to represent the grasslands, and to light it up, I planted Aloe ‘Peri Peri’. I brought in the flaming colours of Kalancboe blossfeldiana ‘Parcival Salmon’ and K. blossfeldiana Anatole Orange’in the underplanting. The container, a magnificent glazed pot in a gentle sea green, complements the array of mixed plants perfectly.”
SHINING EXAMPLE
For Wendy Phillips of Makhutala Landscaping, the russet shades of foliage changing into its autumn finery epitomises this serene season. “In my pot, the strap-like leaves of phormium form a tall backdrop against which the more intricate foliage of dwarf sacred bamboo (Nandina domestica ‘Pygmaea’) and the burgundy colours of the oak-leafed hydrangea {Hydrangea quercifolia) form a contrast. The salmon blooms of Salvia coccinea ‘Sallynia’ pick up the tones of the surrounding foliage, while the ornamental kale in the front echoes the variegated colours of the phormium. All these plants have similar water requirements and you can extend the life of your composition into the next season by replacing the salvia and kale with summer plants.”
1.DAY LILIES (HEMERACALLIS HYBRIDS)
Day lily hybrids, like this salmon-pink ‘C.P. Memorial’, are tough, mainly evergreen plants which as their name implies, produce flowers which last for just a day.
However they are prolific bloomers and in the flowering season — spring to late autumn — bold clumps are seldom without a few flowers. Feed them with high-potassium fertiliser to encourage more blooms.
2. MAIDEN GRASS (MISCANTHUS SINENSIS ‘GRACILLIMUS’)
This tall, 2—3m-high grass has narrow green leaves which arch over giving the plant a wonderfully graceful form. It can be used as a stately feature plant or focal point but is also useful in a border as a repeat plant.
In autumn, soft feather-like, copper-coloured seed heads develop which sway in the wind; by early winter these frost-tolerant grasses take on a bleached silvery colour and become fluffy as they curl into themselves. In cold regions the leaves take on a range of golden autumn hues. Divide every 3—4 years to regulate their size.
3.SEDUMSPECTABILE ‘AUTUMN JOY’
This hybrid is the most commonly available of these succulent perennials which are also known as stonecrops.
They are grown not just for their attractive, soft grey leaves but also for their salmon-pink flowers. These are packed on domed or flat flower heads and appear as the days grow shorter.
As they mature, the flowers turn burgundy then coppery golden brown. Allow them to form large compact clumps for impact; they are easy to divide. Although frost tolerant, the plants die back during winter.
4. JAPANESE ANEMONE (ANEMONE HUPEHENSIS)
These perennials are reliable flowerers sending up tall, 75-90cm-high umbels of almost dusky-pink flowers with a ring of bright yellow stamens, in late summer and early autumn.
During summer their clusters of attractive, three-lobed leaves make a great groundcover. They are generally thought to be shade lovers but thrive in this garden where they are protected from the hot, late afternoon sun. Keep well watered in summer and split large clumps in winter or early spring.
5. SALVIA OXYPHORA AND S. INVOLUCRATA
Both these varieties produce red-pink flowers from summer well into autumn. S. oxyphora (below) comes from Bolivia. The flowers are hairy and more pink than red; the leaves are large, spade-shaped and light green. This 80cm—lm-high plant is semi-hardy.
The darker green, red-veined leaves of S. involucratz. ‘Bethellii’ show off the red-pink flowers which are clustered together at the end of tall spikes. These plants reach a height of 1,5m and although sun-loving, they will take some shade.
6. MEXICAN BUSH SAGE (SALVIA LEUCANTHA ‘PURPLE VELVET’)
This drought-tolerant, clump-forming perennial salvia with its muted grey, lance-shaped leaves will provide colour through much of the year. This particular form makes a real impact with its rich, velvety, purple flowers. Semi-hardy, reaching 1-1,5m in height and with a spread of 80cm or more, it should be cut back in spring to encourage new flowering shoots.
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