Autumn Colour in our gardens

 We asked Friday Forum members to show what was currently giving colour in our gardens and just look what they brought:

Carole’s perennial begonia from a cutting

Trevor’s dahlias which kicked off a discussion on whether or how to store tubers over winter or whether to take cuttings.

The pink one is Lavender Perfection and behind is a variety of purple and/or maroon, Strikes sensation.

Liz brought Astrantia Bo-Anne which has a long flowering time, Eupatorium Little Joe which is far from little, Anemone, Verbena rigida, Geum Mrs Bradshaw, Trollius Golden Queen which does well by a pond, Crocosmia Babylon with a rich dark orange colour, Dahlia and Tithonia aptly named Torch Orange.

Caroline brought an unseasonably early Polyanthus

In Caroline’s container:  double Japanese Anemone, Lythrum virgatum Dropmore purple, Sedum Autumn Joy, pink and purple Phlox, Foxglove, Cosmos, Anaphalis Pearl Everlasting and a little Daisy.

Peter brought seeds and flower head of Lapeirousia Freesia laxa or flowering grass which is fully hardy and grows to 8”

Peter has created these wonderful cards from his paintings of flowers and other wildlife which are on sale at meetings

Gill brought Phlox, Chelone, Kirengeshoma which grows 3 – f ft tall, Itia, Crocosmia Sunrise,  Alstroemeria and Hydrangea

Norma brought Forest Pansy, Helianthus Lemon Queen, Heuchera Autumn Bride, the mildew resistant Aster Asran,  Euonymus Emerald Gold.

Norma’s Baptisia, a tall, hardy perennial which she grew from seed.  It has blue-green leaves. And bears large blue spires in early summer. 

Judith’s beautiful arrangement includes Euphorbia Stricta, Rudbeckia Prairie Glow, Althaea cannabina, Actea, Verbena bonariensis, Aster Little Carlow, Phytolacca, Salvias, Patrinia (one for the flower arrangers) 2 – 3 ft, Dahlias Karma Choc and Murdoch, Shoo-fly plant and Tithonia

 

Next meeting:  1st October - A talk by the always entertaining Peter Williams.  

 

Return to Paxton Hall

 Talk on Herbs by Martin Fish

The first guest speaker since our return was the well-known, expert gardener Martin Fish, who spoke about herbs.  It was also the first face-to-face talk he has given since the Covid restrictions and quipped that Friday Forum has been his best audience this year!

As always, his talk was both interesting and entertaining. We heard about the medicinal and culinary properties of the various herbs, their uses, how to grow and care for them and propagation methods.  Martin also demonstrated how to plant up a herb pot for over winter.

Best tip was surely stripping leaves from Rosemary twigs and use for kebab sticks on barbeques.

Display Table

Peter’s Stapelia, a succulent which took 5 years to flower. We initially thought that the flower was a feature of the plant pot.

Ann’s display of berries included Ivy Hedera Buttercup, Butcher’s Broom Ruscus aculeatus, Tutsan Hypericum androsaemum, Molly the Witch Paeonia daurica mlokosewitschii, Paris polyphylla, Cornus alba (grown for its winter stems) euonymus planipes Spindle and Arum Maculatum

Butcher’s Broom got its name from how butchers used it to clean their chopping boards.

Sue G’s vase contained Heleniums (Sahin's Early Flowerer, Red Army and Bandera) kniphofia, Anemone Wild Swan, Crocosmias (Severn Sunrise, Limpopo and Okauranga) Tritonia, Lobelia Lobelia siphilitica in blue and white, Asters (frikartii Monch and amellus 'Rudolph Goethe)Persicaria Orange Field and Verbena  bonariensis.

 

Kate’s jug contains Lythrum ‘Lady Sackville’, Phlox ’Graf Zeppelin’ and ‘The King’, Anemones ‘Honorine Jobert’ and ‘Pamina’, Goldsturm’, Clematis ‘Polish Spirit’, Aster frikartii Monch, Kirengeshoma palmate and Zinnia ‘Purple Prince’ which turned out to be bright red!

Caroline brought some alstroemeria blooms from a plant which came from a visit to the garden of Martin Fish to check its name:  ‘Summer Break’

Jenny showed us how the flowers of this Hydrangea hang upside down after being pollenated by bees

 

Amanda brought some wildflowers from a patch she has sown in her lawn and which has attracted many different insects

Next Meeting:  17^th September at 1.30 pm - A forum and group discussion about late flowering perennials.