September Plants

 It is certainly heading towards autumn now.  We have had some lovely sunny days but there is a chill, both in the mornings and once the sun has gone.  The plants feel it too and the autumn flowering plants are starting their display. Above is a New England aster (September Ruby?) with colours that echo the echinacea below.

 Helianthus Lemon Queen which is about six foot tall this year, with a background of beautiful blue sky.

A summer bedding snapdragon, with bigger and more open flowers than the usual ones.  It was a bargain plant and has flowered really well with its large primrose yellow flowers.

 Astrantia major had flowered earlier in June and hadn't done terribly well.  However, I cut it back and it has rewarded me with a second flowering.

 Another aster (Snowstorm?).

 The aforementioned echinacea purpurea 'The King', which was a relatively recent purchase, prompted by seeing the lovely echinacea at The Garden House, Saxby.

A lovely miscanthus sinensis 'Kleine Fontane', which has reddish flowers which open to fluffy seedheads.  I like the way the sun is shining through the leaves and flowers in this photo.  I'm pleased to say that there is still lots going on in the garden at the moment (and I planted some narcissus bulbs this week too).

The Garden House, Saxby

 I enjoyed my bank holiday treat today - a visit to The Garden House, Saxby,   http://www.thegardenhousesaxby.co.uk/ which is fast becoming my favourite garden in this area. I have posted about my visits before, but it is such a wonderful garden, it deserves to be featured again.
It has been such an awful gardening year, and every garden has suffered in one way or another, but you wouldn't think so judging from the way this garden looks.

 The whole garden was a mass of butterflies (which I haven't seen many of this year) and many different varieties of bees.  In fact, if you stood still, the only sound was buzzing.  Bliss!

 The gardens near the house have been planted with drifts of plants and grasses, which gives a variety of both colour and texture.

 The spaces have been carefully designed to give vistas and focal points, which lead through the different areas in the garden.

Hard landscaping has been carefully used throughout, to enhance the different areas and give them their own personality.  The planting here was just white and blue - nemesia in pots and agapanthus.

Chris was really taken by the display of dahlias around the house and particularly liked this one, with the vibrant orange set off by the dark leaves.

Whereas this richly coloured cosmos stopped me in my tracks - my cosmos at home are still growing and not really flowering very well (unlike these).

Although orange is not usually a colour that I am attracted to, I couldn't help being drawn to these fiery heleniums.

The echinacea purpurea was looking fantastic and had attracted masses of bees.

A quieter area of the garden with delicate cosmos foliage, birch trees and more late summer planting including yellow kniphofia (red hot pokers).

 One of the vistas, with a lavender path leading past an obelisk garden with pleached trees on the left and smaller, more intimate gardens on the right.  The focal point was an urn planted with scarlet geraniums.

 One of my favourite parts of the garden is the Cathedral Garden, with three components - grass, hedge and pleached trees.  A really calming and meditative space.

Finally, my favourite photo from today's visit.  A mass of the orange heleniums with a white echinacea behind. 
After visiting the garden, we visited the green burial site http://www.brightwatergreenburial.co.uk/index.php?pid=4    that is owned by the garden owners.  It is a very quiet and peaceful place and Chris and I are giving this idea much thought.  I like the idea of a green burial and a biodegradable casket, with a native tree planted for you if you would like it and a wildflower meadow there too.  Definitely to be considered.