Moe's Autumn Newsletter
“It’s show time folks!" Roy Schneider All that Jazz. 1979
Hello fellow gardeners. As I write this autumn newsletter, I’m hoping you won’t mind me beginning it by giving you all a reminder (through my heading) that our Flower Show on Saturday September 7th (2pm – 4.30 pm) will be an important event in our calendar and, one could say, the highlight of the year. Even more so as it is our 140th! In this, our Anniversary year we would like the event to go well (as usual), but we do have a few factors to take into account this time, the first of which is our new venue ( Euxton Parish Church Community Centre, School Lane, Chorley PR7 6JL) You will all be aware now that we can no longer use Trinity church hall, the venue we have used for many years and so, have needed to make ‘adjustments’ to a number of things. These have included planning the layout of the show, deciding where refreshments will be served (St Mary’s church hall ) and negotiating the parking arrangements for judges and guests. Organising a show such as this is challenging and particularly so this year because of these new considerations. However we, the committee are prepared! BUT no matter how well we think we have organised the practical aspects for its smooth running, there is one thing we can’t do –we can’t make it a success! ‘Success’ necessitates having entries to be judged, exhibits to be viewed and people to view them. We can’t do this without you - the members! It is you, our members that will make it a success! There are several ways in which you can help achieve this. One way is to enter exhibits. Entering is easy and instructions for doing so can be found in the Show Schedule. You need not enter many exhibits, just one will do but it will make such a difference to our show if all our members ‘gave it a go’. The other way is to support the event by coming along on the day to see the entries, talk to other members /gardeners, perhaps have a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy the atmosphere!
We hope all our members will want to be part of our celebrations for our Anniversary and this also includes coming along to the Gardeners’ Question Time evening on September 17th when we will have additional ‘goodies’ for us all to enjoy. Members of the panel will be ready to answer all your gardening questions and there will be a piece of celebratory cake for everyone. Feel free to bring your own refreshments if you want something a little stronger than tea or coffee! The following month on October 15th we will be welcoming Michael Myers who will inform us with his talk ‘Water in the garden’. Kevin Pratt completes our programme of speakers for this year on November 19th when he will tell us ‘Don’t go to sleep in winter’. Towards the end of the year I am sure we will be very disposed to simply enjoying the Christmas festivities on December 17th. This summer has seen an increase in the numbers of members attending our society meetings. Thank you, everyone for making them enjoyable for all. We hope you will continue to support our autumn programme.
Thinking about the gardening year, I am reminded that, in the 2021 newsletter I quoted Dave Goulson who stated that life was going to be very hard for future generations! I am of the feeling that this year has been the most challenging ever for me. What do you think? As an organic gardener, keeping the plants in the garden pest free and healthy has been tough. Fluctuations in temperature, too much rain at the ‘wrong’ time and the lack of sunshine and warmth has had a great effect, not only on food production but on the ornamental garden as well. Poor germination of seed, (which I mentioned in my summer newsletter) added to the stress! Plants, being incredibly resilient though, have still flowered reasonably well. However, with a later start, it was natural for them to want to set seed whilst weather conditions were favourable. As a result, the borders have ‘gone over’ very quickly so I have been madly deadheading perennials such as heleniums, leucanthemums, phlox, dahlias, astrantias and achillleas in order to encourage a second flush during autumn. I haven’t forgotten to give these a boost with organic fertilizer to help them along.
Leucanthemum ‘Wirral Supreme’
Achillea ‘Walther Funke’ with Geum
Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’
Dahlia ‘Western Spanish Dancer’
The results will very much depend upon what the weather is like in September! If you don’t want to have a garden that is lack lustre in autumn then keeping the show going for as long as possible needs practical action and a little forethought. Deadheading and cutting back will give some results. Here are some other tips ( Marguerite Hughes spoke of some of these measures in her talk on August 20th ) for achieving your goal for future years:
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Choose perennials that naturally flower later in the season e.g. Crocosmia, Achillea, Helenium, Leucanthemum, Echinacea, Helianthemum, Solidago, Phlox, Kniphofia, Aster, Rudbeckia, Pgygelius, Kirengeshoma (I mentioned some of these in my Autumn newsletter last year)
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Include late flowering shrubs or those that have good autumn colour in their leaves e.g. Hydrangea, Cotinus, Caryopteris
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Choose shrubs that bear berries e.g. Hypericum, Cotoneaster
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Chelsea chop perennials in May – this will delay their flowering until later in the season
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Have a few annuals growing on ( or purchase) to plug gaps in the borders e.g. Coleus, Ageratum, Nicotiana, Rudbeckia, Amaranthus
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Include grasses in the border that will add airiness and lovely colour. All those in the Molinia genus are easy to care for and remain bolt upright- a very useful attribute.
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Early flowering perennials that will flower again later in the season are useful e.g. Geum
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Include perennials that last a long time e.g. Hylotelephium, Gaura, Eryngium, Echinops, Verbena. Anaphalis, Erigeron. This is one of the easiest ways of ensuring there is something to admire in the garden all year but particularly in autumn when most of the others have finished flowering. The following require little or no maintenance which is an added bonus! :
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Hylotelephium – These used to be called Sedum (they have been reclassified by the RHS) We all know of Hylotelephium ‘Autumn Joy’ but there are many others that will add drama to border. They all add interest in the border for a very long time. Hylotelephium spectabile ‘Brilliant’ is excellent for the front of the border, the flower heads changing from green to pink as autumn progresses. The deep purple are favourites of mine. Hylotelephium ‘Xenox’ is very dark as is Hylotelephium ‘Jose Aubergine’ and Hylotelephium atropurpureum . Thes stand around 40cm high. Hylotelephium telephium ‘Red Cauli’ is a little smaller and looks like its name!
Erigeron karvinskianus – What a little trooper this plant is! Once this plant is established it will spread freely to produce an abundance of lovely small daisy like white and pink flowers which will appear in summer and go on and on until the first frosts without any intervention. It will grow in a number of situations i.e. cracks and crevices in walls or paving, the front of a border or in containers and hanging baskets
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Hylotelephium ‘Xenox’
Hylotelephium telephium ‘Red Cauli’
Anaphalis triplinervis – I love this plant. The silver foliage may give the impression it is drought tolerant but it requires well drained moisture retentive soil in sun or partial shade. It is well behaved and rarely needs staking. Its’ clusters of papery white flowers look lovely with yellow companions as well as very dark foliage plants.
Gaura lindheimeri – Both the white and pink form (‘Siskiyou Pink’) are very robust but airy plants that start to appear in late spring and reach their peak in late summer and early autumn. Plant it at the front of the border to mingle with other perennials and ensure the soil never dries out.
Gaura lindheimeri with Achillea ‘Cerise Queen’
Erigeron karvinskianus
Eryngium - This genus has many varieties – all are deep rooted so one has to be patient and wait for them to bulk up a little. Most have distinctive spiny leaves but the colour of the thistle – like flowers varies from silver to bright lavender blue. Eryngium x oliverianum is tall at 1 metre but Eryngium planum is taller at 1.5 metres. Eryngium yuccifolium has almost white bracts and is must greener in overall appearance. Smaller ones include Eryngium bourgatii ‘Picos Blue’ at 30cm and the dwarf Eryngium planum ‘Blue Hobbit’.
Erygium ‘Cobalt Blue’ with Lychnis coronaria
Erygium planum
Lychnis coronaria – This is a plant one either loves or hates! If you like its silver foliage, which perfectly sets off its cerise pink or white flowers, plant it with just about any other perennial to achieve a multitude of colour combinations. It will earn its keep in any border and keep its flowers for a very long time. The plant is short lived but will seed around so you will never be without it.
Echinops - This genus starts flowering in July and goes on well into the autumn. Echinops ritro is the best known but Echinops. ‘Veitch’s Blue’, which is tall at over 1 metre, is just a good. Both need well drained soil in full sun.
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Whilst we may be preoccupied keeping the show going, we mustn’t forget to undertake the ‘normal’ maintenance that keeps our gardens looking cared for – cutting the hedges, picking the vegetables and fruit, tidying ponds, mowing the lawn, clearing and cleaning the greenhouse, bringing in tender species and generally getting ready for cooler conditions that will inevitably follow soon! Enjoy any sunshine we may receive this autumn and………
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Happy gardening,
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Moe