A hint of Autumn in the Air

In my country garden early this morning there was a distinct hint of autumn in the air. Heavy dew covered all the plants with diamond drops, even those close to the house were decorated with tiny crystal jewels. The air was fresh and completely still and a light mist lingered over neighbouring fields.

I enjoyed taking these photos in the quiet moments before the day got going. I’ve found that when I take photos outdoors I really have to be quick to capture the moment. Conditions and light change in an instant. Soon the sun broke through and burnt off the last remnants of the cool night and the magic was gone.

On the deck we have a collection of summer plants in pots. I love this combination of orange flowers and foliage with red tints. In the summer border some of the roses have already produced bristly fat orangey red hips. I’ve grown most of these plants for years, sometimes in containers and often in the borders. They are all easy to grow and perform well. Choosing plants which all like the same growing conditions helps to unify a planting scheme. You can also pull a scheme together by using colour. It doesn’t have to be flower colour. Choose stems, buds, leaves and seed pods to blend in with your overall planting plan. In this case most of my plants have hints of red and orange with soft green/glaucous foliage.

The flowers and foliage are:

Row 1    Nasturtiums
Row 2    Rose foliage
Row 3    Euphorbia ‘Dixter’
Row 4    Setaria ‘Lowlander’
Row 5    Begonia
Row 6    Rose Hips
Row 7    Peppermint Pelargonium

New to me this year is the grass Setaria ‘Lowlander’. I grew it from seed in spring and now we have a lovely big patch of these plants with strappy leaves in various shades of green with red and brown tints. The seed heads look bristly yet they are soft to touch and they are packed with tiny green seeds. It’s a form of Millet similar to the dried treats you may buy for your pet Budgie. I’m hoping that some of our garden birds will enjoy the seeds this winter.

I’m linking with Judith at Lavender Cottage Gardening today for Mosaic Monday.  If you like the mosaic of some of the flowers and foliage in my garden today then why don’t you have a go yourself? It’s easy! If you’d like to join in or just see what other bloggers are doing just click the link to Lavender Cottage.

Happy Gardening Everyone!