Autumn Colours

 I haven't posted many summer photos because I'd only be repeating what I've recorded in previous years - a sign that the garden is maturing after ten years of cultivation.

However, changes are coming this winter so I'll probably have a few different plants to highlight next year.

Meanwhile, in my ongoing quest to create a garden that offers year-round interest, I've been slowly adding more plants that offer fall interest. In fact, this October has been more vibrant than ever.

As always the back garden is dominated by the brilliant blue of the late blooming monkshood, Aconitum carmichaelii 'Arendsii'. Closer to the house, my dwarf oakleaf hydrangea has turned red and gold, and gets an echo in the back corner from the red leaves of Stewartia pseudocamellia and the blueberry beside it. 

In front of the old pear tree, Hosta 'Krossa Regal' has turned lemon yellow and is beginning to flop. 

By November other hostas in this shady bed are turning yellow too and adding a suggestion of sunlight in this shady area.

In the corner by the house, there's another golden echo from Corylopsis pauciflora, which has swapped its pale yellow blooms of spring for its rich gold leaves of autumn, just as the purple of  Aster 'Monch' below begins to fade.

Meanwhile, out front, the sycamore maples on the street, which usually turn a dull brown, are showing brighter colour than usual - just in time for Halloween.