Colours are the spectacle in my autumn garden. They need sun to glow and when the wind blows the tall ornamental grasses start dancing to its tune.
Much of my planting plans are to do with building the picture up to the final curtain call in autumn with the summer flowering perennials simply holding my hand and leading me carefully forwards to the real show.
Amsterdam has had a terrible gardening year with a dry and cold spring and summer, followed by a dry heat wave in mid summer and, most recently, heavy, relentless rain. Now it is autumn and everything is forgiven.
When the sun shines and the late flowering perennials, ornamental grasses and the senescing shrubs combine their medley of warm tints to create a show that hides the ravages of a challenging gardening year.
The tulip bulbs are in the ground, the compost heap has been turned and the hedges trimmed; next year promises to be a lot better!
