Late Autumn in the Sitting Spiritually Garden

Don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous

Rumi

We were delighted to welcome the Jarmanmurphy team Sarah & Anna back to the garden recently where they were assessing, tidying, planting, planning.  

So over to the JM girls to enlighten us all on what they achieved....

It was lovely to be back in the garden after so long, to garden and think about the spaces and plants.  The weather blessing us with fine blue skies and breezes to rock the grasses and willow. We had one day, and two people to intensively work through as much of the garden as possible and to reign it in and tidy before the Autumn storms predicted descend.

Due to the abundant rain this Summer which has produced lush growth all over the garden, some grasses that would normally stand into Winter have been cut back early to tidy the garden - such as Calamagrostis ‘Karl Forster’ and most of the Molinias. We have plucked out and combed through the Stipa arundinacea to remove the plumes and tidy them up a bit.

There were additions made of Persicaria to bring late Summer and Autumn colour interest now that the garden is being used year round for tours and visits.

We are planning to divide some perennials later in Autumn such as any thickened grasses and dramatically thin out the Thalictrum flavum or Common Meadow Rue that are beginning to romp through the garden as they love it so much! Having plants that self seed is wonderful as they unite and link areas but it is important to not let them take over and dilute the feel of the garden.

There was pulling out Martin’s favourite, but the gardener’s nightmare, of Creeping Jenny or Lysimachia nummularia, that has begun to take over the pathways and knit together across the borders! Sorry Martin but it is a thug after a year or so and it needs to be kept in check!

Rejuvenating and giving a thorough Autumn haircut to the quieter areas of the garden such as under the veranda and beneath the steps and walkway - keeping everything in balance, cutting back some of the Libertia seedheads so that the area isn’t swamped with their dramatic spikes and clusters of seed pods.  A few here and there add interest but we need to allow the evergreens in these shady areas to have their moment in the Autumn and Winter months.  

Plants we have planted in these shady nooks such as the clipped bay balls, tumbling rosettes of London Pride (Saxifraga x urbium) and ferns such as Polystichum setiferum ‘Herrenhaussen’  will now glow with their greens and textures

There are plans afoot  for our next visit to work through the lower garden which we didn’t get to tackle this time!   Watch this space!

Sarah Jarman +44 7872 972259
Anna Murphy  +44 7812 086104

jarmanmurphy.co.uk

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@jarmanmurphy_am

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If you'd like to visit the Sitting Spiritually Garden you are most welcome, but please do call us first to make an appointment 01297 443084

If you would like to contribute a guest blog, please contact Siobhan at siobhan@sittingspiritually.co.uk