On a sunny September morning, our Head Gardener, Mark, led us on a stroll through the Gardens to point out his September highlights at Capel Manor Gardens.
In the Old Manor House Garden, you will see:
• The Wingnut Tree (Pterocarya Fraxinifolia) producing long green hanging catkins.
• Rosehip over the bridge, a reminder of the beautiful roses that flowered earlier in the season. You may spot some dead rose heads. These are intentionally left on the plant until the end of rose season when they turn into red rosehips, which add colour in autumn. Rosehips are high in vitamin C and used to make syrups for cooking, baking and drinks. They are also a great source of nutrition for birds throughout the colder months.
• A white rowan tree. White rowan trees are unusual because the berries of rowan trees are typically red and white rowan trees are more susceptible to pests and diseases than red rowan trees. Despite being rare, our white rowan tree adds a touch of elegance to the garden. They are a popular choice for landscaping because they are low-maintenance and can tolerate a variety of soil conditions.
• Autumn crocus (Colchicum The Giant) with their large mauve-pink flowers blooming under the trees. These are also known as naked ladies because they have no leaves.
• Mespilus germanica, known as the medlar or common medlar, with fruit hanging from the branches. Medlars are often served in posh restaurants as a jelly or dessert, but they need to be rotten before they are picked!
In The National Gardening Centre, you will see:
- Salvia uliginosa (African Skies) these bright blue flowers are fantastic for providing late season interest.
- Penstemon (Sour Grapes) are beautiful hardy plants with bell-like flowers lasting from mid-summer all through autumn.
- Arum lords and ladies flower in spring, turning into spikes of highly-poisonous orange-red berries in the autumn months.
- Eucomis (pineapple flowers) can be seen in The Garden of Exaggerated Beauty.
- Ornamental hawthorn can also be spotted in also in The Garden of Exaggerated Beauty. These are ideal trees for a city garden – easy to grow, not too big, pretty blossom is spring and lovely berries in winter. They also provide a perfect environment of birds to nest in bringing diversity to your garden.
- Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) is changing color unusually early this year. Its leaves started turning in mid-August, but this process typically does not begin until late September or October. Climate change is causing global temperatures to rise. This is leading to earlier falls and later springs in many parts of the world. As a result, Boston Ivy and other deciduous plants are likely to start changing colour earlier in the year.
