Friday 4 December 2015

The best plant for Autumn!

Among my favourite plants for the end of Autumn, Nerines have always had a special place in my hearth and I very often include them in my planting plans. They often start flowering in September, and the last flowers last up to November. Nerine bowdenii 'Zeal Giant',  N. bowdenii 'Ella K' and the candid Nerine bowdenii alba are on top of my list, but I am always looking for more varieties to include in the schemes.


I was therefore delighted to find at RHS Wisley Garden a small exhibition of the genere, featuring common and more unusual varieties. 

Those are the 3 that caught my attention:
Nerine bowdenii 'Quest' RHS Wisley Garden - photo by Noemi Mercurelli
{Nerine bowdenii 'Quest'}
Nerine bowdenii 'Quest' with a stunning and rich lavender/purple colour, would fit the most romantic of the planting palettes.

Nerine bowdenii 'Catlin'' RHS Wisley Garden - photo by Noemi Mercurelli
{Nerine bowdenii 'Catlin'}
The stunning, candid Nerine 'Catlin' is very similar to N. bow. alba, but considerably taller.
Wouldn't be lovely to plant it in rows near a path in your front garden, and enjoy it everytime you are back home?

Nerine sarniensis 'Berlioz' at RHS Wisley Garden - photo by Noemi Mercurelli
{Nerine sarniensis 'Berlioz'}
And eventually, a little firework for your garden, Nerine sarniensis 'Berlioz', a fantastic splash of colour in your late-Autumn garden. I can see it beautifully with the last Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm' of the season, in drifts among grasses turning gold, and near Cornus sanguinea in its Autumnal vest.

And you? Have you got a favourite Autumnal plant which is not a tree or a shrub? 
I would love to hearing from you!
Bisous, 
Noemi

PS. If your garden is starting looking a bit 'Blah'... don't panic and go to have at look at the most lovely plants flowering in December! There is still time to surprise the family! ;)