liage and crispy seed-heads can look wonderful in the morning light. Grasses are wonderful this time of year and add A Month in the Garden S ummer is over, structure to any garden, whilst for a splash of colour, Autumn bulbs shine like jewels. Add to these the colourful tones of yellow, red d orange of autumn leaves provides ideal conditions to car out all W inter is the way. But don't by disheartened, Autumn is here! before they drop, and enjoy the cooler All those days with the sunshine slanting through lawn work, either creating new lawns or repairing, aerating and scari ing existing ones. wonderful golden the trees before it really gets cold and wet! Before the end of October, plant bulbs r next year except for tulips, which if planted in November have less risk of developing virus. The damp atmosphere Herbaceous perennials can be tidied up for winter, unless the old flowers or seed heads are deemed attractive in their own right. (Birds may also benefit om this decision) Cut old foliage right back to the ground and remove y debris. • Linette Applegate hues of dying on Colour in your garden - Purple ne of the most opulent of colours, purple can bring a 0sumptious feeling to any border. There are strong, deep purples like Allium 'Purple Sensation' and Clematis 'Jackmanii' or the so er violets - Wisteria sinensis or Anemone blanda. So violet, lilac and lavender all look great with pinks, blue and white, to create a pastel harmony pleasing in our cool English light, especi ly with a little grey foliage added to the mix. Purple lays next to blue and red on the colour wheel, and both harmonise with the stronger tone of purple. colour can be intense. This cl sic spring combination can be seen in nature, between violets and primroses. Yellow is the opposite colour, and if you can try to match the same intensity of colour, for example so lemon with lilac, or cana yellow with emperor purple, the resulting contrast in Don't rget rich purple foliage also works well, examples are Berberis thunbergii atropurpurea or Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple'. • Irate this lovely shrub as one of my favourite foliage plants. It is one of the classic grey plants used in many plant associations. PlantoftheMonth -Artemisia'Powis·castle It has wonder l, silvery, filigree foliage, which is evergreen (or perhaps it It does prefer well drained soil, and l sun but will tolerate a little shade. It really doesn't like wet feet in the winter, so bear this in mind when choosing a suitable spot. • should be evergrey!). Forming a tidy, bushy w w w . app lega tega rde n s . c o m Garden plans available instant online om £9.99 It rarely flowers, but they are quite insignificant anyway, it is the foliage that takes centre stage. T using the plant to contrast with other contr ting liage, such as the smooth leaves of sage (Salvia o icinalis) or Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple'. mound, it reaches a height of 1 .2m and a spread of 0.9m This is generally a well behaved shrub, but sometimes may get a little leggy, so I would recommend pinching out the growing tips during spring to ensure the plant keeps its dense, bushy appearance. By doing this, you also bene t from the scent of the To advertise on the gardeningpage phone 01234 713298 leaves when crushed. It is a curious odour, but not unpleasant GENERAL GARDENING WORK • Small Tree Works • • Pruning • Planting • • Tu ing • Weeding • • Hedge Cutting Se ice • • Lawn Cutting Se ice • Shed & Garage Clearance etc City & Guilds Quali ed Reasonable Rates CALL EDDIE ON GFS Garden Clearance and General Tidying Up Cutting Back and Pruning Fencing, Turfing, Hedge Clipping Patios and Paths Jet Washed Rubbish Removed All Carried Out Professionally and Courteously at Sensible Rates Mob: 07740 715158 Tel: 01234 714345 HJNWICKHALL Winter Pansies and Violas available now Large selection of • Ornamental Grasses • Hardy Perennials • Shrubs TEL01908612889 MOBILE 07786 612751 Monday to Saturday 9 'til 5 Sundays in October 1O 'til 4 Tel: 01933 350543 --- -- PAGE 38 PHONEBOX