Garden design It doesn’t have to be that bad.


mellow fruitfulness can be one of mournful brown as plants die back and winter approaches. How can we ensure that our gardens don’t go gentle


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into the long nights of winter, but instead keep their visual interest and impact for as long as possible? An autumnal garden is less


colourful, and any problems with the structure and layout start to become obvious. A good layout and ground plan with bold shapes – whether in beds or hard landscaping – are important to provide visual interest. As the sun starts to get lower in the


sky you can use it to backlight plants to great effect. Ornamental grasses are an excellent way to do this. There is something quite magical watching golden autumnal light slanting through the strands of a tall Miscanthus or catching on a shimmering Pampas grass. Flowers are beautiful but ephemeral – they’re often


he summer is now a distant memory and autumn is upon us, bringing its pleasures, but also its challenges. If we’re not careful, the season of


gone before we’ve had time to enjoy them. Think about the colour of leaves and foliage, or the subtle effects of different tree bark and how they can take centre stage when the showier prima donnas of summer have taken their bow. Some plants die really well. Sedums and Phlomis are particularly good and will stand all winter. Colour doesn’t have to only come


seedheads Phlomis Acer griseum stems glow in the low sun


from plants – now is the time to take a long hard look at the shed you were vowing to stain but somehow didn’t get round to. Any hard surface can add interest during the autumn and winter with the use of a few judicious applications of colour. This doesn’t have to be variants of brown – you’ve got enough of that already. Be bold and inspired by Luis Barragan, the


Mexican architect and landscape designer who created extraordinary gardens with pink and orange walls and hardly a plant in sight. It’s surprising how many people barely venture into


the garden in colder months. But it’s easy to make your garden comfortably accessible in all but the most inclement weather. Cosy corner seating areas ideally with a firepit can be created with a gazebo or sheltered with a few well placed shrubs. The 2018 horse has bolted, but this is the perfect time to be planning for next year, so take heart!


colette@charsleydesign.com www.charsleydesign.com t: 01548 581753 m: 07774 827799 Follow me on Twitter @ColetteCharsley


Professional Landscape & Garden Design


Creative and beautiful designs for village, town and country gardens


Colette Charsley PG Dip OCGD t: 01548 581753 m: 07774 827799


colette@charsleydesign.com www.charsleydesign.com


by Colette Charsley


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