Plants of Current Interest: November
Welcome to Wisley in late autumn.
As autumn fades into winter and the days become shorter, the Garden fills with a misty, fragrant atmosphere. It is a great time to explore the Pinetum, Jubilee Arboretum and Battleston Hill.
The autumn colour has been earlier and more intense this year as a result of the weather. On sunny days the bark shimmers on the acers and prunus trees that lost their leaves last month. Those that are still holding on, like the oaks, cast a filtered shade as gradually all the leaves flutter down to the ground.
Tender tree ferns, bananas and gunneras (above right) are given winter weather protection, while the newly planted bedding establishes itself in the Top Terrace and Walled Garden East.
Indoors, the colourful Charm and Cascade chrysanthemums fill the Glasshouses. These are an annual attraction, especially in inclement weather.
Ornamental grasses come into their own, and provide this month's focus: Stipa calamagrostis, Stipa arundinacea, Pennisetum alopecuroides, Miscanthus sinensis and Cortaderia selloana.
Walk by the formal Canal through to Seven Acres and the recently redeveloped grass border. The grasses have been selected to grow to different heights, and include the small, black grass-like Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' AGM and the statuesque, graceful Cortaderia selloana 'Pumila' AGM. The boulders were shipped down from Scotland earlier this year and complement the range of grasses and herbaceous perennials.
Foliage factors
As the cold weather sets in, the grasses take on their own unique character. Seasonal hues of reds, oranges and yellows lift the area, and contrast with the blues, greens and blacks. They look spectacular when frosted. Eventually, they fade to near skeletons of themselves as they drift through winter, before being blown over or cut down in spring.
Dancing plants
Autumn breezes give another dimension to the grass border. They are seldom still, and the gentlest wind makes them stir. This provides grace and movement, and adds to the sensory nature of the garden by contributing to the sound as they rustle in the wind. The stormier the weather, the more they seem to dance.
Planting partners
Many of the grasses grow over 2.2-2.5m (7-8ft) high and are interplanted with herbaceous perennials such as kniphofias, eryngiums, sedums and agapanthus.
Walk past the border and look back as the sun catches the cloud-like seedheads. Contrast the light and airy panic grass, Panicum virgatum 'Hänse Herms', with majestic Miscanthus and Cortaderia, interspersed with the dark, flat seedheads of the Achillea and spikier Eryngium cones.
Compare this border with the Glasshouse Borders (previously known as the Piet Oudolf Borders). Here, some of the same species are used, but the effect is different, feeling more naturalistic. In both areas the plants remain in situ over winter, providing a source of food and shelter for birds and insects.
Feather grass
A key component is Stipa, the feather grasses, growing to mounds of 90cm (3ft) high. Their attractive seedheads suit almost any setting, and they can be cut down and dried for an indoor display.
Stipa arundinacea, the pheasant grass, has foliage that turns from khaki-green to orange-brown in autumn, with best colour on poorer soils.
Stipa calamagrostis produces shaggy, greenish-white plumes that fade to light brown, and always catch the wind.
Silky seedheads
Miscanthus sinensis cultivars feature widely, from the tall 'Silberfeder' AGM with silvery, silky plumes, the pinkish 'Flamingo' AGM, to the very short 'Little Kitten'. See more Miscanthus by visiting the Portsmouth Field where an RHS trial has taken place. The plants will remain there all winter.
Touchy-feely
The fountain grass, Pennisetum aloepecuroides 'Moudry' has densely packed, purple, foxtail-shaped flowerheads that arch out from the mound. Located just at the edge of the path, it invites your hand to stroke it.
Restaurant-side grass border
The smaller grass border by the restaurant is to be redeveloped before spring, and will be planted up with grasses suitable for a small garden.
Behind the cafeteria the bamboo-like Arundo donax, creates a very tall screen, about 4.5m (15ft) high. Of the plants in front, the most eye-catching is Cortaderia selloana 'Aureolineata' AGM, with feathery plumes and delicate yellow lines on the leaves. Like all pampas grasses it has interestingly abrasive foliage. The genus name Cortaderia comes from the Spanish word cortar, to cut, from its sharp leaf margins.
Produced by Sara Draycott, Information and Interpretation. Images by Mike Sleigh, Photography Officer.