Graham Plant on A Cotswold Garden Through the Seasons

Retired civil engineer Graham Plant has recorded the beautiful plants that surround him throughout the year in his book A Cotswold Garden Through the Seasons. Here he reflects on the joys that autumn brings

Is there colour in the autumn garden? Of course there is, especially so in recent years with the lengthening summer flowering season giving a broader palette of colours.

Viburnum opulus 'Roseum' (Image: Graham Plant) Autumn is usually taken to start at the equinox, which falls around September 22, however, nature has its own way of making the transition from summer to autumn. There is much to enjoy in the garden as the temperature falls, mist forms, berries and leaves turn a kaleidoscope of colour, grasses and their seeds blow in the wind and apples continue ripening. There is a wealth of white, green, yellow, pink, lilac and purple from late flowering plants to give visual pleasure. Our view of the lower garden has foxtail grass Pennisetum macrourum in the foreground, which looks wonderful on a misty morning.

The ornamental grasses come into their own during autumn having provided a landscaped backdrop to colourful flowers during the summer. The grasses transition in colour from greys and greens to silvers, golds and reds such as switch grass Panicum virgatum ‘Rehbruan’. And then over winter they give structure often enhanced by frost. Elsewhere, the trees and shrubs are changing colour. One of our native trees, spindle Euonymus europeaus has small white flowers in May and June that produce bright pink fruits with orange seeds. It is valuable in attracting a wide variety of wildlife and a spectacle in autumn with its yellow and bright red leaves. Many plants have value throughout the year, a good example being snowball tree Viburnum opulus ‘Roseum’ that has white globular blooms in summer which make way for intense leaf colours in autumn.

Switch grass Panicum virgatum 'Rehbruan' (Image: Graham Plant) Whilst it is appropriate at this time of year to focus on autumn, it is just one of the seasons brought to life in A Cotswold Garden through the Seasons. This book is a photographic journey of a Cotswold garden starting in spring, being a time of rejuvenation both in the garden and in the mind, and reflecting the transitions that span the year. In addition to bulbs, perennial plants and shrubs the book includes illustrations of the trees, pond, woodland flora, wildflower meadow, ornamental grasses, rose beds and examples of garden wildlife. The photographs exemplifying each season have been carefully sequenced starting with the soft colours of white and cream through the mid-tones of greens and pinks to a crescendo of rich reds and purples. Each type of vegetation is indexed and the physical characteristics of each described. The details provide ideas for prairie planting and to perk up perennial borders. In summary, the book is for gardeners everywhere who enjoy creating their own landscaped tranquillity broken only by the wonderful sounds from the wildlife that gardens attract.

European spindle Euonymus europaeus (Image: Graham Plant) With an interest in gardening and photography, it was natural to want to publish A Cotswold Garden through the Seasons. This could not be further from my lifetime career experience as a civil engineer and leader on major infrastructure projects both in the UK and many parts of the world. Whilst living in South Africa for 11 years, we had access to a wide variety of exotic plants, but in contrast, working in Hong Kong for eight years, we had no garden. Perhaps just as well as I was fully committed leading the engineering for the Hong Kong International Airport. Now retired, I am a volunteer at the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR). I spent over 50 years applying technical and managerial skills to deliver schemes and have applied the same rigour and attention to detail with this book. After a peripatetic and demanding life, and now finally settled in the Cotswolds,my wife and I have embraced the opportunity to plan, design and manage a modest garden; appreciate the health benefits of gardening and, through this publication, share the fruits of those labours.

Published by Choir Press in Gloucester, the book, with its 234 photographs, is available from most independent booksellers in the Cotswolds. It is also available at the GWSR, Toddington Station in the Halt.

Graham Plant holding A Cotswold Garden Through the Seasons (Image: Graham Plant)