Autumn is the season of earth tones, my favourite colour palette to match the depth and range of my emotions. Our garden is giving me a lot of comfort at the moment as those autumn colours begin to emerge. Green chlorophyll withdraws from deciduous leaves to reveal hidden pigments before they fall. Translucent red berries of Guelder rose glow next to dark haws on hawthorn.
Persicaria virginiana var. filiformis is a curiosity in our Yorkshire garden. I used to grow this plant in our old London garden where the leaves were green, not red, and it flowered well into winter. Transplanting it to our new garden and dividing into five plants to dot around, the leaves here are much more colourful, a permanent autumn through summer - it must be something to do with the soil conditions. Thanks to the long hot summer this year, all are beginning to flower for the first time since moving.