Tags
Allium sphaerocephalon, buxus sempervivums, Calamagrostis brachytricha, Cercis canadensis, Forest pansy, Hornbeam, hydrangea arborescens Annabelle, Leucanthemella, six on saturday, stipa tenuissima, topiary box, tulips
Have you noticed how brown things have turned? My six today are mainly all a bit brown.
Starting with these, the remains of Hydrangea arborescens Annabelle, my first of the six I have to share with you and our host The Propagator .
As the ball heads dry out, they become delicate to the touch with a slight rustle to their sound. Gone may be the creamy lime green of summer but beautiful nonetheless. Last year I cut and then touched some of the flower heads with gold spray to make Christmas decorations. I thought they were rather pretty.
The hedges of Hornbeam have taken on their winter form, curled brown leaves, crisp and pleated will remain throughout the winter before shedding in spring as the leaf buds begin to swell.
The daisies of Leucanthemella which I love so much have lost their fresh as a daisy look and are beginning an elegant shift into decay. The flower heads are dark brown, almost black, slightly bowed and the foliage is slowly fading from green to brown. The stems are holding up well and I shall leave them throughout winter to act as shelter for creatures and insects.
The glorious red heart shape leaves of the forest pansy have gone. Dropped and bagged up with other leaf litter. All that is left is the bare, so bare branches of the tree. That is it until spring. Underneath, a mixed bag of 30 orange and yellow tulips have been planted, along with 25 Allium Sphaerocephalon, the burgundy drumstick allium.
Not brown at all are the evergreen Box. Slowly growing and slowly beginning to take on the square form I am looking for. Topiary takes time, lots of time. Eventually these box shapes will create strong winter structure. What can I say, they’re getting there.
I am slowly working my way around the raised beds, bulb planting, weeding and mulching, topping up the bark chippings on the pathway. These grasses are energised by a breeze and arguably look interesting all year round. A lighter shade of golden brown.
These are my six for this week. I hope you have a good weekend and thanks for reading wherever you are. D.
digwithdorris.com 
You have shown how much beauty there is in decay. Love the swishy shapes of the Stipa and Calamagrostis.
I’ll second that!
Dead gardens really can be beautiful! I’ve left more standing this year than most. I could say it’s for “winter interest,” but it’s really just laziness.
Each stage of the garden holds interest, for certain. Your shades of brown are a great example of that, Dorris. Take care.
It’s a brown time of year!
Personally I find the Hydrangea heads look just as pretty now as when freshly flowering. 😃
Me too Cathy, me too
Brown they may be, but the hydrangeas are a lovely pastiche of soft shades of that colour and very attractive.
Oh thanks Jane. That’s what I see too
The form and shape of the Cercis is quite beautiful.
Not a lot of brown here, actually, but it will come soon enough, I am sure. But brown is a colour just like any other and will come in a range of shades, just like green. Even in a still photo your grasses make an impact, and their energy is obvious.
No brown? I need to see your blog
Well not NO brown – it just’s not the first thing I notice! I shall now probably find when I ramble tomorrow that it’s far browner than I think it is 😉
Maybe
Nice. Love the photos and commentary – is the box B. sempervirens?
Brown and beautiful! Your ‘Forest Pansy’ has so much character, even as a youngish shrub – the tulip/allium display with it sounds as if it will be perfect.
Spring bulbs are so thrilling as by the time they appear I will have forgotten what went in!
Hornbeam is such a delightful tree. I can not understand why it is so uncommon here. For a while I thought that it did not like the mild climate. However, I have seen a few around that are quite happy. I saw them come into nurseries, but then stay there for a long time because no one knew what they were.
As you say perhaps people just dont recognise them.