Welcome to Wisley in late autumn

 

Now in November the sun is low in the sky, adding to the late autumnal atmosphere in the garden. When this light catches the foliage it brings it alive. Autumn colour has been great this year and is just one of the November highlights at Wisley.

 

Back of Battleston

If you get to Wisley early on a sunny day, take a walk around the back of Battleston Hill. The morning sun looks wonderful through the autumn foliage. There are also fruits and berries to catch your eye, including the incredible pink and turquoise of Clerodendrum trichotomum var. fargesii (pictured), the harlequin glorybower.

 

 

 

 

Autumn in the Arboretum

Oaks, Liquidambar, Acer, limes and beech give us a late foliage display. Don’t miss the collection of Liquidambar styraciflua in the far corner of the Arboretum near the A3 road, although you can find them dotted throughout the garden. They provide autumn colour for up to eight weeks, and our collection at Wisley demonstrates a wide variety of habit, leaf shape and size in the genus. Look out for the upright cultivar ‘Worplesdon’.

 

 

 

 

Seven Acres

In comparison, a classic feature this month is the Liquidambar styraciflua (pictured) on Seven Acres. In this prominent position it is seen by most visitors, and this one has a much more broadly spreading habit than ‘Worplesdon’. Beside the lake some deciduous conifers are turning too.

A number of other trees show their garden worthiness near here. Near the entrance to the Pinetum is a large pear tree Pyrus pashia. It is one of the last trees to look “autumnal” and holds onto its small, round fruit for weeks to come.

 

Exquisite bark

Look out for the bright white bark on some of the birch trees. Other birches and maples (Acer) have orange or pink hues in their bark, some smooth, some flakey and peeling. Take a wander round the Pinetum, Wild Garden and Battleston Hill and look out for different types of bark. 

 

 

 

 

 

Graceful grass

Grasses in the garden add airiness to the season. We have two main grass borders at the front of Seven Acres, and they feature prominently elsewhere, especially on the Glasshouse Borders and around the Glasshouse Lake. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glasshouse glories

Let the Glasshouse draw you in to its warmth. Here you can find plants from arid to tropical regions, all looking their best on display. In November we have our famous chrysanthemum display. Look out too for bananas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alpine attractions

Back outside, the colder weather is something that alpines are accustomed to, although they are less able to cope with the wet. Those more delicate species are on display in the Alpine Display House, including South African plants such as Oxalis and Massonia and delicately structured Saxifraga fortunei (pictured) cultivars that originate from Japan. 

 

 

 

 

Green roof on Trials Field

Although it’s November, we are still continuing with trials on the Trials Field. At the moment our Cortaderia (pampas grass) trial is the most eyecatching feature down here. But a closer look will reveal cauliflowers that are being cropped and assessed this autumn and winter. They are joined by leeks, Bergenia and a display of sempervivums that have just been awarded the prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM). 

 

 

Not looking so good! Rosy trumpet tree

We’re doing an experiment on our Pau d’Arco, trumpet tree Tabebuia. Our research suggests that it will produce a really good show of flowers if it is first allowed to dry out and lose all its leaves, thus simulating winter in its native South America. Our plan is to stop watering for six to eight weeks and then to start again once the leaves have fallen, thus creating an artificial spring when the tree will burst into bloom on its bare branches! Come back next month to see how it’s looking.

 

Apples for ornament

In several areas of the garden apples provide colour on the trees and on the ground where they fall. Particularly good are the Malus ‘Golden Hornet’ and ‘Hyde Hall Snow’ on Weather Hill and the Malus ‘Evereste’ AGM on Seven Acres. On the Fruit Field there may be one or two last apples holding on, plus more in the Arboretum.