End of the Year
M.H.
A
utumn was described by flung onto a lorry full of earth mixture of yellow, green, red by a pale yellow climbing rose
Lawrence Durrell as Cor- during a road-making project. and orange. Sometimes the leaf against a wall. The dark green
fu’s “second spring” and, after is single-coloured, more often leafy stems support branch-
the first late summer downpours, Colour is not a great feature in it is a mixture – striped, spot- ing spikes of intense royal
gardens are transformed almost our autumn since winter is too ted, splodged, every which way. blue hooded sage flowers with
overnight and surrounding dried- mild for the indigenous decidu- They are so beautiful, I collect a almost black calyces - a stun-
out fields and hillsides are bright ous trees and shrubs, unlike few every time I pass and place ning sight - but it needs good
green with new grass among those which clothe the moun- them in a dish to admire, or use cultivation and plenty of water.
which crouch village ladies pick- tain sides of northern Greece in as a bookmark – very precious.
ing the first horta of the season. glorious shades of red, orange Another attractive sage avail-
and yellow as the cold weather Prunus sargentii Below able here is S. leucantha, also
Cyclamen Cyclamen is sud- approaches. Nevertheless, I this is my third beauty, the Pru- South American in origin. It
denly everywhere and noth- do have three plants visible nus sargentii, a vast spreading grows to about 1½ metres in
ing could be prettier with its from my bathroom window and cherry, planted over 20 years good conditions, a slender
beautifully variegated leaves which with the morning sun ago and now well over 15 me- shrub with branching sprays
that appear after flowering is shining through light up the tres in height and almost as of small woolly bright mauve
over and carpet the ground whole garden. The nearest is wide. It has a dark brown bark and white flowers. It dies out
for some months. Although a lagerstroemia – crape myrtle and the young foliage in spring in winter. Another sage which I
the flowers are identical, each - easily available here for grow- is a lovely, bronze red, fol- enjoy is S. rutilans, sometimes
clump of leaves has different ing as a small tree or clipped lowed by the single pale pink called the Pineapple Sage as
‘kyklos’ markings. The name is into a bush shape (as I do) once blossoms opening in March. the crushed leaves have a very
derived from the tightly coiled the leaves The fruit is distinctive pineapple scent. It
stem containing the seed head have dark red, is a small plant about a half-
which, when it finally bursts fallen. cherry- metre tall and in a sheltered
open, is distributed by ants. At the like in spot will keep up a display of
moment appear- clear red flowers until winter.
The large dark brown tuber is it is ance and
flattish with the roots and flow- nicely edible Iris Almost all irises do well
ering stems springing from the round- - that is to here but they need tidying up and
upper more concave surface, so ed with say it is splitting and dividing every now
if you wish to transplant or pot slender non-poi- and then - and now is the time.
up a good specimen make sure branch- sonous
not to put it in upside down. The es from - but it is Their rhizomes - the knobbly
form that grows here is cycla- the base grown pieces near the surface from
men hederifolium – meaning termi- for looks which the leaves grow - need as
ivy-leaved, which more or less nating rather much light as possible, so rum-
describes its shape. An unattrac- in pana- than mage around the base and pull
tive old English name was ‘sow- cles of use. At out the build-up of dead leaves
bread’, as it was once used for brown the mo- and weeds to expose the white
feeding pigs. Although it grows berries ment it is base of the leaves. Tug away all
throughout the Mediterranean which turning leaves showing decaying tips
regions and beyond, it is not for most of the summer all shades of bronze, orange – last year’s product – or just cut
found in parts of Provence or ar- were crinkly pink flowers. and crimson, enhanced by the the whole plant down to about
eas of northern Italy due to the morning sun shining through 10 cms or less, peeling off the
local wild boars which evidently I also have a white flowered it and the afternoon sun upon it. dead leaves. I love all irises and
consider them a great delicacy. version which is a great suc- To my joy, it has produced two recommend them unreserv-
cess. The leaves of both are suckers which seem to be true edly. They come in all sizes
Both Theophrastus and Dio- turning all shades of coral and to their parent and these have and colours – even green and
scorides in their botanical and dark red, still mixed with the been transplanted to my burnt- black – and increase agreeably
medical writings describe original light green. Once all out west border where they will quickly while never becoming
many and various remedies the leaves have dropped, they look magnificent if they thrive. invasive, and are easy to plant
to be derived from the root: will be pruned to about one or move at any time of the year.
dressing wounds if mixed with metre. Being originally a Far Sage There are autumn-flow-
honey, inducing drunkenness Eastern plant – ‘Pride of India’ ering salvias performing well. Winter here is the busiest
if steeped in wine; an antidote is one of its names – it does I love all the sage clan, even time in the gardening year. It
against deadly poisons, even need some watering in sum- the culinary type can spread is too mild for there to be any
a love potion. Take your pick. mer, or at least be in the path to carpets of neat grey-green really dormant period but at
of the occasional passing spray. ground cover, topped in its sea- the same time be prepared for
Sternbergia (inset picture) son with lavender-like spikes. cold, even icy spells. But eve-
A cheerful little bulb currently Persimmon Further down ry thing is wonderfully fresh
in flower is the bright yellow the slope is my star turn, a very My star salvia is S. guara- and green, new wild flowers
Sternbergia, resembling a large large persimmon tree. Not only nitica, a vast creature from seem to pop up all over the
crocus. The form we have here does it bear the most delicious South America, though nine place, seductive catalogues fill
is S. sicula with narrow grassy fruit somewhat resembling or- came from a cutting from an our letterboxes and, best of all,
leaves with a central grey bands ange tomatoes but the leaves English garden. It is now in everything you plant seems to
appearing just after the flowers. I colour sensationally in the au- full splendid flower, well over succeed, and for the next sev-
was lucky to find my first clump tumn, turning every shade and two metres high supported eral months, no more watering.
ISLAND 4
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