26 Oct 2013

A Capel Moment (2)

Maybe I'm more than a little in love with plants but every week during my college day, there comes a moment when I'm reaching for my camera.  These photos don't quite fit into my veg patch posts so I'm going to start a little regular Thursday or Friday post to show my Capel Moment.

This week, it was a hard choice between the crabapple tree at the top of the last post and this, the third year of the Miscanthus trial bed in the Which? gardens.  It has to be said that I'm a big fan of Piet Oudolf and his prairie style planting.

Miscanthus trial

Have a great weekend everyone!  There's a storm forecast for south of UK so I'll be spending time in the garden today, preparing beds for bulbs and beans and making sure all is secure. 

30 comments:

  1. Wonderful autumn colours in that photo. Thanks, and you too. Flighty xx

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    1. Thanks, Flighty! Stay safe in the promised storm! C xx

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  2. I've only just discovered Miscanthus, bought my first one this year. Not sure I've got room for it really but they do make a statement!

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    1. They're definitely a focal point in any garden! There are several dotted around the college gardens and they seem tolerant of things growing nearby if you want to dig neighbouring plants up at a later date. I looked back at photos taken of this bed last year and they seem to have grown by several feet in the intervening year! I'd look up your plant on the RHS website and pay attention to the ultimate height and spread given!!

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  3. Lovely Miscanthus, I love them! We have M.malepartus , Silver Feather and Variegatus here and they look good all through the year but especially now with their plumes.

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    1. Me too, Pauline! I loved them at half this height but now that they've grown taller - wow! I know that they're not to everyone's taste but I think they fit perfectly into any planting scheme!

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  4. Lovely photo - you don't need an excuse to include non allotment photos - I do it all the time!

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    1. Haha! Thank you, Sue! I'll be taking a leaf (hoho) out of your book then in future!

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  5. Its lovely when you find yourself constantly interested and drawn to something:)

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    1. It's what inspired and motivated me to take up this course of study, Hannah. It's a big commitment of my time (the home study can take days rather than hours!) but feels very much worth it!

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  6. Oh wonderful, thank you Caro, I do miss my miscanthus.

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    1. Thank you Janet! Another one for your growing plant wishlist? :)

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    2. Never been off the list, just a question of WHERE!!

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    3. I have the same problem - too many plants, not enough space!

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  7. The ornamental grasses look so interesting. I think it will be better if they are planted in a wide garden, not for mine.

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    1. They are very beautiful and planted in singles (not in a group as here) they can be a wonderful focal point for a garden - even if grown in a large pot. Perhaps, if you like them, you could find room in a corner of your garden?

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  8. Beautiful. I'm really looking forward to future Capel moments.

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  9. Looks fantastic. I assume this is Capel Manor? I've never been there, though I regularly visit the lake and grounds of Forty Hall which is almost next door.

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    1. Yes, this is Capel Manor in Enfield! I drive past the turning to Forty Hall every Thursday on my way up to college. I've never been over to Forty Hall, if it's somewhere you visit regularly, I'm now thinking I should go and take a look! Thanks for the tip! Maybe see you at Capel Manor one day?

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  10. Beautiful grasses! Don't thnk they would work in my little garden though. Better on the wide open spaces of the prairie...

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    1. Ah Mark, You'd be surprised! When the miscanthus trial is finished, any plants not wanted in the Capel grounds will be sold off for a song to the public (and students!!). I'm keeping my eye on that situation as I'd like a couple of miscanthus to plant alongside my echinacea and ox-eye daisies! There's a very sunny border that would be perfect for that!

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  11. I just wish my garden was big enough to do a bit of prairie planting - those grasses certainly look lovely planted en masse

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    1. I'm hoping that when the trial finishes, I'll be able to get hold of a few of them in the sell-off for the community garden here. It's a big flat space so they'd look wonderful and give a bit of height and structure!

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  12. Now I'd want them all Caro! Must be great to be able to visit such a location on a regular basis and see the plants as the seasons change. Look forward to seeing more Capel moments. Hope that your neighbourhood has escaped the winds unscathed.

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    1. Yes, I feel the same Anna! (Actually, about an awful lot of the plants I see!) It's a treat that I relish every week - I almost enjoy walking the gardens more than the studies I have to do! The storm seemed to do less damage than forecast but I did see a photo of a car crushed by a fallen tree, and that was just around the corner!

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  13. Gorgeous grasses, what a lovely perk to be able to follow their progress so closely through the seasons. We have two Miscanthus here now, and I suspect will continue to slip more in each year...

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    1. They look gorgeous planted en masse but can get scruffy in winter (as you no doubt know!) I think they're great and go so well with other prairie style plants. Maybe you'll show your miscanthus one day on your blog?

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  14. I love those grasses. A bit big for my own garden but I love their presence. Hope you and the veg patch got through the storm OK?

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    1. Thanks, Welly, yes we did - surprisingly tall sunflowers still standing although it sounded at one stage that the windows would be blown in!! With a bit of luck, your next garden may be big enough to host some grasses! Hope the storm passed you by as well, I think it was mostly in the south.

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