Late summer dreams

From cool pastels and foliage to hot colours, designer Jo Thompson creates three stylish container combinations for autumn

- JO THOMPSON

PASTELS IN THE SHADE

This is the perfect planter for bringing a shady spot to life. Its simple textured pattern combined with the softening of moss gives it a patina of age that particularly suits this cool combination of shady planting. When I found it, it was already home to a native fern, which was my starting point for this mix of shade-tolerant perennials and foliage, to which I’ve added dashes of pastel pink from Anemone x hybrida ‘Königin Charlotte’ and Tricyrtis Pink Freckles (= ‘Innotripf’).

How to achieve the look

Container and composition I'd had my eye on this planter for quite a while before I decided to bring it into use. It was sitting in a corner of the garden at Water Lane, and it had obtained a softening of moss. When I went over to investigate, I discovered it had the added bonus of a large native fern (probably Dryopteris dilatata) already growing in it. The container needed no sprucing up; already with a helpful layer of moss and ferns, it just needed that gentle intervention that underlines all of my garden design.

As a companion to the existing fern, I brought in a Japanese-painted fern. The silver sheen of its fronds suggested the anemone, which has pretty, vine-like, dark-green leaves that add to the foliage textures, but also brings a touch of colour without too much glamour. The pastel pinks work perfectly with the other worldly purple-splattered flowers of Tricyrtis Pink Freckles (= 'Innotripf'), while a small hosta brings solidity to the otherwise-ethereal forms in this planting combination.

Cultivation and care