Late summer dreams
Gardens Illustrated|September 2024
From cool pastels and foliage to hot colours, designer Jo Thompson creates three stylish container combinations for autumn
JO THOMPSON
Late summer dreams

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

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