As autumn slips sedately into winter and the colour disappears from the garden it is easy to overlook the subtle beauty of seed heads and dying flowers. There are many plants still sporting attractive seed heads and these are a wonderful legacy of their summer splendour . The colour palette of the garden at this time of year is one of less brilliant hues with texture and detail in abundance. With this in mind I tend not to dead head or cut perennials back.
But let them stay throughout the winter, self seeding and offering a food source for birds. Any debris that is left after the winter gets cleared away in the spring.
There is an extraordinary variety and delicacy in the seed heads at this time of year both in the garden and in the countryside.
Many of the seed heads look particularly good covered in frost or dew.
At this time of year grasses can be magical, especially if they are bathed in late afternoon sunlight. Varieties of miscanthus can glow with a radiance that I think is as good as anything in the garden earlier in the year.
The seeds pods of crocosmia " Lucifer" echo the arching shapes of the flowers.
The disintegrating structure of the opium poppy with the seeds long scattered..
The skeleton of the agapanthus flower with some of the black seeds still attached.
The delicate beauty of the translucent seedhead of an astrantia flower.
Wow - they really are beautiful - great close ups - I really must ask Father Christmas for a good macro camera.
ReplyDeleteVery nice Janet, though I do have an almost uncontrollable urge to clear most 'stuff' away at this time of year. Off to the compost bins with it! Generally, if it's still looking good it gets left for a while.
ReplyDeleteStunning photos of beautiful natural sculptures. I think though, that living on the east coast you are a lot drier and colder than the west coast. Over here, the odd frost does make the seedheads look lovely, but usually they just end up a brown soggy mess ! Oh well , I will just have to enjoy your photos instead !
ReplyDeleteGreat photos. I love seeds heads. Mine all look very soggy though. We did have a dry spell over the weekend but I was away so didn't get the chance to take any photos.
ReplyDeleteLess colorful, but no less interesting when the form, texture and detail stand out. Beautiful macros.
ReplyDeleteGreat post - I've just linked it to me facebook page to inspire others ;(www.facebook.com/lejardinet)
ReplyDeleteHere in Seattle seeds heads are getting pretty soggy so their days are numbered!
Thanks for the link, Karen. I do appreciate it. We've had so much rain in the past couple of days that all our seed heads are going soggy.
ReplyDeletethere is no time to stand and stare. Drooling over the details of spent flowers in a winter garden. Janet there's a great photographer behind that super camera!
ReplyDeleteBraw photos lassie. Not many seed heads here anymore, we sent them via wind mail to far off places. Lovely to see yours though, gorgeous and great for birds and beasties.
ReplyDeleteI leave them too. They have a beauty all of their own. Gorgeous photos!
ReplyDeleteJanet reading your post and viewing your photos I feel like I have found a blog on another planet!
ReplyDeletebeautiful photos, lovely sentiments if you live in an area with suitable weather, I leave for as long as possible and then when the weather allows me to get out there I clear the worse,
I really love the poppy seedhead, never seen one disintergrate before, Frances
Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteHello Janet, Those pictures have (almost) converted me to the joy of seed heads. Like you, I leave my perennials uncut until Spring. This is because I am too lazy, and just let the frost do the hard work. You can just pull out the dead stuff in Spring, rather than having to cut it all.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy seedheads but am guilty of "tidying up" and removing them - but only in the spring and early summer. Come Autumn, I leave them to enjoy! Your photos are stunning!
ReplyDeleteI leave some, and tidy up the ones which get messy-looking.
ReplyDeleteI love that Astrantia seedhead - it's almost enough to persuade me to invest in some Astrantia!
What a lovely post, Janet--one close to my heart, too. Seed-heads and the ways they play with texture and light are maybe the most attractive things about plants here all year... Your poppies and astrantia are especially gorgeous.
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