We love November plants

Star of the month

“Think pink! Think pink! Pick that quell if you like.” So sings Kay Thompson in the wonderful 1957 film Funny Face, starring the dream partnership of Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire. Those lyrics always remind me of nerins. This spectacular pink variety is named after Athelstan Hall Cornish-Bowden, a surveyor in South Africa who sent bulbs to his mother. She gave some to Kew Gardens with the request that they be named after her son. It’s about the last bulb to bloom in our gardens and takes us well into autumn. Needs a warm sheltered wall to thrive. Divide the bulbs after flowering. Height x spread 50cm x 10cm.

1. Heads Up - Aruncus ‘Horatio’

A clever cross between the very tall Aruncus dioica and the compact A. estusifolius, it makes a fine garden plant. Fluffy and light in summer with small white flowers and bronze stems, as you can see here, skeletal and structured in winter. Definitely not something you should think about cutting back to a minimum

February adds an interesting silhouette to our winter borders.

Aruncus ‘Horatio’

A great form for flower arrangements.

The stems can be dried for the winter. Grows

Anywhere but full sun. H x W 1m x 50cm

2. Golden Stars - Clematis tangutica

Here are two stages of this very striking clematis. We had one last time with a lemon sherbet-coloured flower hanging there, as the nights drew in and the days grew cooler. Next up is one of the seed pods that will bring a new layer of joy to our autumn. They are like a row of misshapen beards for a legion of misshapen kittens or miniature Santas.

Clematis Tangutika

Keep all clematis roots in the shade.

Propagate from layering by pinning a shoot

In the ground for one season. H x W 5m x 2.5m

3. Bronze Age - Mariesii Grandiflora

This is a compact hydrangea that is absolutely perfect for those of us with small gardens. Not only does it have great blue or pink lacecap flowers (which dry well for winter arrangements), but it also has these delicious autumn leaves. Everything from deep burgundy and glossy tangerine to buttery yellow is there. You don't often

Think of hydrangeas when looking for November zip, but here you go.

Hydrangea macrophylla

'Marie's Grandiflora'

Make sure it has enough water - Hydrangeas

Hate hot, dry sites. Propagate from summer

Cuttings. H x W 1.2m x 1.2m