Bonfire Night Design Inspiration

Bonfire Night Garden Design Inspiration takes its cue from the reds, oranges, golds and yellows you’ll find in flames of a bonfire on Guy Fawkes Night. I thought finding half a dozen brightly coloured plant varieties to take your garden through the remainder of autumn into winter and even stretching into spring would be fun.

Often we think of autumn colour as being all about the foliage of deciduous trees. The glorious display before leaf fall. And it is largely about that, of course. But what happens when the last leaf has fallen from the tree? When the leaves have been swept up, bagged and left to compost? Does the garden have to be composed only of shades of bare brown branches and green evergreen leaves?

Bonfire Night Design Inspiration – Foliage

Most of us immediately think of the colour green in all its shades when the phrase ‘evergreen shrub’ is mentioned. However, the foliage, that is the leaves, of evergreen trees, shrubs and small perennial plants may be colours other than green.

Heather

Or to be more precise, Erica carnea aureifolia with golden yellow foliage. For example, ‘Westwood yellow’, or ‘Hilletje’ where the foliage darkens to orange-red.

Low growing heathers make useful easy maintenance plants for difficult areas in the garden such as slopes. It will tolerate an alkaline soil but not chalk. Happy in coastal areas too, but rabbits often find it a tasty snack.

Osmanthus heterophyllus

Osmanthus heterophyllus, the holly Osmanthus because of its holly-like leaves. A prickly contender for our list, but useful on a boundary hedge as a result. Fairly deer resistant. It has the added benefit of scented flowers over winter.

Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Aureomarginatus’ has golden yellow edged foliage. Slightly subtler is Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Goshiki’. This Osmanthus has a name ‘Goshiki’ which means “five colours” in Japanese. And yes, the leaves are cream, gold, pink, orange and green.

Pieris

The younger leaves are the brightly coloured ones. Most often considered as a shrub for spring colour, a mild autumn will enable the plant to produce colourful foliage to last over the early half of winter at least.

Pieris ‘Forest flame’. With a name like that, I had to include this Pieris! The fiery red young foliage is quite stunning. Remember this is an acid loving shrub, so grow it in a container if you have a chalky soil.

Pieris ‘Flaming silver’ has silver variegation on the leaves.

Heuchera

Heuchera are herbaceous perennials, so you might expect them to die back over the winter. However, the majority of heuchera will be at least semi-evergreen in most British gardens. Also in those areas of the USA and New Zealand, for example, with similar winter temperatures. This makes them wonderful plants to give easy maintenance colour all through the year. Often used as additional or background colour for vibrant flowers during summer, they come into their own over the cooler months.

Orange flame coloured Heuchera include Heuchera ‘Caramel’, ‘Peach flambé’ and ‘Marmalade’. Whilst the closely related Heucherella ‘sweet tea’ has almost velvety foliage for extra texture.

Fiery red foliage would include Heuchera ‘Fire alarm’, ‘Cherry sorbet’ and ‘Cajun fire’. There are many Heuchera to fit the bill of our fiery theme. Look for different leaf shapes to add further interest to the planting scheme and you’ll feel warm whatever the temperature!

Bonfire Night Design Inspiration – Stems and Branches

The main contenders for fiery stem colour have to be willow and dogwood. They need to be pruned in spring to enjoy the richest colour as this is found on the young stems.

Cornus

Cornus ‘Midwinter Fire’ has stems which vary in colour from base to tip, ranging from yellow, through orange-gold to red. It has been described as having sunset in a plant. Cornus ‘Midwinter Fire’ looks absolutely stunning against any kind of green foliage backdrop. Or set it where the sun will catch the stems so they really do seem to be on fire.

If that’s too jazzy a colour mix for you, why not try a red stemmed cornus? Cornus siberica alba ‘Elegantissima’ with cream-variegated foliage in spring and summer has rich red stems over the winter. Gorgeous against glossy evergreens, pale garden fences and soft yellow brick walls. Cornus should be coppiced in spring to get the full benefit of their coloured winter stems.

Salix

Willow, Salix, is another plant which can be grown in the garden for winter stem colour. Preferring a moist, even damp soil, the best stem colour is from the young growth, like with Cornus. Willow can be coppiced like the dogwoods or pollarded.

Pollarding will add colour at height, and would work well if you had smaller shrubs in front for spring and summer interest.

What Next?

So, we have a selection of shrubs, small perennials and herbaceous perennials, but what should you do with them? Where should you plant them? How much care do they need?

Well, I have suggested plants which are easy-to-medium on the scale of ‘looking after’. Get the soil and aspect right and they should look after themselves once established. The only ones which require annual pruning are the Cornus and Salix.

Where you should plant them is to a large degree, going to depend on what else is in your garden – and you know who to ask if you need help with the planting design! As a general rule, I would suggest you place these colourful late autumn and winter interest plants in one or more of these places: –

Where you can see them from the house windows, when you’re sitting in the warm
In the front garden, near the path, or next to where the car is parked, so they can regularly brighten up your day
In a sheltered spot in the garden, where you might wander to with a cup of tea on a sunny winter day
For the Cornus and Salix, try planting groups of them where they’ll catch the sun, particularly the evening sun

I have only looked at a small selection of foliage and stems in this blog. There are more I could have chosen, and that might suit you and your garden. And then there’s a whole other blog in considering berries for winter garden colour inspired by Guy Fawkes bonfires. Some of the berries would provide food for garden wildlife and some would feed humans too. And let’s not forget fiery flowers to set winter ice aflame.

But for now, enjoy your bonfires and fireworks…and then planting up some colourful shrubs to keep the excitement going all winter long.