Garden Observations: Amelanchier in Autumn

This is when Amelanchiers earn their place in the garden.

The Amelanchier Lamarckii in our Kenilworth project has turned fiery red this week, vivid against dark evergreen shrubs behind it and the charred oak cladding of the garden studio we built last year. The contrast wasn't something we could have predicted precisely when planting, but it's exactly the kind of seasonal layering that makes thoughtful plant placement worthwhile.

Now the leaves are starting to fall. Not all at once, but gradually, a few scattered across the limestone paving each morning. Clients sometimes worry about this "mess," but I find it beautiful. The garden showing its seasons honestly, not trying to stay static.

Amelanchiers do three things exceptionally well: spring blossom, autumn colour, and winter structure. But this moment, these few weeks of red, is when they become the focal point everyone notices.

What's catching your attention in the garden right now?