There is a forgotten beauty with plants. It’s called beauty in decay. This is the season of beauty that many over look. Most don’t fully appreciate this season though I try to capture that beauty through my photography. I embrace the mortality and the blooms past their prime.
It’s the sepia season of colour
In fact some flowers die back ever so gracefully. Furthermore when the winter light illuminates their seed heads they come to life again. They are hosts to the many spiders webs while inside their stems many insects hibernate. Similarly if they have a dusting of frost their ghostly skelton outlines become so photogenic.
Good Beauty in Decay Plants
My favourites to photograph in the garden are the seed heads from Rudbeckia, Sedum, Monarda, Ligularia and Hydrangea. In addition the uprightness of the Lythrum, Eupatoriums and Symphyotrichums (Asters) make great vertical features in the garden. These contrast so well with the fine soft grass heads from the Deschampsia and the billowing stems of the Stipa. Along with the tall upright stems from the Calamagrostis and the arching stems from the Stipa gigantea. There’s so much structure, winter interest and texture in the border until February. Finally I cut down the stems and await the fresh green growth in Spring.
As Piet Oudlof once said
A plant is only worth growing if it looks good when it is dead.