Salvias producing autumn colour through to late November

Some of the short day salvias like Salvia Amistad and Salvia Concolor at Great Comp will flower long into autumn providing a panoply of purples.

The garden usually closes it's gates at the end of October, but following the success of last year's extended opening hours into November (to enable people to meet outdoors), the team at Great Comp have decided to open the garden again this November from Thursday - Saturday.

William Dyson, curator at the seven acre garden near Sevenoaks says: “There's much to see at this time of the year and not just the changing colours of the leaves; Salvia involucrata, Salvia Leucantha and Salvia Amistad have a long blooming period and look great in October and November while the pretty shrubby Mexican varieties of salvia (Nachtvlinder, Peach Parfait, Dyson’s Joy, Peter Vidgeon etc) look amazing long into Autumn!"

Salvia Concolor, which grows to trifid-sized proportions, provides a stunning purple-blue centerpiece close to Dyson’s Salvia Nurseries beside the 17th century Manor House.

For many, autumn is their favoured time of the year. The garden at Great Comp is home to every shade of golden yellow, red, burnt orange, pale green and warm brown in autumn. William Dyson adds: “Our fantastic collection of trees such as the red oaks, English oaks, yew, sequoia, birch, limes, cypress, Nyssa sylvatica, Katsura are ablaze with colour and there’s a beauty to the light that can only be found at this time of year and the burnt-sugar aroma from the Katsura tree heralds the start of a fantastic time of year.”

The Old Dairy Tearoom will be open and serving lunches and teas 7 days a week throughout October. From the 1st November, the garden and tearoom will open from Thursday - Saturday 11am - 3pm.

Great Comp Garden have also extended their *FREE entry for RHS members into November (*T&C's apply).