Colours of the month - September

Autumn is here and it feels like the chance of an Indian Summer has probably passed, nights are drawing in and there's a chill in the air. I thought I'd focus on some of September's more fiery colours to warm myself up a bit.

Sloe black and blue, if you're making Sloe Gin or Vodka this year, now may be the time to do it; Blackberry reds, green and of course black; Chrysanthemum's burnt reds; Dahlia (My Love) whites and finally the warm brown of the Bulrush...

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the Season - White Poplar white

This might seem a miserable little twig to add to my notebook pages - but I carried it all over London and then it spent two days in the car - let me explain!

Last Saturday, I happened to be on Hampstead Heath in London. If you haven't been there, I can tell you that the views from Parliament Hill across London are spectacular - protected by law in fact.
Down the hill, along a bit and I looked up because a White Poplar in the late afternoon sun caused me to stop to absorb the incredible beauty of its leaves and colour. This half dead and partially mildewed twig has little of that moment where Parrots (yes, really) were flying across a blue sky (yes, really!) and a breathtaking and contrasting industrial skyline on the horizon. I wanted to remember something of that moment, hence the twig.

The white is not quite white - it's the whitest tree in the landscape yet branch and leaf are in fact very very pale grey green...

(we spend so much time looking down and across - don't forget to look up!)

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the season - Bulrush brown

This Bulrush is in fact a Reed Mace, as everyone (apparently) misnames it, I thought I might as well too.

Whichever name it goes by, the sun was glancing off the burnt sienna heads and rich ochre leaves of this smaller slightly less invasive version in a friends pond in Bristol, so thanks Marion for letting me cut one off (there were only six). Fabulous colours for an interior design project perhaps ?! - that gold ochre is incredible!

A new profile photo as friends thought they were on the wrong blog/were worried about my sanity - so minus the specs (for the time being)...

(whilst listening to the album 'Here' by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - just got blasted with rainbow colours on their site - watch out for that!)

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...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Posy - Agapanthus, Bluebell Dahlia

Blue and white have been at the forefront of my mind this week. I've been almost too busy to draw breath let alone a plant in my notebook, so thought I'd share some blue and white things instead...

first of course the posy (for the romantically inclined!)...

Next this inspiring platter by the gifted ceramic artist Jacqueline Leighton Boyce - one of my favourite blue and white possessions...

I love the sentiment on this Rob Ryan plate given to me by a friend...

The satisfaction this week checking a (Rosetta Glory) fabric order on my print table...

Last but by no means least (so excited!) - my new "project" I'm picking up this weekend. In need of a bit of tlc...

(maybe I'll wear blue and white)

If you like this post - you can subscribe to Planet Sam by email :) here.

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Posy - Sweet Pea, Calendula and Rosemary

Sometimes there are no words...

(attachable /detachable label)
...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Colour from the season - Arum berry orange

Wow! These fiery red/orange and contrasting green berries are dotted all over the woodlands in Devon at the moment, they are the sensational September colours from an Arum Maculatum.

Top of the stalk are the ripest red/orange berries descending into yellower shades of orange; next an in-between mix of orange and green as an unripe berry ripens; then there's a very vivid green berry and lastly the (seemingly!) gentler green of the stem. (I held the stem when I was sampling the colours and my fingers went a bit numb).

The colours of the hood and spathe can be found in my notebook (Willy Lily red - April 2011) here. Very poisonous - best not to eat these..!

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.

Posy - Chrysanthemum, Honesty and Hazel

I often make my own cards, but increasingly I send a lot of emails which can feel impersonal, so I've been putting together a few little posies of plants and flowers I've drawn to add as attachments. After reading Vanessa Diffenbaugh's lovely book 'The Language of Flowers' I thought it might be even more personal/relevant if my flower attachments had meanings. I've decided to share some of these with the people who follow my blog - hope you like them...

Attachable /detachable label (on reflection!)

...from my seasonal colour sample notebook.