Campfire is all about the great outdoors, sitting outside around a fire under the star, camping adventures and generally enjoying nature. The colours chosen to go with this theme are rusty colours in shades of amber, copper and the colour of the soil, think foxes, autumn leaves and earthy mushrooms. Some of the most vibrant and highly scented shrubs at this time of year are witch hazels (Hammamelis) with their earthy bare branches and spidery copper flowers, Hamamelis × intermedia ‘Jelena’ or ‘Ruby Glow’ are lightly scented or the sweetly scented Orange Peel, if spaces allows. This is a shrub you’d want to see as a focal point in autumn to enjoy its leaves and winter to enjoy the flowers but would need some other interest in front of it in spring and summer, perhaps spring flowering bulbs and summer flowering perennials.

Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Orange Peel’

For interesting stems Cornus and Salix also come in vibrant shades of orange, Cornus sanguinea‘Midwinter Fire’ has the graduated colour from pale orange rising to bright orange with red tips at the top or  Cornus sanguinea‘Anny’s Winter Orange’. Some Salix have similarly interesting stems in winter and are often pollarded to keep their size more suited to smaller gardens or planting along a winter walkway. Salix alba‘Britzensis’ is a yellow stemmed variety rising to orange at the tips or Salixalba var. vitellina‘Yelverton’ a more vibrant variety with orange stems rising to bright red at the top of the stems.

Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’

To add smaller hints of copper and amber Violas provide much needed colour in winter, ideal for adding to planters from Viola cornuta‘Tiger Eye Red’, yellow and orange flowers with deep red veins which starts flowering in September carrying on all the way to into June. Larger varieties include pansies such as Beacon Caramel, a pale to deep orange coloured flower that will provided a bigger hit of colour than its smaller cousin the viola. To carry on the campfire theme this is the time of year to plant wallflowers which will then start flowering in March, Erysimum‘Sugar Rush Orange’ would be perfect with its pale to deep amber flowers or Apricot Twist. Erysimum cheiri‘Fire King’ has deep coppery tones and Erysimum‘Dawn Breaker’ not only has an evocative name to match its yellowy apricot flowers but will fill the air with scent.

Pollarded Salix

When it comes to lighting, fire pits are not only the garden equivalent of a campfire but are on trend at the moment, whether making the most of a long summer evening or toasting marshmallows on a frosty winter evening. Alternatively add a few suspended lights around, a few hurricane lamps or a string of fairy lights to add some Christmas sparkle.

Christmas lighting at Harlow Carr (2017)