Waterperry, near Oxford, once housed a famous gardening school for 'ladies' run by the formidable Beatrix Havergal, and is still renowned for its horticulture spread across eight acres of glorious gardens. In autumn its collection of asters is flowering in full force, lined up in well ordered stock beds, and happily mixing with other late flowerers like golden rod and rudbeckias in the Classical herbaceous border. The knot garden is a colourful combination of clipped shrubs including box and berberis, infilled with purple sage, and bedding salvias. This autumn morning was perfect, with atmospheric mist which festooned spiders' webs with sparkling droplets.
