Late September though October is probably my favorite time in the garden.
sure, I love the peonies and their brief yet bombacious bloom time is the stuff of my winter dreams.
and the first flush of roses…..just as dreamy , and even better when they explode along with the bulk of the early clematis
But it is at this time of year, when things are winding down, that I find it so much easier to walk about in the gardens and just enjoy. I know I have at least until the end of November to clean up the garden for winter , and other than bulbs there is usually very little planting to be done. If something looks ratty it is A-Ok to just cut it back or rip it out as the time for tours is over and no one will see the hole except me.
( just a pause here to wonder why we stop garden touring when many gardens still look so fantastic )
With fewer plants left that have yet to flower, it is a treat to see buds and anticipate things yet to come.
Now is not the time fret over slugs or fungus, now is not the time to plan , now is the time to just look and appreciate a season well grown.
coral amaranth
rudbeckia
lablab purpurea or hyacinth bean vine
sedum and artemesia
castor bean ( carmencita)
eupatorium rugosum ‘Chocolate’
Coral Daisy mum
allium senescens var glaucum
dreadlocks amaranth
a self seeded portulaca
Nora Leigh phlox
clematis terniflora
sedum and turtlehead
a seedling hydrangea paniculata
viburnum plicatum f.tomentosum “summer snowflake’
heritage raspberries
heptacodium miconioides
salvia ‘ greggii’cold hardy pink’
daucus carrota and coral amaranth
cosmos
magnolia virginiana seedheads
dahlia ‘Gingersnaap’ and mina lobata
platycodon gradiflora
Love this post. You photography is outstanding.
What aster is that after the photo of the salvia greggii and before the daucus? It is beautiful. I am guessing it is not Bluebird because mine here in Maine is just starting to bloom. If it is Blue Autumn, how tall does it get? Mine is blooming, but a new plant. The tag said 30″ but on line sources suggest it is shorter. I’ve enjoyed your fall series. I love my fall garden.
Hi Harriet, so nice to hear someone else loves their fall garden as much as I do! The aster has both a happy and a sad story….here I have been unable to grow any asters at all as the rabbits devour them to the ground. A friend of mine with similar issues had this aster growing in her garden and it alone remained uneaten by the rabbits and she kindly gave me a division. Since then I have divided it and it grows in a few areas here and so far so good. The sad part is she did not know it’s name . I call it Amy’s Aster in her honor.
I have made a few half hearted attempts to id it and maybe over the winter I will give it another go.