another october

as we stretch onto yet another October, I  find it a good exercise to head out and see what is holding court in the garden and make note of it so I can tweak spaces if necessary for next year.tickseed, mums,aartemesia phlox

This year was a little unusual in that it was so dry for so long that some of my September stars are actually fashionably late to the party and will now, if the first hard frost holds off,  take the stage this month.

Roses and clematis are two divas that held off, and now there are many in full bud and bloom, and curiously some stalwarts that never quit in most years are sleepy this one.

except the Sweet Autumn which is so loud with the buzzing of bees I steer pretty clearDSC_0018

The Drift roses are all popping into flower as is ‘All the Rage’ . Seafoam has been carrying on since late August  and the red Knockouts are sporadically showing off.drift pinkdrfit coralseafoam

On the other hand,  ‘The Fairy’ , a polyantha which almost always blooms without rest has been all leaves since July, as have the red un-named climber and the white ‘Magic Carpet’

Similarly, most of the September re-blooming clematis were no shows, and now Pope John Paul II is in full bud again.

Th annual vines can be counted on to brighten the place up until frost.

Black eyed susan vineblack eyed susan vine

Morning glories and still in vigorous growth and flowerDSC_0050 DSC_0001

 

the delicate cypress vine looks so sweet growing into a birdcageDSC_0059

and the perennial  Major Wheeler honeysuckle typically blooms until DecemberDSC_0013

the moonflower/ cobea scandens/ sweet pea  combination in front of the garage has been a favorite of mine all season long with the monnflowers being the dramatic scene stealers currently.DSC_0011

Of course it is time for the late chrysanthemums

Red Daisy will soon open  DSC_0026

the montauk daisy or nipponanthemum nipponicum, has been here for years and never bloomed well at all, but this year it looks fantastic.DSC_0024

Matchstick is  a very cool mum, called a spoon type because of the shape on the edge of the petals DSC_0006

and Mellow Moon has been going on for some time now with no signs of stoppingDSC_0018 (4)

many more including the very late Sheffield and Copper Penny mums are in full bud waiting in the wings to carry the show late into the year.

Also bringing loads of color and interest to the stage are the berries and rose hips.

the beautyberry ,callicarpa dichotoma ‘Early Amethyst’  is a standout for late season interestDSC_0003 (2)

the two snowberries, symphoricarpos albus , and.s. doorenbosii ‘Amethyst’ get many inquiries , they should be planted more given their tough as nails constitution, bee friendly flowers and unusual berriesDSC_0014 (2) DSC_0016 (2)

rarely do the berries on the  cranberry bush viburnum hang around for too long, the birds scoop them right upDSC_0027

the deciduous hollies are all  decked out

ilex verticillata ‘Winter Gold’DSC_0033 (2)

‘Berry Heavy’DSC_0010

and I think this one is ‘Sparkleberry’DSC_0008 (2)

the rose hips of Rosa glauca never fail to disappoint . hard to believe they are the result of flowers that bloomed so long ago in early June

the  hips on all the rosa rugosas tend to get taken by birds almost immediately so they don’t get to add much to the Fall show.DSC_0029rugsa hips

There are a few other perennials and shrubs rounding  out the cast of characters keeping it real here……..

I add gallardia , or blanket flower into just about any bed I can fit a few in. It is exceptionally long blooming, easy to grow , and I love the bright color play off the late season purples and blues of the asters and gentians. I have had bad  luck with some of the newer introductions like ‘Oranges and Lemons’ or ‘ Fanfare’, overwintering  , and ‘Mesa Yellow is not a very  vigorous  grower here, although the dwarf ‘Goblin has performed well .DSC_0026 DSC_0041 DSC_0037

because I cut back my garden phlox randomly right up until the 4th of July they will continue to bloom until frost. ‘David’ is the white, ;Nora Leigh’ the bi-color .DSC_0022 DSC_0007

 

something about the weather has caused the hydrangea paniculatas to take on a very dark color as they fade and the various tall sedums , too , are turning  deep russett red  which looks fantasticDSC_0043 DSC_0028 DSC_0010

the peony foliage is turning into it’s dramatic fall colorsDSC_0046

chocolate Joe Pye Weed fills in nicely in back of the annualsDSC_0049

geranium ‘Rozanne’  , verbena ‘Annie” and hydrangea ‘Twist and Shout’  all just never seems to stopDSC_0031twist and shout geranium rozanne

the foliage on the hydrangea serrata cultivars  is always a show stopper..DSC_0052 DSC_0018

and the best part for me of this years late garden are the asters.  As I have  complained  about before , rabbits think of asters as crack around here, Plant them and they WILL get eaten to the ground. The only exception thus far has been this very bushy light purple variety that was a gift division from a friend with no name attached . I have been trying to name it all summer, ( am currently reading the book “Asters” by Paul and Helen Picton) and have a few guesses. I started and will continue to divide it so I will have a few in each Fall border hopefullywith in a few years.mystery aster

This teeny eeny sprig of bright pink  Aster  somehow got overlooked by the evil critters. I must go through the HUGE ziploc bag of plant labels from  those who have gone to meet their maker  and figure out it’s name.DSC_0019

the blue woods aster is grown here in containers for safety , where it overwinters just finewoods aster

This year i added Aster lateriflorus  ‘Lady in Black’ as an experiment. It has dark burgundy leaves, which usually get left alone by the bunnies, and so far, so good. It was planted in  very early spring and is now a large, beautiful bee buzzing plant.DSC_0005

Of course many annuals are still part of the show. Cosmos ,DSC_0040 DSC_0044

petuniasDSC_0008

the new to me this year Daucus carrotaDSC_0058

nasturtiumsDSC_0023

zinniasDSC_0056

celosiasDSC_0018 (6)

DSC_0014the amazingly tall and odd looking leonitis leonurusleonitisDSC_0020 (3)

and it wouldn’t be me if there wasn’t whining so….here goes

WORST YEAR FOR DAHLIAS………EVER!

out of the 10 new varieties I added and the several I overwintered, I have ONE that has been blooming steadily called Ted’s ChoiceDSC_0002 (2), three  that bloomed sporadically  like this one which is Enchantress ,DSC_0033 (2) and the rest have yet t do a blessed thing.

Good thing there are other things to look at!DSC_0003 (2)DSC_0057