Returning to the Garden

It has been awhile since I have written a blog post, but it's also been awhile since I've done much in the garden.  When August arrives and dried stalks and brown seedheads are the only reminders of the daylilies and coneflowers that once brightened my garden, I get the gardening doldrums.  Keeping all the containers and new plants watered in the summer heat is enough to get me dripping with sweat, and I prefer to retreat into the cool indoors.  It's also been a busy time for family: in mid-August my daughter and family arrived for a visit from Texas, and it's always a joy to spend time with the little ones I only see a few times of year.  Before they left, my dad had some health problems and was hospitalized for almost a week and needed extra help when he returned home.  Then the local grandkids started their fall sports season, and we have been busy attending volleyball, baseball, and soccer games, and cross-country meets.  My calendar is full!

I'm not complaining, however; with over a month's hiatus, I'm ready to get back into the garden for fall chores--if it ever cools down and stops raining, that is!

Though the bright blooms of mid-summer have long since faded, there have been some new blooms to replace them.  'Heavenly Blue' and 'Flying Saucers' morning glory seeds were planted in a pot in early summer, but I thought they would never bloom.  The vines grew taller and taller and meandered through the dried coneflowers, but finally some blooms appeared.

I usually plant a variety of leftover seeds in an old whiskey barrel planter at the back of the garden and then forget to water it.  A few hardy seeds survived the neglect like this tall Celosia (name forgotten).

A favorite, Rudbeckia 'Prairie Sun' also survived.

Late August brought the Zinnias, including my favorite 'Zowie Yellow Flame.' 

 They are looking a bit more tattered now in October, but from a distance they still look good and add some bright fall color, especially in the roadside garden above.

Other zinnias in shades of pink, orange, red, and purple are still going strong 

and providing nectar for the late butterflies.

Speaking of butterflies, I thought the Monarchs might have all migrated, but this afternoon I saw several floating through the garden.  They were enjoying some late blooms, but their favorite was the Tithonia.  The Tithonia planting was an accident--I think I dropped some seeds here--but I definitely need to plant more of this on purpose next year, because it really is a butterfly magnet.

"Better late than never"--I have no idea what took the Cosmos so long to bloom, but I'm happy to see them, especially since most of the flowers around them have finished.

There are some new perennial blooms as well--this is the first time I've ever seen blooms on my hardy Begonia.  I bought this plant because I love the foliage and have been surprised it has survived in my zone 5b garden.  These sweet little blooms are an added bonus.

Turtleheads, Chelone, are a welcome sight in the shade garden as the hostas begin to die back.

Many of the annuals are starting to fizzle out this time of year, but the Lantana is going strong in the Lily Bed.  I think it has doubled in size in the last month!

Coleus are also going strong and have taken over a couple of pots, which is fine with me.

Many of my containers are looking pretty sad right now, so it's a good time to evaluate what plants do best in our long summers.  All the begonias are looking great, but especially this dragon-wing begonia.  This is one plant I definitely want to try to over-winter indoors.

Supertunia Vista 'Silverberry' is one of the few petunias still looking good.  I've replaced a few plants elsewhere with fall annuals, like mums, kale, and pansies, but I don't get too carried away with fall plantings.  Autumn is just too short a season here to make it worth my time or money--we're still in the 80's, yet a frost could happen any day.

Though the summer-like temperatures are still hanging around, it definitely feels like fall.  Days are getting shorter, and there are subtle changes all around.  I took this photo of our lane a month ago, more for my benefit than to post it.  The trees lining the lane are all flowering crabapples, and they have never looked as good as this year.  The leaves are beginning to turn and drop now, but usually they look that way in August.  I think consistent rain throughout the summer really made a difference this year.

And every tree is full of fruit--no wonder my yard is filled with birds!

Other changes can be seen in the garden--Blackberry lilies showing their beautiful seedheads.

Fall perennials are blooming, like the New England Asters.

The shorter 'October Skies' Asters line one edge of the Arbor Bed.

A Tatarian Aster at the back of the Butterfly Garden--I wish I could get more of these to grow!

I have no trouble growing these, however--Frost or Hairy Aster, Symphyotrichum pilosum, is a native plant that many would consider a weed.  But I happen to like these little white blooms, not to mention they are a valuable source of nectar for bees and other insects in the fall.

In the Arbor Bed, Japanese Anemones are making an appearance.

Another Japanese Anemone--I vowed I would remember what variety both of these are, 

but naturally I've forgotten.

I'm also happy to see the Pineapple Sage in bloom.  So often, it blooms so late that it is hit by frost before it can even bloom, but this year it looks like I will have more time to enjoy it.

And finally, one of my favorite shrubs this time of year, the Beautyberry.  I love these purple berries!

Although I haven't been very industrious in the garden the past month and a half, I have enjoyed spending time just sitting and observing nature.  The hummingbirds have been a constant source of joy as I watch them dancing in the air and flying from flower to flower.  Yesterday I saw two in my garden, the latest I remember ever seeing them here, but I know that very soon they will all be on their way to warmer climes. It's a good time to enjoy the many beauties of nature before the snow flies.

September Bloom Day

September has been a month of extreme mood swings so far, with temperatures fluctuating all over the place, including a few days in the high '90's to a forecast for the low 30's the next few nights.  Instead of worrying about watering, I may need to dig out the blankets and cover up my tomatoes and annuals instead!  But fall is definitely in the air, and there are visible signs in the garden.

Sedum is putting on its fall wardrobe, and the asters are beginning to bloom.  As I was going through my photos for today's post, I was surprised to see from a similar picture I took last week how much the sedum has changed in such a short time.  Last week this 'Autumn Joy' was just a pale pink, while today it sports a much rosier hue.

In the Arbor Bed another sedum looks even more like fall.  This new sedum was a passalong from my aunt who said it was also an 'Autumn Joy.'  But it must be some other cultivar because its stems are burgundy, and its florets are also more of a burgundy, much darker than they appear here.  Whatever cultivar it is, I do like it, especially since it has a sturdy upright habit, unlike some of my 'Autumn Joys.'

Most of the true fall bloomers are in the butterfly garden where self-seeders goldenrod and native asters have really taken hold.  And to think, just two years ago there was only one aster here and no goldenrod.  These two are almost as prolific as rabbits!

Two years ago there was also only one Obedient Plant, and that one never bloomed.  Anyone wanting to establish a native garden in a hurry could plant these three species and cover a lot of garden in no time.

A new favorite in the Arbor Bed this year is the Beautyberry.  I planted several new shrubs this year, and of all of them, the Beautyberry has done the best.  I've admired this plant on other blogs for several years, and I'm happy to finally have my own purple berries this fall.

'Limelight' is still going strong in the shade garden; its flowers are now taking on a subtle pink tinge.

Coreopsis 'Moonbeam' is putting on a new flush of blooms after taking a rest for the past month.

Nearby, the volunteer cleome have been blooming for over a month 

and show no signs of giving up anytime soon.

  In fact, if it weren't for the annuals, I wouldn't have had many blooms the past few weeks. From Angelonia to Zinnias, the many different annuals have provided lots of color during the transitional time from the summer garden to the fall garden.  I'm beginning to think my procrastination in planting seeds this summer actually turned out to be a good idea.  These are 'Cool Crayon Colors' zinnias from Renee's Garden.

'Snow Sonata' cosmos are a shorter variety than most cosmos, and not as prone to flop over.  Also from seeds from Renee's Garden, they have just started to bloom. 

'Victoria Blue' salvia has always been a favorite of mine for late color in the garden.  This year I added some 'Victoria White' in the Arbor Bed as well, and it's performed just as well.  Bumblebees and other pollinators seem to find it just as appealing as the native plants in the garden.

But the annual that has out-performed all the others this year, at least when it comes to size, has been the Hyacinth Bean vine.  I'll have to talk about this plant in more detail in a later post, but let's just say that a few seeds are more than enough to cover a trellis:)

The hummingbirds have loved this plant, though, and now besides the pretty purple blossoms, we have these cool purple bean pods. 

What is blooming in your garden today?  Join garden bloggers from all over the world in celebrating Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted each month by gardening guru Carol at May Dreams Gardens.