I immediately identified with Casa Mariposa as she remarked in
her latest blog post that she always feels surprised that her gardens continue to bloom this late in the year, even though she planted everything herself and should, of course, know what's in her own gardens. I feel exactly the same way. Even though we've had some chilly nights (and a couple days that were 25 degrees below the average temps for this time of year), my gardens continue to surprise me with many flowers:
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| My delphiniums have re-bloomed for the first time this year, and although this secondary flush is shorter in height than the June flowers, that means they are easier to stake than the earlier ones (nice for the lazy gardener!). |
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| This combination of aster, mum and annuals at the corner of the border around our house addition is a study in bold colors, with orange, purples, blues and dark reddish-pink. I think I like these colors together. |
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These low purple asters edging my Front Border are
a lovely mix of light and darker shades. |
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| The cosmos and zinnias are still a riot in the North Border. I want this show to go on forever. |
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These perennial sunflowers, helianthus 'Lemon Queen,' are just right for the sunny south side of our garage.
This is just three plants -- they like to fill in (and up). |
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| The Yellow Garden is filling in quite nicely for being less than six months old. The yellow butterfly bush (the tallest thing on the right side of the stepping stones) is very close to blooming. I will make sure I get some photos of it when it does, as I've never had luck overwintering them here in Iowa. We'll try again this year. |
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| The four o'clocks are in full swing here in the Peony & Rose bed. I planted these because I read that they are poisonous to Japanese beetles and I did notice that a few weeks ago when I saw the beetles, the roses not surrounded by four o'clocks were attacked, but the roses surrounded by them were mostly left alone. Wow, one of my ideas might actually have worked! I'll test my theory again next year. |
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| A pretty pink 'Clara Curtis' mum in the North Border. |
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Dahlias and zinnias in the Cutting Garden. These pink dahlias might be the nicest I've ever grown.
I will definitely try to save these over the winter. |
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I switched out my pansies for yellow mums, marking the change from
summer to autumn. Window boxes are always so cheery, don't you think? |
I'm so glad we (might) have at least another month or so to enjoy these late flowers. I still have mums that haven't quite bloomed yet, so I'll have even more to look forward to, and I'll try to post photos of them when they are at their peak autumn glory (there's a particularly impressive orange one that I refer to as being "hu-mum-gous" that never fails to knock me out with its size and color).
I'm just starting classes for my county's Master Gardener program, so I'll be busy this fall, but I hope to learn a lot of interesting things that will not only help me make my own gardens more beautiful, but also allow me to get involved in helping others make their own gardens more beautiful and productive. I'll try to occasionally post about what I'm learning as I go through the program. Wish me luck!
To a late and warm winter -- and thanks for reading! -Beth
I enjoyed this colourful tour in your garden there is still so much to see and in bloom, lovely. I have the same experience with the yellow butterfly bush, it never survived our Dutch wet and/or cold winters. I'm looking forward to see yours in flower.
ReplyDeleteHi Janneke, thanks for stopping by! Yes, I think it's the combination of cold winters with poorly-drained, heavy clay soil that's deadly for butterfly bush, which is only marginally hardy here. I'll be sure to enjoy it this year, and might have to re-plant each year if I want it to be "perennial" in my garden. :-) -Beth
DeleteWe've been busy tidying up our garden ready for the changing season as well as planning our Spring
ReplyDeletebulbs-in-pots displays. It's satisfying to see lots of Autumn colour and reblooming flowers. The roses go on and on and give so much pleasure. Your garden areas look lovely and the window boxes are very pretty. All the best with your course.
Hello Linda, I'm glad to hear that your roses are still going -- this can certainly be a beautiful time for them, and all the more so since we don't expect it. And I hope you'll share photos of your spring bulb pots with us when they're in bloom. A lot of winter lies between now and then, but the bulbs definitely give us something to look forward to. Thanks for your well wishes and for your visit! Regards, Beth
DeleteHi Beth... nice to see all your fall color... I've been keeping busy with our fall music activities, fence building, lots of of dividing, and transplanting as well as working on a new commission in the lamp studio. My delphiniums are not reblooming... they are barely showing as something as apparently decided to eat them all off in terms of second growth... very strange but hoping it won't destroy them... if they don't come back, I may well switch to something less work intensive.... can't imagine how many stakes I used this season but it was close to 200 I'd guess.... Hi to Brian and hoping you have a great fall... Larry
ReplyDeleteHi Larry, I'm so sorry to hear about your delphiniums! They really are a lot of trouble, but they're pretty amazing when they're fussed over. I couldn't believe how much time you spent staking yours -- I don't think mine get as tall as yours, plus I'm lazy and usually end up trying to prop them up after a storm flattens them. I was actually kind of happy that the re-bloom is so much shorter and easier to stake. Anyway, I'm glad to hear that you're spending some time indoors and on other things besides gardening. (I've been busy with my kids' lessons and starting the Master Gardener classes, as mentioned.) Please say hi to Sarah and I too hope you enjoy your months of fall! -Beth
DeleteBeth your garden is stunning still....mine is fading with cool weather. And good luck with your classes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words, Donna! It's only a matter of time for all of us who garden in North America (particularly in Zones 4-5-6) -- the flowers will soon be no more than a memory. But it's nice to have lots of pictures of the floriferous times to remind us and tide us over through the gray winters. Thanks for your well-wishes! -Beth
DeleteThis is my first visit to your site, and I think your gardens are lovely. I love four o'clocks, but have just a couple in the vegetable garden, where I did not have problems with Japanese beetles, even on the green beans, this year! You certainly have a plethora of them--do they re-seed themselves for you, or do you have to plant them every year? My father, who lived in northern Florida, planted them once and never had to plant them again. They do not re-seed for me here in northeastern Pennsylvania.
ReplyDeleteYour Yellow Garden should be lovely. I have a small yellow and blue-violet themed bed. I also really like the colorful border corner.
Have fun with your Master Gardener class! -- Kimberley
Hello Kimberley, Thanks for visiting my site, and for your very kind comments! I like your blog too, and all the flowers you have planted in your yard. Yes, the four o'clocks do reseed, but not reliably or in the spots I want them in, so I do plant new seeds (the seed packs are pretty inexpensive). I can see many seeds falling into the soil this year, so perhaps I won't have to next year? We'll see.... Thanks for for your well-wishes about my MG class, and for reading! -Beth :-)
DeleteIt's still colorful at your home, Beth, and I enjoyed seeing your flowers. I particularly like the perennial sunflowers, the delphiniums, and the cosmos and zinnias. Looking good!!!! Best wishes with your MG classes!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Beth! I appreciate your well wishes, and I'm glad you enjoyed the flowers. :-) -Beth
DeleteLove your gardens, Beth. I have aster envy as mine failed this year. Four o'clocks are on my list for next year, too. You will enjoy your MG classes I'm sure, and I wish you success in this endeavor. P. x
ReplyDeleteHi Pam, thanks for visiting and for your kind comment! I'm sorry to hear about your aster failure this year -- was it too wet in PA for them to grow well, or did you lose them over the cold winter? I wish you better luck with them next year, as well as with four o'clocks, which should be easy to grow (and reseed) if you have a nice sunny place for them. The classes are fun so far, and I appreciate your well wishes, especially as you are already a MG in your state. Thanks again! -Beth
DeleteOh my! Those colors look really vibrant. I guess your blooms are clinging to the brilliance of summer, despite the autumn cold looming just around the corner. Anyway, I love your dahlias in all their pink glory. I hope you can successfully save some over the winter. Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures! All the best!
ReplyDeleteBethel Woodard @ Sollecito
Thanks for visiting and for your nice comment, Bethel -- I'm glad you enjoyed the photos! Best Regards, -Beth
DeleteBeautiful! You sure have a lot blooming! I love that Helianthus 'Lemon Queen' - it's on my list of possible plants to get sometime. That is so interesting about the Four o'clocks and Roses! Good luck with your classes!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading, Indie! 'Lemon Queen' has been quite easy to grow, with enough sun and a lot of space. I hope it grows well for you too. Thanks for your well-wishes! -Beth
DeleteThis is lovely! Even the sun set is beautiful! I adore the asters. I had then, as annuals, last year but totally forgot to sow them this year!
ReplyDeleteAga, I'm glad you noticed the sunset, even though it was a little hard to see behind the trees (I thought it was pretty too). Thanks for reading! -Beth
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