This is the last Bloom Day of Summer, 2009. The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting cooler, but there are still lots of late-summer blooms in the garden.
Joe Pye weed is still blooming, along with Herbstsonne rudbeckia seen in the background.
Sometimes I pinch off the coleus flowers, but they are kind of pretty when I don't.
I love the light this time of year. With the sun lower in the sky the garden's a bit sunnier than it is most of the summer. It's not always the best light for photos, especially not in the afternoon when these photos were taken. But it's so shady most of the time, I decided to take some sunny photos anyway. Sedum 'Matrona' is in the foreground. Behind Matrona and new to the garden are 'Autumn Bride' heucheras. I picked one up on sale last fall, and divided it into multiple pieces before planting.
The jasmine will be coming indoors soon. In the meantime it's blooming on the patio, smelling wonderful.
Another wonderfully-scented late-summer bloomer is this hosta. They're just about finished, but the hummingbirds and I are enjoying their last hurrah.
Geranium 'Rozanne' is a sprawler. I'm not complaining. Any perennial that blooms from spring to frost even in mostly shade is welcome here. I think Rozanne is pretty sprawling into Lime Rickey.
Happy Returns daylilies normally bloom off and on all summer. They bloom for a few weeks then take a rest and bloom again. This year they bloomed non-stop all summer.
This heuchera, a villosa called Mocha, has bloomed all summer too. I enjoy the light, airy blooms. They practically glow in the late afternoon sun that slips under our canopy of shade in late summer.
Double impatiens have bloomed all summer too. This one's from cuttings from last year's plants.
My favorite coneflower is still blooming. There's another plant just like this one. Both were started from seeds. Both have these nicely-shaped blooms that stay fresh a really long time.
Smooth blue asters (Aster laevis,) are natives. Three of these were added to the garden this spring. Their foliage held up all summer, better than asters I've had in the past. Recently though, leaf miners have been having a field day with them.
The Susans are starting to fade in other spots, but this group is more shaded and they're still looking nice and fresh.Catmint, calamint, more heucheras, a bunch of sedums started from cuttings last fall, coneflowers, and lots of annuals are all still blooming too.
Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Be sure to visit her blog to see what's blooming today in gardens around the world.
Beautiful blooms! The daylilies are rainlilies here. They bloom throughout the year especially after each rain. When the sun comes back, they will have many blooms. A wonderful plant to have on garden beds :-)
ReplyDeleteHow very lovely Linda to take a walk with you through your beautiful September garden.
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THE GREENHOUSE IN TYRA'S GARDEN
Rainlilies sound wonderful Stephanie!
ReplyDeleteTyra, it was lovely having you for a stroll through the garden!
If you don't have room, your pretty jasmine is welcome to come stay with me. I don't have 'Rozanne' in my garden, but if she blooms from spring to frost, then maybe I should consider planting it. Nice post.
ReplyDeleteLinda, you certainly have a lot of blooms for September! Thanks for showing the "Autumn Bride" heuchera; they were recommended to me, but I haven't checked them out yet. I, too, love all the airy blooms that shoot up from these plants. And you still have a coneflower blooming! I hope you get a chance to sit on your patio in the evening and enjoy the smell of jasmine and these last blooms of summer.
ReplyDeleteLovely impatiens! splendid blooms you have here! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteRosey
Thanks for the September garden walk, Linda. You still have a lot of pretty blooms left to enjoy. Hope our mild September continues through November. Am I dreaming or what?
ReplyDeleteVery nice blooms. My 'Rozanne' got squashed by the guys replacing the gas lines. Must remember the 'Lime Ricky'/'Rozanne' combo.
ReplyDeleteYou can always count on Black-eyed Susans! Thanks so much for sharing your garden. Here in Southern Nevada, gardens look very different, so I just love seeing yours!
ReplyDeleteHi Donna, I started with two jasmines lost one of them the first winter. I'm sure I'll find a spot to squeeze this one in inside. Hmmm. . . I wonder how easy it would be to propagate it from cuttings! Maybe I'll give it a try over the winter. If I'm successful I'll let you know!
ReplyDeleteRozanne is pretty amazing with it's long bloom time. I think you'd love it.
Rose, it's taken awhile! The first couple of years there was nothing blooming this late except annuals. I'm so glad that's changed. I compared last September's bloom day post, and I'm happy to see even more blooming this September than last.
Autumn Bride might be my very favorite heuchera, and it's one very tough plant that thrives in all kinds of conditions including dry shade. The foliage isn't as fancy as some of the newer varieties, but I like the large leaves a lot, and the bloom spikes are wonderful. Being their first year here, the spikes aren't as tall or plentiful as they will be when they're more mature. They're wonderful plants, and divide very easily. Autumn Bride is not only a serious contender for favorite heuchera, it's one of my favorite plants. Bunnies are bothering the ones I shared with my Mom, but so far haven't touched mine. (knock on wood!) Also, the blooms are more showy than most of the newer heucheras.
Thank you Rosey, and thanks for visiting!
Carolyn, I'm hoping for another fall like last year - we had no frost until mid-November at our house. It was really wonderful, and I would love a repeat.
Helen, I hope your Rozanne recovers! Two or three years ago I tried to divide mine, and killed them somehow. I replaced them right away though - don't want to be without this great plant! No dividing these, although I know others have divided them successfully. I'm experimenting with layering to propagate these. I hope it works! I think the color of Rozanne's blooms is really nice with Lime Rickey.
Hi Hilery, yep, those Susans are definitely garden stalwarts, sun or shade. One of the things I enjoy so much about blogging is getting to see gardens in so many different climates. Thank you for visiting!
Your cranesbill 'Rozanne' looks healthy. They are one of my favorites. I can almost smell the Jasmine.
ReplyDeleteNice collection of blooms. The double impatiens threw me for a loop when I read the text because I was sure they were (without enlarging the pic) some of those mini roses you find in four inch pots.
ReplyDeleteRozanne and Lime Rickey make a great pair! I also let my coleus bloom and it enjoy it very much. Happy Bloom Day!
ReplyDeleteHi Mary, Rozanne is one of my favorites too! They really need to invent smellovision for the internet!
ReplyDeleteThanks MBT! That's one of the things I like about double impatiens - they do have a rose look about them.
Glad you like the combo Rose. I've noticed pollinators seem to like the coleus blooms too. Happy Bloom Day!
Hi Gardengirl..
ReplyDeleteThanks for leaving a comment at my blog. I love the tried and true hostas and the susans. They are so noncare throughout the year that we sometimes forget them.They are the backbone of my garden.My happy returns lily has bloomed off and on all summer.
Hi Linda, Happy Day After Bloom Day;-) I like Joe and Herb together~~ A very nice pairing. My friend, you are goiing to love the H villosas; they are the best humidity and heat tolerant of all the heucheras. Here they are evergreen. I wonder if they will be in your zone? It will be fun to see if the snow protects them, Take care! gail
ReplyDeleteHi Linda, I love your blooms and am pleased to see so much still going strong! Might I add my two cents about the superiority of the A. or make that S. laevis? It is the only aster that seems able to stand straight and tall here as well, a big plus!
ReplyDeleteFrances
Hi Balisha, I'm glad you're on the mend! I'm with you on the susans - they're one of my favorites. I love their sunny faces and long bloom.
ReplyDeleteHi Gail, happy several days after bloom day! I like Joe and Herb together too - they make a nice combo at the back of the garden. Last year Autumn Bride lost their leaves during the winter. Since they were planted so late and we had such a cold winter, I'm not surprised. We'll see what happens this winter!
Thank you Frances! The tag says a., and it's sure a lot easier to pronouce! I wish they'd quit changing the botanical names - it's hard to keep them straight. I think it's now called s. laeve. I'm really pleased with these asters - pretty (mostly) clean bluish foliage, and pretty blooms. Is an aster by any other name still as sweet?
I got some smooth asters from the native plant place here (they had been a little neglected and the owner didn't want to spend the time getting them saleable again - score!). I didn't know what they were when I took them and thought that they would flower white, what a surprise to see that lovely soft blue. I love them. They have so many flowers. Do yours get very tall? Mine are about 6ft tall!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the nice tour of your fall bloomers--I love the name Herbstsonne... it's so much more exotc sounding than autumn sun. oh, no, wait, that sounds good too! Somehow I never manage to get it together for a bloom day... I was preparing for/teaching a class on fall gardening tips on the 15th! :)
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