Having several hundred photos to sort through made preparing this month’s Bloom Day post a daunting project, but also a fun one. After a few episodes of my computer freezing each time I added yet another image, I finally accepted that the post was getting even more excruciatingly long than usual. So, I’ve decided to split it into three parts: a proper Bloom Day post focusing on flowers and garden shots; another in a week or so for fruits, seeds, and grasses; and a third on leaves alone as my contribution to The Fall Color Project 2011.
An obvious place to start is with the classic fall-blooming perennials. Mum action around here is minimal, with just one representative, in the form of good old ‘Sheffield Pink’.
The few other mums I’ve had for years disappeared between last fall and this spring, but no matter; there are plenty of asters to take their place.
There are loads of New England asters (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), for starters. The one above is a seedling of (and looks identical to) what I originally bought as ‘Hella Lacy’. Most of the other N.E. asters are just about finished now, but I’d trimmed this one back lightly in mid-July, so it didn’t start flowering until early October. It neatly placed itself behind Limemound spirea (Spiraea x bumalda ‘Monhub’), with a bit of classic or narrow-leaved zinnia (Zinnia angustifolia).
Aromatic aster (S. oblongifolium) is also very happy here and seeds around freely. Some of the seedlings are pretty much done blooming now, but others still have fresh flowers coming along. Below are a few plants mingling with the red fall foliage of American ipecac or Indian physic (Gillenia stipulata) and the yellowing blades of ‘Dallas Blues’ switch grass (Panicum virgatum).
Each fall, I try to get the proper names of the little white asters straight in my mind, only to forget them again by the next autumn. It would help if they’d stay in one place, but I pull out loads of seedlings each year and new ones keep seeding in from the meadow, so I can never remember which is which. Doesn’t really matter, though, because they have a wonderful way of popping up in surprising places. The one above plastered itself against the side of a variegated boxwood (Buxus sempervirens ‘Elegantissima’), behind a seedling of ‘Harrington’s Pink’ New England aster.
The seedling below plunked itself down next to a red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) and used the shrub as a ready-made stake for its one perfectly straight, 6-foot-tall stem.
One of the asters that’s still an Aster – Tatarian aster (Aster tataricus) – started blooming just a week ago. Like the native asters, it’s a favorite with the many butterflies still passing through, and with the honeybees too.
Some orange coneflowers are still looking quite fresh even without a June trim. The one above was labeled as Rubeckia fulgida var. fulgida, but its flowers are smaller and started blooming many weeks later than those of the many other plants I have under that name. Maybe it’s deamii or another variety, or maybe I’ve been calling all of my other plants by the wrong name for the last 10 years. All of this confusion is giving me a headache. The plants are pretty, anyway, and that’s what really matters at the moment.
‘Low Down’ perennial sunflower (listed as either Helianthus angustifolius or H. salicifolius) is another cheery fall yellow, usually starting in mid- to late September.
Blue flowers aren’t really my favorites, but I can easily make an exception for the azure monkshoods (Aconitum carmichaelii Arendsii Group).
Golden lace started flowering back in August, and most of the clumps are in the process of making seed right now. They’re still looking good, though, thanks to the yellow stems of the umbels, which hold their color while the seeds are ripening.
I had deadheaded a few of the earliest-flowering clumps in late August, and they’re producing fresh flowers right now. Below you can see the bright yellow blooms against the darker yellow seedheads.
I’m happy to let Joe-Pye weeds (Eutrochium…Eupatorium…whatever) seed around, but it gets a little tricky when they settle in right next to a path. I ended up cutting these clumps to the ground twice this summer, and they’re blooming right now at a rather cute 12 to 18 inches. (Behind them is the American ipecac again.)
Most of the burnets (Sanguisorba) are setting seed now, but those I cut back lightly (about about 1/4) in late July are in fresh bloom at the moment. I’m pretty sure the one below is S. officinalis.
‘Taurus’ mountain fleeceflower (Persicaria amplexicaulis), above, has been blooming since July, and – thanks to yet another year with no Japanese beetles – still looks lush and flower-filled.
Most of the few roses I have left have also been reblooming freely for the past few weeks. Below is Blushing Knock Out (Rosa ‘Radyod’).
Late-blooming and long-blooming perennials and roses are only part of what makes fall gardening so absolutely glorious. Many tender perennials and slower-growing annuals don’t really come into their own until August or September, but then they look terrific until frost.
Oh, ‘Bishop of Llandaff’ dahlia – such a splendid red. Its September blooms quickly get bleached in strong sun and heat, but now their color stays rich for several days.
Some other favorite fall reds include ‘Red Threads’ Joseph’s coat (Alternanthera ficoidea), ‘Black Velvet Scarlet’ geranium (Pelargonium x hortorum), and ‘Bright Lights’ Swiss chard, below.
Cooler weather also brings out more blooms on the ‘Gartenmeister Bohnstedt’ fuchsia (Fuchsia triphylla), below.
Tropicanna canna (Canna ‘Phaison’), above, didn’t start flowering until last week, but the dark-leaved sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas) shown below has been flowering from months. I started this one in April from seed I’d collected from an unnamed bronzy one last year. Unfortunately, this one doesn’t seem to want to set seed.
Above, the tiny orange flowers of cigar flower (Cuphea ignea) popping out through a tangle of ‘Purple Knight’ alternanthera (Alternanthera dentata) and Vertigo pennisetum (Pennisetum ‘Tift 8’).
Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) usually get kind of stringy-looking here by midsummer, and some never really recover. Others manage to get through the hot weather and come back even better in fall. Below is one of those with Japanese blood grass (Imperata cylindrica ‘Rubra’).
Some annual vines take quite a while to start blooming well. Above is ‘Joan Lorraine’ climbing snapdragon (Asarina scandens), which threw out a few blooms in August and September before starting to flower freely in early October. Below is Spanish flag (Mina lobata or Ipomoea lobata), also known as firecracker vine and exotic love. No sign of flowers until the third week of September, but now it’s making up for the late start.
Self-sowing annuals also help to provide fresh flowers and foliage for fall. Flowering tobaccos (Nicotiana), for instance, start sprouting outdoors as bare spaces appear in summer and begin flowering in August and September. And at this time of the year, having 3-foot-tall plants at the very front of the border doesn’t seem as much of a problem as it would have earlier on.
The original “Ondra’s Green Mix” from my previous garden is still my favorite, though it now also produces some browns and pinks, like the one below.
‘Psyche White’ cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus), shared with me a few years ago by a fellow blogger, is a gift that keeps on giving, popping up each year in just the right places. Here it’s mingling with ‘Sky Rocket’ fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum).
Below is one of my favorite self-sowers for fall flowers as well as summer foliage: variegated kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate (Persicaria orientalis ‘Shiro-gane Nishiki’). From the time it sprouts, its leaves are heavily and irregularly splashed with cream to white, so the seedlings are easy to identify and move if needed. The variegation isn’t so showy by the end of summer, but by that time, the 5- to 7-foot-tall stems are topped with dangling pink tassels that steal all the attention anyway.
The bright yellow umbels of dill (Anethum graveolens) are always welcome wherever they appear, as is the nowhere-near-red ‘Red Sea’ ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum)…
…and more-like-scarlet ‘Red Spider’ zinnia (Zinnia tenuifolia).
To finish up, a quick trot around the garden, starting above in the side courtyard. Below is the rest of that path, which leads out to the barn. (That’s Virginia creeper [Parthenocissus quinquefolia] on the arbor.)
Above is the sliver of the front garden that I see from one of my office windows. Below is part of the middle border in the front garden.
Above, at the front corner of the house, is one of my favorite combinations. Some of the key players include Diabolo ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Monlo’), an unnamed Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), Korean feather reed grass (Calamagrostis brachytricha), ‘Big Ears’ lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantina), and ‘Dimity’ Himalayan fleeceflower (Persicaria affinis).
Below, the path leading to the side garden…
…and the view from the opposite direction.
Below, a selection of some late bloomers in the side garden: New England aster, aromatic aster, golden lace, and Tatarian aster.
Above and below, the middle border in the side garden, taken from opposite directions.
Above and below, the other side of the side garden.
Above and below, both sides of the path to the back garden.
And the morning-sun/afternoon-shade border along the back porch, below.
Out in the Cottage Garden, the perennial meadow squares (above) have matured nicely, and even the veggie beds (below) look nice.
There’s plenty to see outside of the fence, too. Above is the Arc Border out by barn; below is the border outside of the front garden.
Above, part of the border just outside the side gate; below, part of The Shrubbery.
And one more: part of Long Border out by the road.
For more proof that gardens can be just as glorious in fall as they are in spring and summer, check out the links posted by other gardeners around the world at Carol’s main Bloom Day post at May Dreams Gardens.
And a final note…folks, I don’t mean to be unfriendly, but please do not copy my photos for use on your own blog or site. You’re welcome to enjoy them here all you wish, and to that end, I pay WordPress a yearly fee to not place ads on this site so you don’t have to deal with those distractions while browsing my posts. And yes, I’m ok with use on Pinterest, though I appreciate you asking first. I’m always happy to supply high-resolution, watermark-free jpg files of the images here for use in print or on other websites for a reasonable fee, but I generally can’t allow free use, even for a name credit or link – at least until utility companies and tax collectors also agree to accept links instead of money as payment. Thanks for understanding!
Dear Nan, your garden is so inspiring, I gaze upon your stunning photos for hours. Shame on those who would use them without asking. There are so many ideas here, but I have to laugh at your consternation with the name changes and identification of the wild white asters. After fighting them as weeds for many years, those white asters, they are now being dug and placed in the lawn meadow to fight it out with the tall fescue and Kentucky blue grass. The white is elegant in any setting, but especially in your gardens. Happy Bloom Day!
Frances
Hi Frances! I wish I’d stopped fighting the asters here sooner, because they make me so happy at this time of year. I don’t even mind them being white, because somehow, they look just as great with reds and yellows as they do with pinks and blues – and, of course, with the greens and browns of grasses in the garden and in a meadow setting.
-Nan
Wow! Hard to believe that it can look that bold in the fall, considering how lovely it is the rest of the year as well. Fabulous structure and form, infinite variety.
What is the blooming shrub behind the blushing knockout rose?
We have many of the same bloomers, but right now I’m enjoying the reblooming of many June and July flowerers. Salvia purple rain, campanula sarastro, etc. Maximilian sunflower is a very late bloomer, hitting its stride at the end of Sept and quite bright right now.
Hope you know there are people like myself who pore over your photos for a long time, studying and trying to get an idea or two to copy into our own gardens.
Thanks for the morning treat.
Oh, Brenda – you would spot the one thing that I deliberately didn’t identify in the text, because I get tired of defending my choice to grow it. That is Persicaria ‘Crimson Beauty’, also listed under Fallopia japonica, Polygonum cuspidatum, and many other names. Yes, it is the same species as the horribly invasive Japanese knotweed, and some people don’t want to hear anything else after they know that. This one, however, is a distinctly clumping form, NOT a runner. I’ve heard a few reports of it occasionally producing seedlings, but it hasn’t done so here in 10 years, and it didn’t for the friend who shared it with me, either. It does get huge – mine easily reaches 8 feet tall and wide, and I’ve heard it can get even bigger – so planting it isn’t a decision to be made on impulse.
Thanks for mentioning Maximilian sunflower; that’s one I really need to add to the garden.
-Nan
No matter what season your garden is an inspiration. Happy GBBD.
Good to hear from you on this beautiful Bloom Day, Lisa. You know, according to WordPress, you are my top commenter, so thanks for that too!
-Nan
Your posts are always so inspiring and send me running to the catalogs to see where I can buy something that looks so beautiful in your garden. Right now I am wondering about that Persicaria orientalis. I look forward to the other two thirds.
Hi Pat! I see that Select Seeds offers the straight species, and Diane’s Flower Seeds has the variegated strain for sale at the moment. If you can wait a bit, though, I’d be glad to share some seed with you.
-Nan
Gosh Nan, your garden steals my breath away. Thank you for using Virginia creeper on an arbor. I have it all around my garden, and in fall, it is so beautiful, a native too. People bemoan it here, but it’s easy to pull up where I don’t want it.
Where did you find Persicaria orientalis ‘Shiro-gane Nishiki’? I’d like to try the variegated persicaria. I wonder if it would survive here. Hard to say. Happy Bloom Day. Your photos are wonderful as always something for me to try to emulate.~~Dee
I can’t take credit for planting the Virginia creeper on the arbor, Dee, though I’m delighted to have it. The birds must have put it there – maybe the same mockingbirds who haunt this one and others around the garden when the berries are ripe. I too have heard garden visitors make negative comments about it being a weed, and granted, it’s not a good choice for a dainty little trellis. I think it’s a beauty from spring through fall, though.
If you want to try the variegated kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate (it’s an annual so would be worth an attempt, I think), I’d be glad to add you to the list!
-Nan
Hey Nancy,
Now that is how you nail GBBD. Such impressive array of images.You made my day. ‘Phaison’ canna knocks my sock off when used so well in your garden. It almost stands out like a trophy for your efforts.
It’s hard to miss, isn’t it? Tropicanna fits pretty firmly in the “gaudy” category, making it the focal point of pretty much any shot in which it appears. I’m thrilled that it finally flowered, though it’s certainly pretty enough to grow just for the leaves.
Have a great fall, Patrick!
-Nan
I’m just overwhelmed at all the beauty of your fall garden. Where to start? You know I love fall gardens, as I would rather be outside now than in the middle of July.
Once upon I time I studied those native white ex-asters and could identify most of them with a high degree of certainty. Alas, that knowledge has vanished to the place where all my knowledge of organic chemistry went. I can still ID ex-aster pilosus, and pull it out when I find it because my garden is too small for it.
Pinching back yields such good results for you. I must make a note to do more of that. I do have a suggestion for you concerning the nasturtiums: sow your seeds later. I am the queen of procrastinators and didn’t get my nasturtium seeds sown until mid-June. They started blooming a month ago and have just reached their peak. I hope next year to start some early, then sow some later. Why don’t I already grow Persicaria? That omission must be remedied. Thanks for the tour, I wish I could see your garden in person.
Knowing that keeping up with correct nomenclature is important to you, I feel better that you too have trouble remembering the correct names of the little white asters. With so many changes going on, I’m finding it harder and harder to keep many other names straight, as well.
I appreciate your suggestion about sowing nasturtiums later. That makes perfect sense, since they are so much happier when they mature as the weather’s getting cooler. Thanks, MMD.
-Nan
Your garden is always so stunning – truly a feast for the eyes. I especially love the Sanguisorba you have! I think if I were to wander your beautiful garden, I’d be gone for hours and hours!
It certainly happens to me, Rebecca. When I give in to the lure of the beautiful colors and light outside, I find myself way behind in my work when I finally return to my desk. So far, that hasn’t stopped me, though.
-Nan
Your garden is exquisite. I’m living vicariously through your artistry. (And your photographs are fabulous, too!
Ilene
Thanks so much, Ilene! I sure hope you’re planning to get outside to enjoy this perfect fall weekend in our part of Pennsylvania.
-Nan
I always love your posts. Your garden is an inspiration!
I’m so glad you stopped by, Garden Girl. Happy Bloom Day!
-Nan
You must be eternally grateful for digital cameras rather than the cost of film. What an astounding amount of goodness to sort through! Thanks for the marvelous bloom day post. Highlights are reading about your self-sowers, not to mention that amazing rusted ziggurat/teepee. The silvery clump next to the Sheffield Pink mum, is that an artemisia or a tanacetum or maybe something else? Love the chartreuse dill and patrinia. Love it all!
Oh my, yes, Denise – I can’t imagine shooting with film anymore, because of the cost as well as the convenience. Think of how few gardening blogs there would be without it being so easy for us to create digital images!
So you liked the “new” garden structures, huh? They’re made from wired-together, rusty old sickle-bar mower blades that I’d scavenged from the junk pile on my parents’ farm ages ago. I’d brought the blades with me from my previous garden when I moved but just recently decided where to put them here.
The silvery blue foliage next to ‘Sheffield Pink’ is a rue (Ruta graveolens). Specifically, it’s ‘Harlequin’, but you can’t see the variegation this time of year, and it wouldn’t be evident from this distance, anyway.
-Nan
Lovely. I went throug the same process and divided my photos in to three: foliage and fruit, flowers, and hostas for fall. Hope you can visit.
I’ve been following your series, Carolyn. We share a number of favorites, but you also have many things I don’t because of your different growing conditions. I sure wouldn’t be able to do a whole post on hostas!
-Nan
Well done as always. Many varieties I would like to try in zone 6 Kansas.
Same Zone as me, Greggo, so hardiness shouldn’t be an issue. Give them a try!
-Nan
Nan, I never fail to come away from your posts inspired, whether it be a plant, design, a path, or an artistic photographic technique. I, too, would love to see your gardens in person one day. Just gorgeous!
Thanks, Kylee. Maybe someday the Garden Bloggers Fling will end up in the Philly area. Lots of gardens to see here – though, come to think of it, relatively few garden bloggers.
-Nan
Nan, Your garden is absolutely fabulous! I was thinking the same thing as Kylee. I’d love to see your gardens in person some day. So inspiring!
Even with the summer drought and the fall deluge, the plants haven’t failed to amaze. Though to be fair, the standards for fall gardens are somewhat different than those for spring and early summer gardens. They’re not quite so tidy, nor as completely fresh-looking, but the abundance-teetering-on-the-edge-of-decay aesthetic of autumn definitely has its charms.
-Nan
Nan, your gardens are beyond stunning. Even though I love close-ups, it’s really wonderful to see plants in the context of whole garden beds, to see how they all fit together. I have a question, though – if that’s the view from your office window, how do you ever get any work done? :-)
Not very easily, Lyn. With the garden on one side and the alpacas on the other, I spend way too much time gazing out of the windows and not nearly enough time looking at the computer monitor. I try to make up for it by writing at night, when there are no distractions.
-Nan
Nan,
It’s obvious why people love you and your images. It’s not obvious why anyone would steal your images – especially when you give so freely of yourself. (Perhaps instead of planting daisies they should be pushing daisies if you get my drift.) Wonderful photos, great information and inspiration presented with love. And, we appreciate your pithy responses; you do know how to turn a word. (We know, we know you are a published author.) It’s no secret why we look forward each visit. Thank you!
I’m sure that the people that use others’ images don’t think of it as stealing; they want a picture, they Google for it, and they copy whichever one they want for their own use. What they don’t realize is that by copying someone else’s work, they may also be taking away from their livelihood. It’s only a picture, after all, right? And hey, it’s already on the web, so it’s free for the taking. Except that doesn’t take into account the cost of the camera, the time and money put into acquiring and growing the plant, and the time and knowledge invested in taking the photo, tagging it, and archiving it, then selecting, labeling, and writing about it. I realize that taking pictures is a hobby for most bloggers, and I’m sure they don’t think of all that when they copy a photo or two. It’s really kind of disappointing when other professionals or businesses do it, though.
Ah well. I’ve had some very interesting private responses, including one just an hour ago that completely restored my faith in sharing our passion for plants through blogging. Comments like your help to keep the creative juices flowing too. Thanks, John!
-Nan
Your fall shots are always my faves, Nan, so completely inspiring! I particularly love the shot of the area full of Asters, Patriinia and grasses, bisected by the fence rails…so idyllic! I’m sad to hear you’re having trouble with photo theft…it’s so distressing when people like yourself, who so generously share of your creativity can have it taken advantage of.
That’s one of my favorite shots too, Scot; not much contrast, but still pretty. I hope fall is treating you well too!
-Nan
I have Sheffield Pink mums and really enjoy them I got my mum at a plant exchange.
That was a lucky find, Henrietta. It’s such a beauty this time of year.
-Nan
Nan, your fall garden is thrilling and also serene. I saw a large clump of Persicaria amplexicaulis at a garden tour, and know that I must have it! It’s not that common around here, maybe that’s why I covet it. Can you think of any catalogs that offer it? I really enjoy your books and blog; thanks for all of your posts.
Hi there, Sherry. Digging Dog Nursery lists several selections of P. amplexicaulis. Lazy S’s Farm Nursery lists a couple too. Or, how about asking the gardener who was growing it if they could spare a piece? It’s easy to divide, and I bet they’d be willing to share a bit. Good luck!
-Nan
Love all plants and flowers in your garden, but this time I find myself going back to the Mina lobata/Ipomoea lobata which I find absolutely stunning. Maybee because I never seen some before. It´s the problem with the perfect green grass in the neighbours garden……
It’s a late bloomer but worth waiting for. The flowers are even more spectacularly abundant now. You might have luck with it if you gave it a good head start by sowing early indoors. It’s very easy to germinate, just like a morning glory.
-Nan
Nan, your garden is like a lovely lady who only grows lovlier as she ages…What a wonderful assortment of “wow” moments! Until this year I had never realized how wonderful gardens can look in the fall. Thanks for sharing with us!
What a great comment, Kate. She’s heading into a gentle decline at the moment but is still quite charming. I’m looking forward to working on the next post very soon.
-Nan
Nan, your gardens are magnificant. ONG put me on to your site and believe me, I will be back.
Eileen
Thanks and welcome, Eileen! I’m delighted to have you as a new reader.
-Nan
“(Eutrochium…Eupatorium…whatever)” – I had to laugh at that. As an editor of nine gardening magazines, I groan each time a writer writes about Joe-Pye weed, knowing that I’ll have to fact-check and make sure what the correct botanical name is! Thank goodness the asters/ex-aster seem stable for now.
As usual, your combinations are stunning. I had just about given up on my Spanish flag blooming but then pow! There it was. It’s a lot of leaf for such a delayed bloom though. :-)
I can deal with one synonym, but when we start getting two or more, or when the names change and then switch back to the first one we learned, it gets really hard to keep the names straight!
Somehow we’ve managed to escape frost so far this year, so the Spanish flag really has been spectacular, thank goodness.
-Nan