Greetings, cold climate gardeners! It’s feeling autumnal around here, and starting to look it, too. The mid-August garden is a garden in transition. The early summer plants are looking shabby and the fall garden is just getting going. The beds that used to look so lush now have gaps in them because the Johnny-jump-ups have exhausted themselves, and yet colchicums are two weeks away. The garden needs a good going over–which it hasn’t gotten yet–so I am just going to share with you some highlights.
The Phlox paniculata above was found growing in a clump of ‘Bright Eyes’ phlox, so I assume my new favorite is a seedling of it. The new one was hard to miss, being both taller and more vigorous than its parent. I have two clumps of it and I can’t wait until they get a little bigger. I need to think of a name for it. Suggestions? Invincibelle Spirit hydrangea was a trial plant from Proven Winners several years ago. It is very hardy and took the move from the old house to the new with nary a pout. ‘Butterfly Kisses’ is a dwarf form of coneflower that I received from Walters Gardens to trial. It made it through the winter just fine and I am looking forward to seeing the colchicums blooming among them in another couple of weeks. My friend gave me this daylily and I don’t know the name. I grow it in the parking pad bed where I grow a lot of bright colored plants. My sister gave me this lily when she was on a kick to find plants named after relatives. She has a son named Henry and had gotten more bulbs of Henry’s lily than she could use, so gave her surplus to me. In looking for a bit of history on this lily (discovered by Augustine Henry, that’s how it got its name), I found one site that said it needed alkaline soil and another that said it liked slightly acid soil. I have acid soil and it grows fine for me, but I bet if you have alkaline soil it would also grow fine for you. I have colchicums planted around this sedum and think it will look great when they bloom. I grew this blackberry lily (Belamcanda chinensis) from seed I started last year. The seed came from a far-away friend’s garden, and I shared a picture of my first bloom with her. It was then she told me that a dear friend of hers had given her the original seed, and that friend had died in the past year after a long battle with cancer. It makes her glad that a bit of her friend’s garden lives on in mine.The picture at the top of this blog post is Japanese blood grass (Imperata cylindrica) which came from another cold climate gardener. I planted the grass in a spot that had originally been growing Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), and apparently I missed a few roots of the milkweed when I dug it up.
Inspired by the words of Elizabeth Lawrence, “We can have flowers nearly every month of the year,” Carol of May Dreams Gardens started Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. On the 15th of every month, garden bloggers from all over the world publish what is currently blooming in their gardens, and leave a link in Mr. Linky and the comments of May Dreams Gardens.
I’m enjoying your blog. The photos are lovely.
The flowers look great ! Nice photos and great article !
I am sporting quite a bit of orange right now, and just a wee bit of pink.
Having recently moved to a WARM climate, I realize that when I gave up Winter, I also gave up some very special plants – I don’t think phlox would love this heat and HUMIDITY, so I am enjoying your photo! I do miss that phlox fragrance too!
Love the phlox! The dark fading to light around the edges is really nice, and the fact it’s a little taller also counts as a plus for me! How about “Purdy Pretty” or does that make you groan!?
I like your title photo of the grass and butterfly weed. Funny how chance can sometimes work out better than planned.
Love the photos -not cooling off down south but I do enjoy hearing about what others are doing across the country. Phlox is one of my favorites – the perfect cut flower for vase arrangements.
Carole – Garden Up green
Phlox “Kathy’s Star”. Or how about “Purdy Pink” 🙂
Lovely~oooh, I do like Henry the Lily very much! Moist soil for L henryii?
Definitely cooling off and the veg garden is not happy. But the flowers are. I love the phlox…a good name is Pink Punch. My Invincibelle Spirit’s pink is one of only a couple hydrangeas that bloomed. Hoping for a few weeks more of hot weather for the veggies.
Lovely flowers! Nice photos! I have my eyes on that short echinacea now!
Thanks!
Hard to believe that there are starting to be hints of fall in the air. That ‘Razzleberry’ sedum looks yummy…love the blooms and also that dusky pink/purple foliage . You have so many interesting and beautiful plants…named and unnamed!
That felt like a fun visit over tea. I’m drinking tea so maybe that’s why. I loved the chattiness of this post. Fun stuff indeed.~~Dee
You have a beautiful garden, love all the pictures!
Oh my I love that sweet little echinacea and was just oogling over that sedum in Bluestone Perennial’s catalog. I’m sold! Such beautiful color in your garden. I will be mad at myself for not planting any colchicums earlier in the season once yours begin blooming. Can’t wait!
I loved your photos! You flowers are gorgeous. The Butterfly Kisses echinacea are beautiful. I’d love to try them. I purchased last year a dwarf Bee Balm that is similar in color. Your new phlox is a nice garden surprise. Good luck with that.