Autumn blooms come in three categories: fall-only bloomers, “summer” annuals, and rebloomers. Because of this, September usually has more blooming plants than August.
Cyclamen purpurascens only blooms in the fall. It is considered one of the cold-hardiest cyclamens for the garden.
Japanese anemones also only bloom in autumn. This one is ‘Honorine Jobert’.
Fire Light® Hydrangea (H. paniculata ‘SMHPFL’), which Proven Winners sent to me to trial, blooms in August but doesn’t color up until September.
‘Lemon Queen’ helianthus opens a few flowers in late August, but doesn’t hit her stride until September.
‘Lemon Queen’ is big, and needs big companions, like these Miscanthus ‘Morning Light’ in the Slope Garden.
Harumph. My hardy hibiscus are supposed to be summer bloomers, but they are just opening their first buds this week. This one is ‘Cherry Cheesecake’, a sample plant from Proven Winners.I thought it was plenty hot this summer, but perhaps our cooler-than-typical spring slowed them down.
I am used to heat-loving annuals, such as this Rose Bon Bon cosmos from Renee’s Garden, taking their sweet time to bloom. If I start them indoors, they don’t bloom until late July. And if I sow them in the ground where they are to grow, as I did with this particular plant, they don’t bloom until August, and are at their peak in September, shortly before frost cuts them down.
The cool evening temperatures stimulate a second flush of bloom on roses, such as Flower Carpet® Amber…
…Darcey Bussell, a David Austin rose,…
…Flower Carpet® Pink Supreme…
…and ‘Sophy’s Rose’, also from David Austin.
Left to right: ‘Disraeli/Beaconsfield’ colchicums, Knautia macedonica ‘Thunder and Lightning’, Buddleia ‘Glass Slippers’, Salvia transsylvanica, pink Phlox paniculata (second flush), ‘Sophy’s Rose’, Lychnis coronaria ‘Alba’, Cosmos ‘Rose Bon Bon’, Salvia forskaohlei (Click photo to enlarge)
Can’t find the knautia in the photo above? It’s at the bottom near the left corner of the bed, a little bit to the right of the tent stake. It’s not blooming heavily now, nor did it bloom heavily all summer, but the foliage makes it a keeper.
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 the comments of May Dreams Gardens.
Seriously? Already 35F?
I’m counting on about another month before frost and 35F is a little to close for comfort! I think we only went down to 49, but then again I don’t have a fancy weather station 😉
The garden looks great, and I love the sunflower but the cyclamen looks amazingly well grown and I love that even more.
It was a little too close for comfort and entirely unexpected. I generally expect our first frost around the third week of September, but the night temps had been lucky to get into the 50s, so I didn’t even consider we might get that low. I guess it’s time to implement the 10-degree rule, which is to assume that whatever low they predict for the night, it could get 10 degrees lower here.
Your garden looks wonderful. I would not have recognized that pink Cosmos if not for its foliage.
Thank you, Linda. That’s truly a compliment coming from you. The double cosmos looks great in flower arrangements.
Minnesota is wet and drippy but my Mexican Sunflowers are in full bloom on the back fence. The strawflowers continue to bloom but fall and cool nights are taking its toll on the veggies and other summer bloomers.
But no frost yet, right?
Just lovely ….
Kathy – Your garden is just beautiful. I also have a lot blooming right now, zinnias and cosmos. I love Renee’s Garden. All of a sudden I noticed a mystery yellow flower – woodland sunflower? – growing under my Norway spruce. It is the drought that has made it a difficult summer for my plants, even though I have been watering because the plantings are so new.
The drought has been hard here as well, but I think we got some rain that others did not, since we are classified as abnormally dry and not technically in a drought. I believe it has delayed blooming for many colchicums. Gardening is not as fun in a dry year. If you knew every year would be dry, you could prepare for it with the kinds of plants you chose. But it’s just as likely to be wet next year!
Everything looks great, especially the Hibiscus!
We are struggling here in RI, as 85% of the state is now classified as in severe drought. Perennials are really struggling even with occasional watering with the hose. Always enjoy reading your posts, Kathy.
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Wonderful blooms Kathy! I tried to find the Knautia but … maybe I should google it. Knautia and burnet are blooms I wish to add to my jungle, er, I mean garden. I think they might be able to thread their way through. Curious – is lemon queen the same as helianthus microcephalus? It sure looks it and my microcephalus is in full bloom right now also! I think the hummingbirds have left – sad.
I assume you enlarged the photo. The knautia is variegated so looks like a blob of light-colored foliage with some dark red dots. If you find the yellow tent stake at bottom left, then there is some dark geranium foliage (seedling of Midnight Reiter) and then the knautia. I will add a picture of it to the blog post for you. As for the helianthus, it was given to me as ‘Lemon Queen’ and Plant Delights Nursery says ‘Lemon Queen’ is a “hybrid of Helianthus pauciflorus var. subrhomboideus x Helianthus tuberosus“. That’s all I know. I saw a hummingbird yesterday but I’m sure they will be leaving soon. It was 35F this morning!
Wow! Thank you Kathy – variegated foliage as well! I would pay premium for this plant, too. Love it! And good to know it survived your cold climate. 35??? Whoa that’s too close to frost! I begged for cooler weather but not that cool. I will have to research the helianthus a bit because I swear it seems so similar but you know the crazy plant world! Thanks again, Kathy.
I too love Sept. Blooms. In addition to the Jap. Anemones, I’m enjoying Pink Chelone, Sedum Autumn Joy, Physostegia Vivid, and for a few short days, garlic chives, here in NE Ohio.
Thanks for asking! I enjoy your blog!
Your autumn garden is beautiful, Kathy. Cyclamens remind me of my mom…love them! I have that white J. Anemone and a large group of pink ones. They’re gorgeous! Love that cosmos. Do they self-sow like the singles? Lots of inspiration here! Thanks for sharing the beauty you’ve created.
Kerry, I am not sure the double cosmos can make seeds. I will have to go look more closely.
Lovely fall garden you have over there, Katie! I really like the roses 🙂
Wow! You have a lot of blooms! It looks just lovely.