Around The Garden

It is late in the season and approaching the beginning of fall with much cooler weather this week.  I have several plants that have not done well in the heat and I don't want to dwell on them with photos.  Most I will give another year to see how they adapt next summer.

Phlox Franz Schubert

Phlox in general can take the heat but this one is my best when deadheaded right up there with Blue Paradise.

 

Phlox Eva Cullum

This is a tall late bloomer but it surprised me this year with no mildew and more reblooming than I remember.

 

Plumbago (Ceratostigma Plumbaginoides)

This is an underused ground cover, comes up late in the spring, fall blooming and the leaves turn a bright red.

 

It is wonderful for color after the daylilies are done.  Arnie's Choice Daylily has been cut down after blooming and produces fresh green foliage to compliment the Plumbago.

 

Panicum Ruby Ribbons In Front of Pennestium Hamelin

 

Ninebark Summer Wine

It is even darker now than the photo shows and picks up the color of the Ruby Ribbons on the other side of the front garden.

 

Heuchera Southern Comfort

This heuchera was one of the best this summer, some dried leaves were easily pulled off to make way for new growth.  It is in the golden stage now changing to many ranges of orange and red.  This one keeps its foliage all winter!

 

Heuchera Peach Flambe

This heuchera didn't even blink in the high heat, no leaf loss and it takes full sun.  I have it planted on the north side along the path so it is probably darker than it would be in full sun.

 

Heuchera Autumn Leaves

This one is a keeper, some dried leaves in the heat but bounces back quickly with some extra water.

 

Heuchera Carmel

It looks a little sickly now but is beginning to recover from bleaching out, very little leaf drying.

 

The Heucherellas do very well in the heat with no leaf dieback on any of the ones I grow, i.e., Stoplight, Sweet Tea, Golden Zebra, Redstone Falls and Solar Eclipse.

 

Heucherella Golden Zebra

 

Heucherella Solar Eclipse

 

Many of the Heucheras and Heucherellas begin to look alike but they all have their own unique characteristics.  Some will take full sun and others prefer part shade, some are prone to insect damage and others are not susceptible.

 

Autumn Clematis blooms on the pergola so it's real beauty is appreciated from my bedroom window!

 

Ramona keeps on blooming.  I may cut down more of my Type II's and III's next year to see if I can get them to rebloom like this one.

 

Cimicifuga Atropurpurea

I like it even before it blooms.

 

Miscanthus Udine

This one has a pinkish plume when it opens up.

 

I bought one of those designer pumpkins this year to outfox the squirrels.  They are harder and lumpy, we'll see!

 

Fall Is In The Air

It is hard to believe that we actually might be in for some cooler weather, an overheated and drought filled summer will finally be over.

Panicum Northwind is filled with seed heads.

I have already planted my front planters for the fall.  I am using many perennials this year that will go into the garden in November, very good luck doing this with the sedums.

I kept the Dichondra added some perennials like Sedum Bedazzled and Sedum Matrona, along with Ruby Perfection Cabbage and the annual flame grass. 

The mums are getting ready and according to the nursery have been delayed this year because of the heat.  They need cool weather to bloom, so here's hoping that the next few weeks are cooler.

The coleus I will leave until the frost comes, looks so good in a fall garden.

I am not adverse to replacing some of those little mums that are blooming now since they were only 88 cents at Home Depot and there are early, middle and late blooming varieties.

Autumn Fire is not supposed to flop and it is totally upright in the alley garden.  I think these had too much water from the sprinkler system.

Ramona is a Type II clematis that I cut down after blooming, rewarding me with another bloom cycle.

Comtesse de Bouchard was a new one on the north side that just fried in the heat, so I cut it down and now it is reblooming.

Gerald Darby is a great iris even without blooms.  It is purple in the spring with bright green arching leaves later in the summer.  I have it against my Ninebarks on the north front side of my home.

Right now I am not liking the cordyline that I moved from the front to the back planters.  I think they lost too much of their root system to survive, but we will see.

The cordyline didn't make it so I put in a Kale in the background that is supposed to get about three feet high.  I bought new containers on sale at a local nursery, very deep, so I hope I will not have the watering problem I had this year.

Miscanthus Little Kitten is getting ready to show its plumes.

 

Panicum Ruby Ribbons

 

Pennesitum Piglet

 

Amsonia Northwind Select is getting ready to put on its gold autumn show.

 

I replaced my Helianthus Lemon Queen with Weigela Summer Wine.

 

I was given Anemone Robustissima Pink at the Midwest Groundcovers Workshop last fall and it is going to bloom beautifully this fall.

 



 Chelone Hot Lips

 

 

Unique Hydrangea was not as large this year and less blooms but the blooms it has are very large.

 

Hydrangea Limelight had the same problems this year, more floppiness, less bloom and very large flowers.

This is definitely a coleus I would plant again.  Trusty Rusty is a heat lover!  Don't trim your boxwood now.  In zone 5 and colder any new growth will freeze and turn brown.

This is Home Run Rose Pink, just about full grown from my small four inch pots that I trialed for Proven Winners Choice last year.  They were just about devoid of Japanese Beetles and I am going to let them produce rose hips this year.  As you can see they continue to produce flowers along with rose hips.

The Mariachi Peppers love the heat and I have made a few batches of them already this season.

I wasn't too thrilled with the Sunpatiens earlier this year, but I found they are top performers out of the pot and in the garden with just a little shade.

The Nasturtiums have just gone crazy.  I may have to pull them in order to let the peppers and parsely survive.

 

I always say that I am not going to buy too many mums, but I just can't resist once they come into the nurseries.  Cabbages, Kale, , I know there is a genetic difference, but who cares, they look great this time of year and they actually take the heat.