Fall Around The Neighborhood

I woke up this morning and all of a sudden realized fall was upon us!  Looking up I saw the trees turning color. I had not noticed how vivid they were until today, reds, golds, yellows and even browns and purples.

This wonderful tree is across the street from me.

This one is next door.

We try so hard in the colder areas to have at least three seasons of bloom and this is certainly achievable with some planning and four seasons are possible by adding structures and enjoying the plantings that can be left up over the winter.

Hydrangea Limelight
The flower heads will continue to dry and do hold up throughout the winter.

Looking South in the Fall Border

Yellow line in the middle is the umpteenth time the gas company has marked off for new repiping!  It doesn't seem to matter that we are a newer home with new piping!

The Miscanthus Udine plumes are coming into full bloom against the fall sky.

Panicum Northwind is developing seed heads and turning color.
This is a grass that will also stand straight during the winter.

Penstemon Hamlin
Looks great all winter

The border looking north shows daylilies that have been cut down and rejuvenated, Southern Comfort Heuchera, Greenstem Forsythia and Dark Horse Weigela.

Bronze Mums and aster in the front garden,  Crotons will not last in the fall garden.  I see many of them in nursery fall planters.  They do not do well below fifty degrees and I hate to tell you what happens below that!

I have to admit that Mums give that punch of color to the fall garden.

The Rudbeckias look great with the fall colors.

The cabbages have their own beauty as they open up.

I stopped and took this photo as I was driving through the neighborhood, very effective use of mums and cabbages together.

This is Aster Purple Dome and has never looked good for me, bare on the bottom, eaten by the rabbits and just tattered looking all season.

I am growing a last crop of lettuce in containers on my patio.  Anything edible planted in the veggie garden was eaten by the rabbits as soon as they sprouted.

Eva Cullum Phlox is a later and longer blooming variety.

Franz Schubert is an early blooming phlox but is still going.

There is nothing like the roses in the fall garden.  This is Pink Promise an All America Winner a few years ago.  However, it is very tall, over five feet.

Roses single and double Knockout, they add color like no other fall flower!

Rainbow Knockout

Pink Knockout

David Austin's Mary Rose

Home Run Rose Pink

All At once!

Everything seems to happen all at once!  How many times have most of said this and wondered how we were ever going to get it all done.  We have been trying to get some outside repair and maintenance done before the snow flies.

The trim on the outside was painted this summer, looks good but now the front gutter is stopped up, leaking etc.,  It has been a few weeks of big ladders and big bills.  The chimney cap blew off in that monster storm we had in June or was it July?  We now have two new shiny caps.  Oh, the ladders are to repair the stucco which had damage from a leak a few years ago because of a chimney rim that was too small!  Yikes, there is a garden below all of this.

Azalea Karen does not loose it's leaves in the fall.

Weigela Dark Horse had great bronze purplish leaves in the fall.

The color of the Rhodies is very vivid this fall.

I have also been a coordinator for our local house walk, good thing my house is not on it, featuring ladders!

Fall is back to the garden clubs, the Art Institute of Chicago, University of Illinois Extension Services, working with the children at Easter Seals and just enjoying the holidays and my family!

Autumn Fire through Little Kitten Miscanthus

Ninebark Summer Wine

They are darker than ever and look wonderful in the fall.

Heuchera Southern Comfort

Tthe cabbages will add color when the fibrous begonias are taken with the first frost.

Comtesse De Bouchard

It is back only if you deadhead it!

It is amazing how much color there is in the fall if we look for it and plan for it.

Getting set for fall and Halloween!

This is my one real pumpkin, supposedly has a thick skin that the squirrels won't like.

Zahara Zinnias are doing great on the south side of the house but will not last through a frost.

I removed the hostas on the north side of the house, Halcyon and August Moon and gave them to my daughter-in-law for the north side of her house.  I needed a little more interest so I planted Heucheras, Japanese Painted Fern and smaller hosta.  I still have bleeding hearts which will come up in the spring.

Peach Flambe is a Heuchera planted on the north side.

Hosta Tiara is a smaller hosta.

Heucherella Stoplight and Japanese Painted Fern

Clematis White Swan

Clematis Fireworks

Rozanne is a great all season geranium but sometimes it cannot be tolerated to weave wherever it wants, cut it back, keep it within bounds or you will not like it!

My toad lilies have taken to laying down on the ground.  There is obviously something I did not do correctly, maybe I need to pinch them in the spring!

I think I will do more of the Bugbane next year, so delicate and interesting looking!

The Volcano Phlox Pink with White Eye was slow to start this year compared to Bubblegum but is is much longer lasting.

Phlox Blue Paradise

Early blooming and very long blooming

Carefree Beauty Rose

The color has deepened with the cooler weather.

All The Rage

Still blooming and the best rose in my garden.

I know roses take a little work and can be frustrating if they are atacked by insects, but they are one of the most rewarding perennial plants because of their long bloom time.  If it weren't for the roses my garden would not be filled with blooms.

Rainbow Knockout Roses

I have several of these throughout the garden.

Single and Double Knockout Roses