Well--as the title suggests, I dashed out between rain squalls to grab a few photos of the garden. I'd been hoping to capture some evocative, richly tinted photos of the garden bathed in golden, afternoon sun--but that ain't going to happen! At the moment, I predict that even if the sun makes a reappearance, all the leaves will have rotted or been driven to the ground by the heavy rains. Already, I'm seeing a lot of decomposition and leaf drop even before the leaves have had a chance to color. Maybe we haven't had the cold snap that we need to help develop leaf color? Maybe this is the legacy of a rather droughty summer that stressed many of the plants? Truth be told, autumn color is a bit scarce everywhere in my neighborhood.
So, here's what we have in the garden today:
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| Front garden taken from the entry path (looking south, towards my neighbor's ancient cherry tree). |
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| "Long view" of the front garden taken from the carport. Did anyone notice?--the unhappy Chasmanthiums are missing...an improvement already, I think. The bright yellow plant is Amsonia "Blue Ice" I moved it during the summer and it colored brilliantly. The other plants won't achieve this fall coloration. |
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| Some of the denizens of the "Carport Garden" located to the right of the path. I think this planting will prove to be successful--I like the combination of the dark foliage (Ajuga "Mahogany and Salvia lyrata "Purple Volcano") with the other low, green groundcovers. That's an Allium "Summer Beauty" in the foreground. |
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| Cut Leaf Sumac with Calamagrostis "Karl Foerster" behind--in the bed to the north of the driveway. I recently planted some asters ("Wood's Blue", I think) near the Sumac and, even though the camera cannot capture both plants at once, the fall color of the Sumac adjacent to the blue aster flowers is a really nice combination right now. |
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| A little Halloween spirit and the Japanese anemones still making a bit of a display. |
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| The walk around the side of the house to the backyard. |
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| Rain-beaten Ageratina altissima "Chocolate" in the shady backyard with Hydrangea "Bombshell" and Darmera peltata. Last year I wondered about the fall color of the "Bombshell" hydrangeas--the one most recently planted colored up a brilliant flame hue while the remainder showed peachy and pale yellow colors. Well, this year I think they won't be able to hold onto their leaves long enough to achieve much color. All the plants look like this and there are already quite a few leaves on the ground. |
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| Still a few blooms on the Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum "Watanabe" I think I'm going to like this shrub! It's a more-dwarf form of V. plicatum which flowers heavily in late spring and repeats off-and-on throughout the summer and fall. This, after I almost killed it by letting it bake in its nursery pot on a super-hot afternoon. |
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| Yep. It's different this year. This is a picture of the front garden taken on October 20, 2013. Definitely more lush and colorful, fresher, and greener. |
So. That's what is going on in my garden at the moment. It's currently raining cats and dogs, so I'm happy to stay indoors working on craft projects and finishing my son's Halloween costume.
8 comments:
Rather than strive for autumn color, so you have enough moisture to have a moss garden somewhere? I'd love that, but can't do it in our heat.
I bet with your creative edge that your son's Halloween costume will be superb.Your garden is looking good. I especially like that shot around the side of the house looking toward the back. The aged Autumn Joy flowers look good with that hardy Geranium too.
Oh...there's moss here, James! A garden full of it--although, not quite in the manner you'd intended.
Hi Alison! Thanks! I've been posting "teaser" pics of his costume on FB. I think it will be OK. It will be hard to beat last year's costume, though. That view around the corner of the side-yard walk is one of my favorites.
Even in this monsoon, your garden is looking glorious. I'm noticing a little fall color in my neighborhood but mostly on things that have been well watered during the summer. Can't wait to see your son's costume; it's sure to be adorable!
Oh, how I wish we could take some of that rain off your hands! The views through the side yard and in the direction of your neighbor's cherry tree are wonderful. Your garden still looks lovely, even if it's less colorful than last year. We've yet to get much of anything in the way of fall color here but then that's not unusual for us.
Thanks, Outlaw! For the most part, my garden holds up pretty well in the fall, but I see this shaping up to be an extra-dank year. Work on the costume continues--few spaces in the house remain unsullied by the debris cluster it's generating...
Hi Kris! I'd gladly share some rain with you! I know you need it. I actually appreciate having differentiated seasons, but I also think back, wistfully, to clear skies for Trick-or-Treating and pumpkin hunting...
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