September abundance

The Colchicum under the magnolia tree are up in force this September.  They would prefer a site with more sunshine, but have adapted themselves to the deep shade created by the wide magnolia leaves.  I remember first seeing Colchicum visiting the Sissinghurst Castle Garden at the end of September in 1991.  I fell in love with them scattered in the rough grass of the orchard.  We have considered allowing parts of the yard to revert to rough grass, but the presence of chiggers and ticks stops the dreaming.

Sometimes it is the edges of the garden that are what most people see.  This picture of the edge of the road along the side of the labyrinth show what the neighbors, dog walkers and nature preserve hikers see.  It is the one place where plants can easily spill out and over, including the Verbena Bonariensis, tall grasses, Russian Sage, and the yet-to-bloom Aster.  The Verbena are all self-seeded; there were many hundreds of seedlings weeded out to allow enough room and nutrition for those you see here.  The clump of Pampas grass, and the Miscanthus are especially large and full with the consistently high volume of water they have gotten. 

Here is a cluster of yellow and gold in the labyrinth.  In the front is Goldenrod, Solidago sphacelata ‘Golden Fleece,' which stays short, but also likes to flop around sideways.  In the middle is Maryland Goldenaster (Chrysopsis mariana), a native that has a short bloom period, but is stunning for that time.  In the back is Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna' if I have kept good track of the various places it has been moved over the years!  Out of the picture to the left, the Caryopteris incana 'Sunshine Blue' continues the yellow/blue theme with its yellow/green leaves and soft powder blue flowers.  I will close with its photograph below.

September Yellow and Blue

In the final days of September, there is an explosion of yellow at the front edge of the Labyrinth.  There are bits of blue mixed in, though as I look at the mix, I would like more blue for the contrast.  Toward the back of this photo, under the standard topiary cedar, "Feelin' Blue," is a yellow leaved Creeping Jenny.  Although the cedar loses much of its blueness over the summer, it is starting to shift back with the cooling weather.  On either side of the grass path in front are Goldenrod and a native Aster.  I never thought I would be growing Goldenrod in my flower beds!

Here you can see in front the Goldenrod, Solidago 'Golden Fleece,' which is about 15 inches tall.  This is the second full summer in this spot, and they are bulking up nicely.  In the background are Maryland Golden Aster, Chrysopsis mariana, which came from a local native plant nursery that has closed down.  They are three years old, and are just beginning to achieve a size that provides a good splash of color.  This is the first year they have bloomed together, making me look brilliant in my planning, but it is just luck.  I hope they continue this timing in future years.  What I really like are that they are very similar colors, and totally different shapes, so while there is the impact of the repetition, they are not boringly the same.  Finally, in the back right side of the photo, you can see some salvia providing a intense blue contrast.  I need more of these, if I can figure out the variety.  I am supposed to have Salvia nemorosa "Blue Hill," so maybe that is what they are?

Mixed into the Overdam Feather Reed Grass are small bushes of Bluebeard, in this case Caryopteris incana 'Sunshine Blue.'  This variety has a bright yellow leaf as well as the light blue flowers that grow in clumps along the stem.  I bought the original plant from a National Arboretum sale seven years ago, and it roots where ever the stems sit on the ground.  So there are now four plants.  I cut them down low in the spring, and they have a lot of competition from the grasses, but they come back in spite of the hot, dry summer, and provide a nice contrast to the grasses.  However, the grasses will need to get lifted and divided soon, so I hope the roots are not too wrapped around each other.