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 Showers bring October Flowers

Well, maybe that is not totally true since there are not a lot of new flowers to be seen.  All of that rain has had its impact, at least in keeping the grass green and growing much later than usual. In this early morning shot, the tops of the 'Karl Forester' grass glows in the nearly horizontal sunshine, a very nice complement to the over 7' tall Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus' visible at the background.

To the left of the photo above, and to the left of the photo on the left, (I guess this proves I am really very leftist!) you can see the early fall color of the Parrotia persica.  This Persian Ironwood has been slowly and steadily putting up more vertical branches and has endured drought without  problems.  It doesn't change color all at once, so it provides a wide palate over several weeks.  Behind it, and to the right, is a Lespedezea Liukiuensis, or Bush clover.  The variety is "Little Volcano" and originally was bought at the National Arboretum sale 4 years ago.  The second year in this location, it has grown to 8 feet tall within the year.  We cut out the short, weak stems in March, and left in the tall ones.  Most of what you see is new sucker growth.  It would keep spreading out wider and wider without our digging out chunks in the spring and giving them away to neighbors.  The flowers are good for 3-4 weeks in the fall when little else is blooming, and leave a purple haze in the grass when they fall off.  Here is a close-up of the flowers.

Staying in a very similar color range is the Echinacea, Katie Saul, a new addition from Plant Delights Nursery.  This was just added this summer, and has already done much better than other Echinacea that we have had for years - I think it is time to give up on those that have continued to be disappointing with short blooming times and flowers that quickly became ratty looking.  I had read that breeders were pushing out Echinacea before thoroughly testing them, and from now on will only purchase them from nurseries like Plant Delights that test them before selling them to the public.  The local garden center has failed me a number of times in providing plants that are appropriate for our climate.  So, I am much more cautious about spending money there.

I am still undecided about this next plant, a lime green leaved version of Pheasant Berry, Leycesteria formosa - the label listed the formal variety as "Notbruce" while in large letters calling it Golden Lanterns.  Why not Bruce?  I have a personal interest in that!

It dies back to the ground in the fall, and only this year has it gotten quite sizable for its third year in the labyrinth.  It does create a spot of bright yellow-green, and the very top of the growth is stained with red.  The flowers do not start appearing until about the middle of the summer, and continue emerging at the plant grows larger.  The bracts are a purplish red and not particularly attractive close-up.  The seeds are supposed to attract birds, but I have not seen any birds eating them so far.  Some places warn that the seeds can get spread around and become invasive, which I have not seen yet, and if it begins, I will grub this out to avoid that happening.  Probably being on the edge of its hardiness zone will avoid that problem.  However, I am curious that if it really has the danger of becoming invasive, why was I able to buy it at the National Arboretum sale?  The deer have left it alone, which gives it an advantage since the deer regularly wander through for a snack. It is pleasant enough, and probably will be fine where it is growing - for now at least.

So, since I have not been keeping up with the blog as much as my readers have expected, I will throw in one last picture.  An arty shot of the sunrise sen through the flowering grasses.  This is one of the great pleasures of growing these tall grasses, along with seeing them sway in the wind, like the waves on the Chesapeake Bay.

Cutting the Ornamental Grass

A large sweep of tall grass starts behind labyrinth and covers the top of the steep slope down the ravine.  The grass, Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus,' was on site 2000 when we bought the house.  It is on the left side of this photo, behind the low juniper edging.  Screening our neighbor's house from view when it is fully grown, it provides privacy for people who walk the labyrinth.  Its dramatic 30 foot wide drift rolls in waves in the wind, just as the water in the Chesapeake.

Here is a similar photo to the one above, showing the difference with the grass cut down.  Each spring the ornamental grass must get cut before the new green stalks begin growing.  February is the preferred month, with the temperature in the upper 40's or low 50's.  Using the electric hedge shears, this section took six hours to cut the grass, collect the straw and haul it down the hill into the brush heap.


If you look to the left of the tall pencil hollies, beside the edge of the junipers, you can see the brown, rounded stumps of grass.  Our neighbor uses the grass along the edge of her lawn.  I cut off some of that also, which can be seen behind the juniper.

Looking directly at the location from within the labyrinth, you can see the dramatic difference without the soft wall provided by the six to eight foot tall grass.  The Bay is even visible through the leafless trees, though that view will be gone once the leaves open up.  In the next two months, the grass will have grown high enough to provide a sense of enclosure and protection.  It also helps anchor the evergreens so that they don't seem to float so close to the edge.  There is an open view of the Bay, through the gap in the trees made by the ravine, just six feet or so to the left of the picture.  So, as a person is walking along the path away from the road, there is a shift from an intimate, private space to a long view to the horizon.