16 September 2010

Skywatch Friday meets Belated Bloomday

With all the weather scudding around these days, my gaze isn't turned so often skyward as it is to the colourful flourishes in my gardens, so this Skywatch Friday is meeting up with Garden Blogger's Bloom day. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones, because as visitors to my garden have remarked in the past several weeks, "Wow! You have lots of colour happening here!"

Yes, it's true, there's still plenty in bloom here. Part of that is planning on my part, by having selected a variety of perennials that come on later in the season. Part of it is because we normally have slow, cool springs but then we have wonderful late summers and autumns. Things are slower to bloom here, and they last longer, because they're not bludgeoned by too much heat. Mind you, the coming of September normally means the coming of much wind off the water, and this September is being no exception. However, although some things get a bit battered by the winds and rains, there's still a lot of happy colour happening.

It seems there are two predominant colour groups, flower-wise, at this time of year. The first is yellow, varying from the delicate primrose colour on the waxy bells, to the more robust golds of the fall chrysanthemums. Above, clockwise from left: fall mums; waxy bells (Kirengoshoma); a variety of rudbeckias, and echinaceas, along with golden agastache and Efanthia euphorbia; 'Sungold' buddleia; yellow patrinia (Patrinia scabiosifolia); 'Herbstsonne' shining coneflower, with only Miscanthus giganteus reaching higher in the garden. Centre, the gentle yellow of Solidago 'Little Lemon', a fabulous goldenrod if there ever was one!


The other predominant colour of this season is magenta-fuchsia-pink. These are the bright eyecatchers, bee magnets all. Clockwise from top left: Chelone, turtlehead; 'Jenny' aster; the Explorer rose 'Martin Frobisher'; 'Josephine' double clematis; NOID colchicum; One of the heathers (Calluna vulgaris) just finishing its bloom; 'Purple Bush' eupatorium; Tricyrtis 'Samourai'; centre, Vernonia crinita 'Purple Bowl'.

That's not to say these are the only colours in the garden, of course; while the gentians are mostly finished with their cool-blues, there are still eryngium, echinops, and agastache with blue blooms, and there are certainly other colours happening too. Clockwise, left top: 'Pastel Patchwork' wallflower; two double echinaceas, 'Secret Passion' and 'Pink Double Delight'; 'Cloudy' aconitum; 'Coconut Lime' double echinacea; despite already having berries on the female holly, it's flowering some more; a pink potentilla shrub, which I only grow because it was a breast-cancer shrub one year and I planted it in memory of my mother in law Marilyn; one of the tall sedums, 'Frosty Morn', with its cool pink and white flowers; and the pristine, sparkling star of a white Nigella.
Some of my grasses are just coming into their own, and since their foliage is as delightful as their flowerheads, I've combined the two charms to include in one post (for Foliage Followup); Centre, Japanese Bloodgrass; top, Japanese anemone in front of Panicum 'Dallas Blues'; right centre, Pennisetum 'Fireworks' varigated purple fountain grass, NOT perennial here; Miscanthus purpurescens, purple flame grass, bottom right; bottom left, 'Malepartus' miscanthus flowers; centre left, Panicum 'Shenandoah's' foliage glows burgundy. I'll have more to say about grasses in a few days.

Thanks to all who visit, and to those who host these fun memes!

16 comments:

  1. I enjoyed your garden of colors...very stunning. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Wonderful mosiacs of all the beautiful plants growing in your garden.

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  3. I envy you being surrounded with those beautiful flowers, we already have a chilly weather here in Windsor,Ontario.

    My SkyWatchFriday

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  4. You certainly do have lots of blooms for September, Jodi! I was just talking to the manager of a local plant center today about why they had a blooming Joe Pye, when mine had finished a month ago. She mentioned the very thing you explain here--our warm spring and very hot summer caused many plants to bloom earlier than usual...and fade before autumn. My nigella, for example, quit blooming two months ago, while yours looks so fresh.

    Looking forward to reading about your grasses--I have to much to learn about this subject.

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  5. Fantastic flower collages! You are fortunate to have kind weather that allows such lovely plants to flourish. I am not a big fan of grasses, but I love the Japanese Bloodgrass!

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  6. A stunning post, jodi. You have shown mid-September garden glory in both your beautiful collages and storybook prose. Thank you for sharing.

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  7. Ah, the ornamental grasses. Their season is at hand, and I'm glad to see you celebrate them for Foliage Follow-Up.

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  8. Beautiful colorful flowers -- gorgeous, and just enough sky to let you post to Skywatch Friday.
    I am SO jealous of your garden. I have a yard, but I can't call much of it a garden. However, i do plant shrubs and trees to put oxygen back into the air.

    Kay, Alberta

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  9. simply beautiful post celebrating the best of the season, thanks for sharing

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  10. A wonderful post !~ and as You...I am still enjoying lots of flowers in the garden includung re-blooming daylilies and sedum, but the focal point of late has definitely been on the Sunflowers ! 'FireCracker' & 'Ring of Fire' have been displaying Stunning beauty and I'm Amazed at how much pollen they are producing this year...the Bees are LOvin' them & that's a Good thing...LOve the Bees ! Regards, Bev (Halifax County)

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  11. Beautiful blooms. My garden is so sad looking now. I must look for more fall blooming plants!

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  12. Hi, Jodi;
    You do have loads of color for this time of year and I love the mosaic way you presented all the flowers.

    Gloria, from Dakota Garden, brought me some Nigella seeds when she visited. I'm excited to add these to the mix next summer. :)

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  13. Dear Jodi, What a wonderful array of blooms. Your collages are gorgeous. Enjoy a great weekend in your garden. Love, Pam

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  14. Indeed colourful.... the yellow to the pinks and the whites n but off course the Greens. Must say your Garden is bursting out in a beautiful riot of colours, spreading joy n cheer around. Congratulations Jodi! A delightful treat n a moment to be proud of for any gardener. Enjoyed my visit of ur garden / blog.

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  15. Your last mosaic reminds of my new appreciation for ornamental grasses this time of year. Their soft flowing form and colour-streaked blades make such a graceful statement in the fall garden.

    Lovely! :)

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  16. Ooh I love your color groupings :) I'm so happy all the beautiful colors of autumn are finally coming!

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