Saturday, October 15, 2011

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day October 2011

The northeastern garden is beautiful in the fall with plumes arising above grasses and shades of gold, crimson and tan emerging in the landscape. It is a transition from summer to winter. The air has a crispness and freshness about it and there are sights and sounds of busy insects and wildlife preparing for the colder months. Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens we are here again to appreciate all that nature has to offer. Come with me as we take a tour of my northeast zone 7 October garden.  

Montgomery Globe Spruce, Hosta and Grasses
The reason I am a gardener is because the garden is constantly changing and there is always something to look forward to. As we walk along the perennial garden the once green foliage of the hosta has turned to amber and the grasses display their delicate wispy plumes against the blue of the Montgomery Spruce in the backdrop.

Salvia 'Maynight' and Visitor

A busy bumblebee gathers pollen from the last of the salvia.



Sedum 'Brilliant'

The Sedum 'Brilliant has turned from bright pink to orange which is a nice touch for fall.


Stachys (Lambs Ear)
After pruning off the spent flowers of the Lamb's Ear its soft white foliage has rejuvenated which adds interest to the perennial bed border. In the backdrop the brilliant golds and reds from the Gold Flame Spirea shine through.   
Perennial Garden in fall
Here is a combination of grasses, hosta, astilbe and lamb's ear along with Montgomery Blue Spruce, Spirea and Blue Star Juniper. It is really starting to look Fall-like.
Hosta Flower and Spirea 'Gold Flame'
A lone hosta flower emerges in front of the Gold Flame Spirea in the garden. 



Heuchera 'Caramel'
The Heuchera 'Caramel' is showing a display of new fall foliage.  'Caramel' is a new addition to my garden this year and is definitely a favorite!

Crape Myrtle in fall

The flower of the Crape Myrtle is done for the season but the beauty of this tree continues as it produces perfectly shaped seed pods on its branches.  The Crape Myrtle keeps its leaves longer than most other trees and soon they will be a vibrant fiery red.

Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar, Rosy Glow Barberry, Gold Mop Cypress

This section of the garden has a blend of of gold, crimson and blue. The arching branches of the Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar are really starting to cascade like a waterfall over the Gold Mop Cypress.

Dwarf Fountain Grass 'Hameln'
Here is a close up of a 'Hameln' fountain grass plume...so delicate. The ornamental grasses really make October a time to look forward to.  They are so whimsical in the garden.

Cherry Laurel and Hakonechloa Grass
The rain and mild weather here has sparked some blooms on the Cherry Laurel for an unexpected surprise.

Fall Color:  Grasses, Sedum and Weeping Norway Spruce

More fun with macros with my camera.  This is a close up of grasses and sedum in front of a Weeping Norway Spruce.

Weeping Birch in Fall
The Weeping Birch (Betula pendula 'Youngii') has a delicate weeping habit and its white bark adds interest in all seasons.  This one is already going into fall mode but the branches will display a nice framework in winter.

Blue Star Juniper, Heuchera and Sedum
Here are blue star juniper, sedum and heuchera.  This garden is visible from my outside patio and there are subtle changes each day as the seasons change.
 
Hydrangea 'Endless Summer'
Last but not least is the 'Endless Summer' Hydrangea.  There are many varieties and each one has its own uniqueness.  The blooms even look nice well into the fall.  They surely add a highlight to this gardener's day!
I hope you have enjoyed the tour of my garden and will come back to visit.   Thank you for stopping by and please be sure to visit our hostess Carol at May Dreams Gardens who has made Garden Blogger's Bloom Day possible on the 15th of every month throughout the year.   I am also thrilled to be celebrating my 50th blog post on this wonderful Garden Blogger's Bloom Day! 

Happy GBBD and Happy Gardening!

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all."- Stanley Horowitz



Author:Lee@ A Guide To Northeastern Gardening Copyright 2011. All Rights Reserved






8 comments:

  1. aloha

    beautiful collection of fall colors, thank you for sharing your garden

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  2. Gorgeous! Your fall garden is filled with delights. Thanks for sharing this great post. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  3. Grasses define the late fall garden. Using grasses did not come easily to me with a mindset of grasses as 'weedy' but I'm a convert.

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  4. Your grasses are as you described, purely whimsical. I like your Blue Star because the color is a great ground plane for setting off more interesting and textural plants, like the sedum and coral bells. Happy GBBD, Lee.

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  5. I didn't realize that Long Island was zone 7 while here in eastern PA it is zone 6. The moderating influence of the ocean. Happy GBBD.

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  6. The northeastern garden is looking great from my perspective. I love your use of grasses. I'm trying to introduce more of them into my own garden. I see that we do actually have several plants in common, including the old stand-by lamb's ears. Love it!

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  7. Thank you everyone for visiting and for your comments. I enjoy hearing from you! Fall has definitely set in here in the northeast zone 7. We have had some extended blooms this season due to the relatively mild weather and rainfall but the grasses did plume early. I am just enjoying the changes that take place! Happy GBBD!

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  8. Beautiful post...and you are so right, the constant changes and evolution of the garden is what I find so fascinating and exciting about gardening as well :-)

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Thank you for visiting. I love reading your comments and knowing you have been here, and will try to reciprocate on your blog. If you have any questions I will try my very best to answer them. As always...HAPPY GARDENING!