Welcome to another Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and Foliage Follow-Up for the month of September. Fall arrives in less than a week but the blooms are more vivid than ever in the garden. It has been an unusual gardening year weather wise with a severe winter followed by a cool and moist spring and a cooler and drier summer than usual. We had our warmest days of the summer the first week of September with temperatures in the 80's with high humidity but now the temperatures are regulating in the 70's and there are signs of fall. I have been enjoying the garden and invite you to take a tour with me so come along and see!
 Blue Atlas Cedar Cones September In the front yard showy cones are forming on the spiky blue foliage of the Blue Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica Glauca) showing signs of fall. This tree now towers at approximately fifty feet! 
Driveway Entry: Coral Bark Maple and Golden Oriental Cedar
The grasses are showing off their wonderful plumes and the Coral Bark Maple (Acer palmatum 'Sango kaku' is already turning to shades of yellow.
Echinacea PowWow 'Wild Berry'
I have been enjoying one of my newest additions to the front garden beds, Echinacea PowWow 'Wild Berry'. Their deep pink hue and ability to attract butterflies is a benefit to the garden. Another variety that I have added is 'Cheyenne Spirit' which displays hues of pink, orange,yellow and cream all on the same plant. We will visit that one as we come to the other side of the garden!
 A favorite of mine at this time of year is Sedum 'Brilliant'. It is a sure sign of fall with its late blooming brilliant pink color.  Heucheralla 'Buttered Rum' was a new find in the past month at the local nursery. It is a hybrid mix between a Heuchera and Tiarella and is supposed to stay evergreen throughout the winter....updates next spring! I am enjoying its caramel and rum colored mixture of foliage.  Here is Hydrangea 'Tardivia' in bloom...  and a close up against the blue "almost" autumn sky. 
Hakonechloa macra '
The Japanese Forest Grass has unusually large plumes this year as it is reaching about two feet in diameter.
Spirea Double Play 'Big Bang' September
Here are some more signs of fall. The Spirea Double Play are turning to hues of gold and orange and the hosta blooms are forming their seed heads.  Liriope is a welcomed sight in the garden in September with its flower spikes of vibrant purple as you can see here. 
September Perennial Garden
As we move along to the back gardens the perennial border is in September mode. You can see the Platycodon (Balloon Flower) is displaying its blue blooms. We'll get a little closer up later on.
 Here is a bloom and foliage combo of Sedum 'Brilliant' against Heuchera 'Palace Purple' (Coral Bells) in the backdrop. 
Sedum with Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar and Mugo Pine
Here is another combo of Sedum with Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar and Mugo Pine.
 This dwarf Butterfly Bush Lo & Behold 'Blue Chip' as proven to be a winner and is in bloom again for this mid-September garden. I have seen a few Swallowtails and Monarchs on it this season but the numbers of butterflies have seem to gone down. I enjoy seeing the ones I can.  This is a scene of the street from my front yard in late afternoon. I was amazed by the hues of the trees in the background turning to shades of golds and oranges already. It is really starting to look like fall and I think it is a combination of the dry summer we have had and the sudden drop in temperatures over the past couple of weeks after the few days of a heat wave.  After many years the Alaskan Cedar and Rhododendron in the back garden are really maturing... 
Cedrus atlantica 'Pendula' (Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar)
and the Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar now reaches to approximately fifteen feet in length!
Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit' Ready for some close-ups? Above is Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit' (read more about it here) and next is...
and Hemerocalis (Daylily) 'Stella D Oro' in bloom. This is the second bloom for the daylily after I rejuvenated them in August.
One of the things I admire about autumn are the changes that take place in the garden. Here the plumes on my dwarf fountain grasses signaling the change in seasons.
Even the 'Rosy Glow' Barberry starts to change in color this time of year as it goes to shades of pinks and oranges. It is starting to turn here.
September Sunset over Shade Garden
I hope you enjoyed the walk through my September garden. Please visit our hostesses Carol at May Dreams Gardens for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and Pam at Digging for Foliage Follow-Up. I am also linking up to Creative Country Mom's new Home Sweet Garden Party and Today's Flowers. Thank you so much for visiting and if you leave a note I will know you dropped by to say hello and I will be sure to visit you as well!
As Always...Happy Gardening!
Author: Lee@A Guide To Northeastern Gardening, Copyright 2014. All rights reserved
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Monday, September 15, 2014
Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day & Foliage Follow-Up: September 2014 Garden - Almost Fall
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It seems like summer is still alive and well in your garden as it is in mine. You have some lovely plants in bloom, but I was really interested in the Sango Kaku in your front yard. Seeing how tall yours has grown has convinced me growing mine in a container was the way to go, as my garden would be swamped if it got as big as yours has. It does look magnificent though.
ReplyDeleteThank you Paula. My Coral Bark Maple tops off at about 15 feet at maturity. Keeping it in a planter will stunt its growth but eventually it may need to go into the ground. They are a beautiful tree in all seasons!
DeleteLots of lovely blooms, but I most enjoyed all your conifers--beautiful! Your trees are definitely ahead of ours, but we have had a much wetter summer. I'm curious to see if that makes the fall display more colorful or not. I was interested in your previous post on 'Cheyenne Spirit,' too, because my friend and I both planted one last year. Unfortunately, mine didn't make it through the winter, but she was so surprised to see different colored blooms on hers this year. I will have to tell her it's normal:) Happy Bloom Day!
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting Rose! I am a real conifer admirer and have a variety of different types throughout the garden. I recently discovered the Cheyenne Spirit and loved it for its different color blooms so definitely tell your friend it is normal. A recent commenter did mention that it can revert back to just one color. I hope mine doesn't because I love the surprise!
DeleteBalloon flower buds always make me smile because they really do look like little balloons! You have some great foliage combinations in your garden and many beautiful evergreens for winter interest! Happy GBBD!
ReplyDeleteThank you Peter! The funny thing about my Balloon Flowers is that they are the Komachi variety. The buds never open up and stay as little puffy balloons that can be popped when they dry out...fun!
DeleteYour garden looks fabulous! I can't pick just one favorite thing. I love it all.
ReplyDeleteYour kind words are very much appreciated! You have so much color going on in your gardens for September and I enjoyed visiting you for Bloom Day.
DeleteYour September perennial garden bed is an inspiration to me as I plan to rework a couple of beds along the front of my house. It looks marvelous. All of your garden looks marvelous - fabulous colors!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment Dorothy. I had just re-worked my perennial bed this summer moving some of the astilbe and lillies around into new clumps so I am glad to hear my efforts paid off. I just made space for some Globemaster Allium bulbs to be planted for fall...will be fun to see how they do in the spring.
DeleteGreat looking garden! Evergreens are so important in a landscape design! I wish i can give some real-estate in the back for some small specimens.
ReplyDeleteHi Daniela and thank you for visiting and commenting. I have always had a love for the color and beauty of evergreens and enjoy using them when I design. They are needed as a foundation in winter but are so wonderful to admire all year round.
DeleteLee your garden is really stunning. I also love all the foliage and evergreens...
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Donna I enjoyed my visit to your gardens as well and love your collages with all your beautiful blooms!
DeleteEverything here is so beautiful, Lee, and you still have so much wonderful color. Unfortunately, this year our colors disappeared very quickly and way too early, and the leaves actually began to fall in mid-August. I do not ever remember it happening this early, before. :-(
ReplyDeleteYou made my day Lisa...thank you! I think the fall and winter seasons will be settling in here early as well as the temperatures have suddenly fallen to the 60's and 70's and the trees are already starting to change. Fall is a pretty time but I still do love summer most!
DeleteEverything looks lovely Lee! I especially enjoyed seeing you in the garden! Always nice to see a face with the blog. xxx...
ReplyDeleteThank you Brooke. I enjoyed your gardens as well and thanks for hosting!
DeleteI loved this September walk through your beautiful garden, Lee. How I wish I could grow Crape Myrtle 'Sioux' in my zone. Stunning blooms! P. x
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed Pam. A couple of my Crape Myrtles took a little bit of a beating after the past harsh winter but fortunately came back to life and were loaded with blooms. I thought I had almost lost them. Hopefully this winter won't be as severe. I enjoyed visiting your lovely gardens as always!
DeleteGorgeous landscape!!!!! Would love to have you share your beautiful post over here at Fishtail Cottage's garden party (going on right now)! xoox, tracie
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Tracie. I always enjoy meeting new gardeners so I am linking up. Thank you for hosting and have a great day!
DeleteYour garden looks lovely, and I am so jealous of your echinaceas, I can’t get them to thrive in my shady, acid garden so I just have to admire them on your blog instead. I have been meaning to get some hucherellas too, your Buttered Rum looks beautiful. And so nice to see such a lovely photo of you, it’s always good to be able to put a face to a name :-)
ReplyDelete'Buttered Rum' would do beautifully for you in your garden. This is the first year I have seen it in the local nursery and I love it. I would suspect that they will become more widespread and available as time goes on. The Echinacea is new for me and I have always admired them. They are in a nice sunny spot and so far so good. Thank you so much for visiting and commenting Helene!
DeleteEach photo is a pure delight for the eyes. Thank you very much for linking with Today's Flowers, and I wish you a very happy week.
ReplyDeleteThank you Denise and thanks for hosting!
DeleteBeautiful right now, anyway. Love the plants you show!
ReplyDeleteWe have experienced an everlasting summer this year :-)
Thank you so much for visiting and leaving a comment. We are showing some signs of fall here but I don't mind the change of seasons...always something new. Your gardens are lovely!
DeleteYou have a nice large area to garden. I wish we had room for trees like you do. Your flower beds are looking great! Thanks for visiting my last post.
ReplyDeleteSue...your gardens are wonderful and thank you for your kind words. Enjoy the weekend!
DeleteLee, thank you so much for sharing this bounty of beauty with I Heart Macro… wow!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words Laura for hosting such a wonderful meme!
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