Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day & Foliage Follow-Up September: Late Summer Blooms

Welcome to my September Garden!
As the years pass by, the month of September has become one of my favorite times in the garden as temperatures moderate into the upper 70's, blue skies are frequent and humid days turn into less humid ones. There is a slight crispness as the cooler breezes rush in during the mornings and evenings and the landscape transitions from summer into Fall. Join me to see what is blooming in my late summer Long Island garden.
September Garden
Grab a beverage and come along!
Lagerstroemia (Crape Myrtle) 'Sioux'
The end of July through September is Crape Myrtle season and this Lagerstroemia 'Siox' is showing off its bountiful blooms. Crape Myrtle are cold hardy to USDA zone 6, and growers keep working on developing stronger and more cold tolerant cultivars so they can be grown here in our zone 7a climate. I planted this tree at just a few feet tall in a large patio container some twenty-something years ago until it was transferred to this island bed. It now towers at over 20 feet tall and its deep pink blooms never cease to amaze me.
Crape Myrtle 'Sioux'
Standing from the patio and looking out, you can see a long view of the island bed with Juniperus 'Gold Lace' to the left, Hydrangea and Skip Laurel in the backdrop and Blue Globe Spruce in the foreground. 
Dwarf Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) 'Pugster Blue'
Another favorite in the garden for September is dwarf Butterfly Bush 'Pugster Blue'. With its fragrant blooms, this shrub is a pollinator magnet for a variety of butterflies and bumblebees, and sometimes I even get to experience a hummingbird moth hovering around it!
Dwarf Maiden Grass Plumes 
At this time of the year, dwarf Maiden Grass 'Yaki Jima' is showing its interesting plumes in the back pool garden. Beneath Dwarf Maiden Grass 'Yaku Jima' is Sedum 'Brilliant' with its attractive light green foliage and deep pink blooms.
Stachys (Lamb's Ear) and Astilbe Late Summer
The Lamb's Ear bordering the perennial garden seems to look much brighter this time of year against the foliage of Astilbe, which is going into autumn mode.
Long Time Resident Tree
I had to show a view of this very mature Ash that was planted on our corner almost 40 years ago when it was just 10 feet high. It was planted by our neighbor down the street who has always had a love of horticulture like myself. He recently moved to South Carolina, but leaves his legacy behind!
Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar
With the Ash in the background, you can now get a view of the Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar (foreground), Skyland's Oriental Spruce (right) and Coral Bark Maple (center). You may notice how the back (southern) portion of the Maple is already changing color. That is from the salty air that blew in with Tropical Storm Isaias in August. You can see this happening all over Long Island, as we are southern bordered by the Great South Bay. 
Sedum 'Pure Joy' and Dwarf Japanese Cedar 
Follow me along to the front! This is Sedum 'Pure Joy' in front of Dwarf Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria Globusa Nana) on the front island bed. Sedum 'Pure Joy' is hardy in USDA zones 3-9 and grows to just 12 inches high. Cryptomeria Globusa Nana is hardy in USDA zones 5-7 and grows to a compact height and width of approximately 2-3 feet.
Variegated Liriope (Lillyturf)
Here is another compact evergreen, Pinus mugo 'Slowmound' bordering the walkway along with Variegated Liriope. This combination is perfect for a narrow or small space.
Sedum 'Brilliant' and Mugo Pine
Here is another view of  Sedum 'Brilliant' in the front garden bed. This cultivar is smaller and more compact than 'Autumn Joy', standing at a height of 12-18 inches high.
Sedum 'Brilliant'
Pollinators love the Sedum this time of year!
Sedum (Stonecrop) Thundercloud
Here is another cultivar of Stonecrop, Sedum 'Thundercloud', in its second year in my garden. This variety grows in a low mound to just 12 inches tall by wide and displays jagged gray-green foliage and white blooms that resemble clouds. It is hardy in USDA zones 4-8 and blooms mid-late summer.
Hemerocallis (Daylily) 'Stella D Oro'
Here is 'Stella D Oro' Daylily sporting its last round of blooms. I love how this plant just keeps on giving! A little deadheading-rejuvenation is all it takes.
Hydrangea 'Tardivia' Tree Form
As we venture over to the northeastern side of the property, here is Hydrangea 'Tardivia' (hardy in USDA zones 3-8) with its fragrant panicle blooms that start in August and last through fall. It's lacy white flowers develop a pink hue as the season progresses. 
Hydrangea 'Tardivia' Blooms
I enjoy the beauty of the flowers and they are also excellent for putting into a vase to bring inside.
Coreposis 'Zagreb'
Here is a perennial that just keeps on giving from June until Fall. Coreopsis 'Zagreb' (hardy in USDA zones 3-9) is still blooming in the driveway border! 
Pollinators Love Coreposis 'Zagreb'
While the season is winding down, the pollinators are very happy!
Double Knock Out Roses in September
Double Knock Out Rose is still blooming! I absolutely love this plant as it blooms June through frost and can be seen right outside my window.
Double Knock Out Rose
Getting up close and personal to take in its mild fragrance is nice too!
Long Island Life
As our tour comes to an end, I'll leave you with a little Long Island life. The Great South Bay is just a couple of miles down the road south of us and I will often stop at the pier after working to take in the cool breezes off the bay and visit the seagulls that perch there. It's a wonderful way to top off a day and appreciate all that nature as to offer.
September Garden-Thank you for Visiting!
I hope you enjoyed your visit to my September garden. As always, I thank you for being here and enjoy hearing from you. Special thanks go out to our hostess Carol at May Dreams Gardens, who makes it possible to see blooms on the 15th of every month with her meme Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Also, special thanks to Pam Penick at Digging who has hosted Foliage Follow-Up for all these years, a meme I will still continue to honor. I am also linking with some other wonderful hosts and hostesses at Floral Friday FotosMacro Monday 2, Mosaic Monday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf, Nature Notes at Rambling WoodsImage-in-ing weekly photo share every Tuesday with NC Sue and Gardens Galore Link Up Party every other Monday with Everyday Living. I am also happy to join the Weekly Photo Link-Up at My Corner of the World on Wednesdays. 

~Sharing my knowledge and passion of gardening~

My Author Page and Books


Author: Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening,© Copyright 2010-2020. All rights reserved.

49 comments:

  1. Isn't coreopsis amazing? Mine starts in May and is still going strong, especially in the front yard, where I haven't been able to water it for a week. Lilyturf is lovely. I was unfamiliar with it in real life, then saw some in new landscaping at a McDonald's! Very pretty.

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    1. Coreopsis is a wonderful perennial for its long bloom time and Lilyturf is perfect with its purple blooms in fall. I enjoyed your garden photos, especially the captures of the beautiful asters and interesting striped hoverfly. The hoverfly close-up is really quite interesting!

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  2. Wow! You certainly have a lot going on. My sedums, and other ground covers all kind of flop around their centers. I think it might be the dryness of the summer. I don't see any flopping in your garden. Just beautiful.

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    1. Thank you Pat! Despite your dry summer, you have many fabulous blooms and your hydrangea are gorgeous! I love how they get the pinkish tint as they mature. Your Black Eyed Susan are also looking a lot better than mine!

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  3. Your crape myrtle is incredible, Lee! As I'm planning to remove two trees this year, one dead and the other halfway there, I'm seriously considering adding a crape myrtle in one of those areas. I'm very envious of that blue sky above the tree-high Hydrangea too. Happy GBBD.

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    1. Thank you Kris! Your garden is always a pleasure to visit and you have such an array of beautiful blooms. A Crape Myrtle would fit in perfectly!

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  4. What a beautiful September garden!
    Love the frogs as well. Got a few in my garden :)

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    1. It is starting to look a little autumn like in your garden. We got our first snap of much cooler air today and some of the trees are starting to show change. Your photos are pretty and I love the Dahlia 'Rebecca's World'!

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  5. Beautiful! Each and every one!
    The Liriope's purple blooms contrasting with its striped foliage is wonderful!
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

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    1. Thank you Lea. Your lilies are gorgeous and I love the capture of the Egret and grasshopper!

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  6. Lee - it is pure joy to walk through your garden with you. Inspiring to say the least. As I continue to execute on my vision for my prairie, I can pluck some ideas from your spectacular landscape - I especially think I will need to add some "height" in certain places, for contrast. Fun to think about! Thanks for sharing your September glory with everyone at Mosaic Monday!

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    1. Thank you Angie for your kind words and thank you for hosting. I enjoyed your almost-autumn garden.

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  7. Loved the blooms of sedum .It would me be my pleasure if you join my link up party related at http://jaipurgardening.blogspot.com/2020/09/peacock-flower-beauty.html

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    1. Thank you Arun and thank you for hosting your new meme. I enjoyed your post.

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  8. The only flowers I have this year are volunteer pansies. They have finally spread out to fill my four flower boxes. - Margy

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    1. Pansies are nice Margy and they will tend to come back if the seeds take. Thank you for visiting.

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    1. Thank you for hosting. Your capture of the lone leaf with its golden hue is the perfect introduction to autumn.

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  10. Your end of summer garden is full of lovely blooms and interesting foliage, Lee. One of my favorites is the Blue Atlas Cedar -- such a beautiful color.

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    1. Thank you Pam. Your garden is so lovely as it changes each month. I love the purples and blues, the roses and of course the nasturtium, which steals the show! Happy end of summer and start of a the next phase to the gardening season.

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  11. What a gorgeous September garden!

    Those frogs are too cute!

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    1. Veronica, your post made me smile! Thank you for visiting and for your kind words.

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  12. Beautiful garden. I love the frog statues holding the mugs. How fun!
    Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade

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    1. Thank you Dawn. I enjoyed following along in your travels. You are certainly making the best of every moment!

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  13. I've never seen sedum that color - I love that beautiful pink.
    Thanks for sharing at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2020/09/going-buggy.html

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    1. Thank you for hosting Sue. I love your hummingbirds. We had one visitor this summer, but he was around every day. I think he is gone now for the season since I have not seen him in about a week.

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  14. Your garden is stunning. You have such a wide and nice variety of plants and shrubs.

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    1. Thank you so much! I enjoyed the stroll around your garden and seeing that you still have vegetables growing, as they hold onto summer. Acorns are a definite sign of autumn in the air, and it has been getting cooler rather suddenly.

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  15. Your garden is so beautiful, it sure is an inspiration :-)

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    1. Thank you. I admire all your lovely blooms. Your garden is beautiful!

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  16. Wow! Such wonderful colors and shapes and textures in your garden! You're right, this is a great month for your garden :)

    Your link at 'My Corner of the World' is greatly appreciated!! I'm glad to see you this week!

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    1. Thank you! The colors on your tea set are beautiful and the spoons so unique. They look very well kept too. I always enjoy visiting!

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  18. I enjoyed the tour of your garden. I am glad Isaias did not destroy everything. It all looks great.
    Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry

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    1. I am glad you enjoyed your visit Jeannie and loved your virtual tour of the farm. It is such a beautiful place and so inviting! I enjoyed all the little accents they have that just make you want to stay and see more.

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  19. You have a wonderful garden. We have had a butterfly bush too... but he is gone. Have a good week.

    Happy MosaicMonday

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    1. Thank you. Your photos are beautiful signs of the start of autumn and I enjoyed learning the history behind the calico textile and the cloth trade. Thank you for sharing!

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  20. I love the colors at the end of summer...so many pretty yellows and reds. And it's fun to capture a bee in the flowers too! Enjoy your week!

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    1. I enjoyed all your fall decorations and the old books are so sweet. Thank you for stopping by!

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  21. Beautiful mosaic, that bee just brings it alive. I am at 16 on the mosaic today

    Much 💜love

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    1. Thank you Gillena! I enjoyed your lovely poem and mosaic. You are a very talented writer!

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  22. How beautiful your post with all the enchanting flower photos in your garden and other things.
    Have a nice week, greeting Elke

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    1. Greetings Elke. Your captures of the butterflies are lovely. Thank you for sharing them. Have a great week!

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  23. Your garden photos always please the eye - beautiful plantings year round.
    Thanks for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2020/09/hummingbird-haven.html

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    1. Sue-I loved your photographs of the hummingbirds. Thanks for hosting!

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  24. Double Knock Out Roses are my favorite, Lee. Your garden is pretty in autumn, frogs are drinking tea and having fun. The weather is warm, isn't it? Hemerocallis 'Stella D Oro' has a nice compact shape, I love it.

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    1. Hi Nadezda. It is still mild here, temperatures in the 70's, but with hints of autumn in the nighttime air. I love how your garden looks in fall and your asters are especially beautiful! Have a wonderful week!

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  25. Thanks for linking up with Garden Affair.

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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!