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Welcome to my October Garden!
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Welcome to my Long Island zone 7a October garden. It's autumn and the colors of the changing seasons are starting to become evident as daytime temperatures drop into the 60's, and there is a slight chill in the air. It's the time of year when temperatures are perfect for working in the garden and the 70's are considered a heat wave. It's a time when there is still much to enjoy and the garden can be looked upon as either getting ready to go to sleep, or just preparing for the next big display. October 15th is also the time for another monthly walk in the garden to see what's blooming. Come along for a stroll!
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It's Chrysanthemum Season!
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When autumn arrives, it is Chrysanthemum season and the mums are out in full display. A Knucklehead (Wart) pumpkin is added as a conversation piece. This pumpkin is a cross between a gourd and pumpkin and I make a point of finding one each year. It just fascinates me!
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Buddleia 'Pugster Blue'
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Behind the mums is Buddleia 'Pugster Blue' This dwarf variety of butterfly bush is much hardier than its predecessors and blooms all the way through to the first frost. This one will return to the garage for overwintering.
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Mums!
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This variety of mums were intriguing with their multiple colors, so they were a must have!
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Kousa Dogwood
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Let's stroll around to the back gardens. One of my favorite things are the fruit on the Kousa Dogwood as the tree goes into fall mode. We will come around for a close up in a little bit.
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Monarch Butterfly
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Back to the patio area, we need to take a peek at this beautiful Monarch Butterfly on the butterfly bush (of course!). This butterfly is one happy camper!
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Fruit of Kousa Dogwood
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Back to the Kousa Dogwood. Did you know that the soft pump of the fruit is edible with a taste similar to ripe persimmon? They are also a picnic for birds.
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Montauk Daisies
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Here are the Montauk Daisies I planted by the back patio in the cut out garden a couple of years ago so that I could enjoy their blooms from the window every year. There are a nice addition for fall interest and help to extend the season.
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Montauk Daisies October Bloom
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I enjoy viewing and photographing these from up close!
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Hypericum perforatum (St. John's Wort)
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On a stroll through the nursery, I came across this Hypericum perforatum (St. John's Wort) and it caught my attention. I have not had this plant as part of my designs, but perhaps I will start incorporating it. It gets yellow flowers in summer followed by red berries in fall and is "deer resistant". I am giving this one a test run in the back garden to see how it does.
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Daylily Stella D' Oro
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It many be autumn, but here are two plants that just keep on giving throughout the fall until the first frost. They are Stella D' Oro Daylily (with a little deadheading and rejuvenation) and Double Knock Out Rose.
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Double Knock Out Rose
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Sometimes in late autumn, there can be frost or snowflakes on roses, but I can still get to enjoy the plants from the window overlooking the garden. Thankfully, no frost in the forecast yet!
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Hydrangea 'Tardivia'
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Here is Hydrangea 'Tardivia' on the northeastern side of the garden. It is a later blooming variety of panicle Hydrangea that displays flowers through mid-autumn. They make for a nice cutting flower too.
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| Fall Foliage |
Autumn is beginning to show its signs as the foliage of the Coral Bark Maple in the front bed starts to change to hues of gold and orange.
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Weeping Japanese Maple 'Viridis'
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The Japanese Maple on the front lawn is starting to change its color too.
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Liriope 'Variegata' (Lillyturf)
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Variegated Liriope in the front bed is displaying its lovely purple-blue blooms for fall. It has been a very good season for this plant with just the right combination of temperatures and rainfall.
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Red-headed Woodpecker Visitor!
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Look...a visitor! This Red-Headed Woodpecker has been frequenting the feeder for the past couple of weeks, so I am keeping him well fed. While the birds have relied mostly on the garden all summer, the abundance of food is starting to decline, so it's time to keep the feeder full! I hope this visitor sticks around.
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Maiden Grass 'Yaku Jima'
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Once of the signs that summer has ended and fall is here are the plumes on the Dwarf Maiden Grass 'Yaku Jima' and this one can be seen in the back pool garden. It is a more compact cultivar, standing at about five feet in height. In the foreground are Sedum 'Brilliant'.
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Stachys (Lamb's Ear)
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In the perennial border, the Lamb's Ear have completed flowering and are now showing off their bright white soft foliage. It always looks more prominent this time of year against the yellowing foliage of Astilbe.
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Tricyrtis (Toad Lily)
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Last, but not least, is this Toad Lily that I encountered while at the Peconic River Herb Farm out in Calverton, Long Island. It's not in my garden yet, but could be! It prefers moist shade, so I am looking for a place where one could go. This may mean a return trip back to the farm!
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October Garden
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Thank you for visiting my October garden and I hope you enjoyed your visit. As always, I enjoy hearing from you and seeing what's going on in your garden. 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 Fotos, Macro Monday 2, Mosaic Monday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf, Nature Notes at Rambling Woods, Image-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~
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Author: Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening,© Copyright 2010-2020. All rights reserved.
I enjoyed the stroll through your blooming garden. The fruits on the Kousa dogwood made me think about the pictures I have seen of the Corona Virus. ha... Odd how that virus has infiltrated our lives in many ways. I can't wait until it is gone. Anyway back to your blooms and foliage. It all looks so nice for this time of year especially. We are in a drought right now. Unheard of at this time of year. I have a tiny St Johns Wort. I hope it grows up to be as splendid as yours. Cheers...
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa. Thank you so much for stopping by and for your kind words. I am glad you enjoyed the views and hope that you are doing well. Stay safe.
DeleteAmazing garden...I enjoy seeing your heavenly place so much,balm to my soul!Love that gorgeous bird too. Hugs and congratulations,Lee.
ReplyDeleteThank you Maristella. I am so glad to have brought some joy to your day. Your tea sets are always so exquisite and bring joy to me every time I see them!
DeleteI love the warty pumpkins. I've grown Galeux D'Eysines, which are amazing for cooking, but are not as attractive as your Knuckehead. They look like pumpkin shaped gourds. Which I suppose they are in a way, all being of the same family.
ReplyDeleteThank you Lisa! I have to get one every year now! I loved your post and the blue glass spheres add the perfect touch to your garden!
DeleteSo many beauties. I live in the Northeast too, but a different climate all the same. Of course in my garden I also have to work with a swampy back yard so I have to deal with cardinal flowers, daylilies, dogwoods, elderberries and such like. Fortunately there are a lot of beautiful native plants that love water.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Pat. We are in different areas but share many of the same plants. I enjoyed your autumn garden and your roses and zinnias are beautiful! The fall colors on the hydrangea are lovely as well. Happy Bloom Day!
DeleteYour garden is lovely, as always, Lee. The dogwood's fruit is impressive! I too have an affection for those Knucklehead pumpkins, although I haven't purchased one this year (yet). I admire mums but the varieties that are sold here are usually unimpressive and they last only a nanosecond, especially when heat persists as is the case this year. I adore toad lilies but, sadly, they don't appreciate conditions in coastal southern California either.
ReplyDeleteThank you Kris! I enjoyed your sweet post. You have certainly created a welcoming place for your bird visitors. I just clipped back my mums today to see if I can get a second bloom on them. The warmer weather caused them to finish early but they have new buds all over them!
DeleteI can't wait for my mums to bloom in few months after seeing your bountiful blooms.Although I adore toad lilies bu sadly not able to find it in our local nurseries. It would be my pleasure if you join my link up party related to Gardening here http://jaipurgardening.blogspot.com/2020/10/garden-affair-fruit-harvest.html
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting Arun and for hosting your link party. I have not seen the toad lilies in past years, but have encountered them several times this fall. They are definitely a seasonal item.
DeleteWhat beautiful Chrysanthemum! Your garden Lee looks like it's summer here only pumpkins show us that it's October. I love chrysanthemums, but I have no way of keeping them cool in winter. Where do you store them until spring?
ReplyDeleteNadezda-you made my day with your kind words! I do not store my mums, but rather treat them as annuals. I have thought many times of finding a place in the garden where I can plant them. I have seen them come back in other's gardens if planted in the right location, so maybe someday I'll give it a try.
DeleteWow! So many things going on in your gardens. It's a wonderful site to behold.
ReplyDeleteHi Yvonne. I so enjoyed your autumn photos. The fall colors are wonderful and the wild Senna Seed Heads are very interesting and unusual. It's nice to take in the beauty of nature!
DeleteWhat a gorgeous collection - that strange fruit is intriguing!
ReplyDeleteHi Lydia. Thank you for visiting. I just read your latest post and so relate!
DeleteThere is still so much beauty in the fall garden....
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Michelle and thank you for hosting! I loved your post. There are so many studies that say getting out into nature is good for the health, both mentally and physically. During these difficult times, I find myself escaping into nature more now than ever, and find much peace in the garden.
DeleteWow! That's so lovely to see in autumn. I hope they last a long time for you to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteFeel free to share at My Corner of the World
Thanks Betty! We've been getting a lot of rain and the colors are really starting to show. Have a great weekend!
DeleteAs suas fotos estão lindas!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Your garden is so lovely. Thank you for sharing your beautiful views.
DeleteWOW! Your garden is incredibly BEAUTIFUL!
ReplyDeleteThank you for bringing joy to my day with your fabulous photos!
Aww...thank you for your kind words. Enjoy your day!
DeleteI don’t think I ever noticed before that your garden is zone 7a. I suppose it’s because you’re an island, but I didn’t realize how much it must moderate your temperatures. Intriguing. This post seems quite summery, so I wonder how much it changed since then. We had two light frosts, and tonight is due to be a hard frost. Phooey. Every year it’s hard to let go!
ReplyDeleteThings are still pretty much the same, except we did get our first frost just two nights ago, so the leaves are starting to come down. It is wonderful seeing all your autumn blooms and colors. The photographs are amazing...each and every one! I particularly love the ones of the trees and the Conservatory. Thank you for the smile!
DeleteIt's great to see your link at 'My Corner of the World' this week !!
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting Betty! I always enjoy your beautiful views.
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