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

Welcome to my Garden!

Welcome to my Long Island zone 7b garden! After two months of extreme heat and drought, the seasons have shifted into fall mode with cooler temperatures in the 70's and blue, cloudless skies. September is one of my favorite months of the year as the garden is starting to transition into an array of changing colors. While new blooms appear and some blooms keep their momentum going, join me for a tour of my garden, a place that brings me joy.

Spirea 'Candy Corn' & Echinacea Pow Wow 'Wild Berry'

One of the first signs of autumn each year are the fading blooms of Coneflower, creating a feast of seeds for birds. Here is Echinacea (Coneflower) Pow Wow 'Wild Berry' against the foliage of 'Candy Corn' Spirea.

Abelia 'Kaleidoscope'

While Abelia 'Kaleidoscope' displays variegated evergreen foliage throughout the year, an added bonus is its trumpet shaped white blooms in later summer and into fall.

Patio Border

Along the patio border Upright Japanese Maple 'Red Sentinel' is pushing out some new growth...

Lamb's Ear (Stachys)

while the white fuzzy foliage of Lamb's Ear (Stachys) against the candy corn-colored foliage of Spirea 'Candy Corn' provide the excellent fall look!

Sedum 'Brilliant' (Stonecrop)

Out of the many varieties of Sedum available, Sedum 'Brilliant' provides excellent late summer color on a more compact plant, which grows to just 18-24 inches tall.

Pool Border

Another variety of Sedum (Stonecrop) is this Sedum 'Thundercloud' with tight clusters of small white flowers, which stays at about 12 inches tall. The blooms do remind me of thunderclouds; hence the name!

Pool Waterfall

Along the pool waterfall the Weeping Norway Spruce that was planted in 2023 is finally feeling at home and pushing out an abundance of new growth, while Golden Pacific Juniper starts to trail gracefully over the rocks. An mix of Upright Variegated Boxwood and groundcover Sedum accompanies them.

Hydrangea 'Tardiva'

Join me on the northern side of the property. Here is a sight I look forward to every year. The panicle white blooms of Hydrangea 'Tardiva' appear much later in summer and last well into fall.

Hydrangea 'Tardiva'

Here is a view of the full tree along with Repandens Yew and Variegated Lilyturf.

Knock Out Rose 'Radrazz' Late Summer

A true winner in the garden is Knock Out Rose 'Radrazz' displaying blooms non-stop from spring  through fall with little interruption. I deadhead after each round of blooms and it just keeps on giving!

Daylily 'Stella D Oro' Late Summer

Stella D Oro' Daylily is another winner with a burst of new foliage and reblooms late summer into fall with a little bit of mid-summer rejuvenation.

A Welcomed Visitor!

It is late summer and Dwarf Butterfly Bush 'Pugster Blue' is blooming away and attracting the Monarchs. I was thrilled to get this photograph, as I was in the right place at the right time! Note:  This dwarf form of Buddleia is long blooming and non-invasive! 

Dwarf Butterfly Bush 'Pugster Blue'

Here is 'Pugster Blue' again along with the foliage of Dwarf Mugo Pine and Hinoki Cypress 'Compacta' in the backdrop.

Crape Myrtle 'Sioux'

Crape Myrtle 'Sioux' has been producing a nice bloom since it was behind a couple of weeks during the cooler than usual spring. It has also been exfoliating bark much more than I recall in past years. Note: An interesting tidbit is that exfoliation is a sign that there has been a lot of growth during a season and this process is the tree's way of making room.

Liriope (Lilyturf) 'Big Blue'

This has also been a good year for Liriope 'Big Blue'. I love the spikes of deep purple blooms it produces this time of year.

Rhode Island Red Japanese Maple Patio Border

For some more late summer color, here is some of the new growth on Rhode Island Red Japanese Maple along with the variegated evergreen foliage of Osmanthus 'Goshiki', blue foliage of Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar and backdrop of Emerald Green Arborvitae and Knock Out Roses.

Front Walkway Garden

Along the front walkway and driveway border is Weeping Eastern Redbud 'Lavender Twist', Weeping White Pine, Golden Oriental Spruce and Coral Bark Maple, which is starting to look a little bit fall-like!

Front Lawn

Along the front lawn is a 40 year old Weeping Japanese Maple...

Hydrangea Firelight 'Tidbit'

and by the back walkway entry (planted last year) are 2-year old Hydrangea Firelight 'Tidbit'!

Hydrangea Firelight 'Tidbit'

Their blooms have gone from pale green to pure white and now take on a rosy glow.

Patio Planter (All Season)

Last, but not least, is this reliable all-season planter on the front stoop. I created this combination of evergreen Juniper, Dwarf Alberta Spruce and dwarf variegated Osmanthus (False Holly), which thrive perfectly together!

Thank you for Visiting!

I hope you enjoyed your visit to my September garden. I so appreciate you being here, look forward to your comments and enjoy seeing what you have growing 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 had hosted Foliage Follow-Up, a meme I will continue to honor. I am also linking with some other wonderful hosts and hostesses at Floral Friday Fotos, Nature Notes at Rambling Woods, Image-in-ing weekly photo share every Tuesday, Weekly Photo Link-Up at My Corner of the World on Wednesdays and Garden Affair at Jaipur Garden. 

Other Places to Find Me 🌼

You can visit my Author Page to learn about and Purchase My Books, each one focusing on different aspects of gardening, including landscape ideas, design principles, gardening by month for all-season interest, gardening tips and maintenance, shade gardening, gardening inspiration and more. And also be sure to check out my newest publication, The Houseplant Guide, to guide you on your houseplant journey!

Check out my newsletter Northeastern Gardening News for monthly updates all to do with gardening! It's free to subscribe or you can pledge a donation to show support for my work and receive monthly updates right into your inbox!

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Until we Meet Again...Happy Gardening!

Author: Lee @A Guide to Northeastern Gardening, © Copyright 2010-2025. All rights reserved.  

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day & Foliage Follow-Up October: The Changing Garden

Welcome to my October Garden!

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!

It's Chrysanthemum Season!

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!

Buddleia 'Pugster Blue'

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.

Mums!

This variety of mums were intriguing with their multiple colors, so they were a must have!

Kousa Dogwood

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.

Monarch Butterfly

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!

Fruit of Kousa Dogwood

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.

Montauk Daisies

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.

Montauk Daisies October Bloom

I enjoy viewing and photographing these from up close!

Hypericum perforatum (St. John's Wort)

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.

Daylily Stella D' Oro

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.

Double Knock Out Rose

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!

Hydrangea 'Tardivia'

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.

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.

Weeping Japanese Maple 'Viridis'

The Japanese Maple on the front lawn is starting to change its color too.

Liriope 'Variegata' (Lillyturf)

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.

Red-headed Woodpecker Visitor!

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.

Maiden Grass 'Yaku Jima'

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'.

Stachys (Lamb's Ear)

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.

Tricyrtis (Toad Lily) 

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!

October Garden

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~

My Author Page and Books

A Guide to Northeastern Gardening: Journeys of a Garden Designer Zones 3-9

Landscape Design Combinations 

Dream, Garden, Grow!-Musings of a Lifetime Gardener

As Always...Happy Gardening! 😊

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

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 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~

My Author Page and Books

A Guide to Northeastern Gardening: Journeys of a Garden Designer Zones 3-9

Landscape Design Combinations 

Dream, Garden, Grow!-Musings of a Lifetime Gardener

As Always...Happy Gardening! 😊

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