This Month's Color in the Garden November 2016: The Changing Garden -The Many Shades of Brown

I've recently met a group of wonderful bloggers with vast knowledge on a variety of topics dealing with the home and garden. The bloggers are from Project Beautiful and each month the participants all focus on a color theme in a meme called #PBColorOurWorld. As you may of guessed by the title, this month's theme is brown. 

 As a designer and avid gardener, I have developed a deep appreciation for all the changes that take place in the garden and for what nature has to offer throughout the entire year. The garden can be beautiful, even after the prime of autumn, when shades of brown become more prominent throughout the landscape. For this meme, I have ventured out into the garden with my macro lens to get a close-up view of the many shades of brown that come my way!

Multi-colored leaves grace the landscape.

As hostas fade, the edges of once vibrant green leaves turn to shades of yellow then brown.  Even though they are going dormant for winter, there is much beauty there.

Here are the dried seed heads of Sedum 'Brilliant'...

and Echinacea 'Pow Wow'. A lone flower still remains...

as if it just doesn't want to give up!

Lamb's Ear (Stachys) with Astilbe Seed Heads in the backdrop add contrast to the garden...

while brown cones on evergreens are a sign of renewal.

Varying shades of brown are displayed in the perennial border with Lamb's Ear, Echinacea and Astilbe as they transition into dormacy for a winter's sleep.

I am looking at nature in a whole new way as a single leaf displays its changing colors.

Ornamental Maiden Grass is beautiful in the way it displays its wispy plumes that sway in the wind...

and allow the sunlight behind them to create a subtle glow.

Large brown seed cones are now appearing on Weeping White Pine...

and Caramel Coral Bells display a rainbow of colorful foliage, including...yes...some shades of brown.

Delicate Spirea seed heads still appear on many of these flowering shrubs...

 and every so often a colorful array of foliage can be encountered among the branches.

Yes...nature is beautiful and continues to amaze...

and "Bear" continues to watch over the changing garden.

I am hoping that this is the first of many "This Month's Color in the Garden" posts. Please feel free to comment if you enjoyed this meme, and I invite you to share whatever shades of brown you have going on in your garden in the comments below, whether it be in the form of plants or otherwise. I know I am already thinking about the many shades of red in my garden for next month's post! Next up is Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day & Foliage Follow-Up on the 15th. and Color Our World Round Up on the 30th.

Have you read my book A Guide to Northeastern Gardening: Journeys of a Garden Designer Zones 3-9 on Amazon? If you haven't, feel free to check it out. If you have read it and found the information to be helpful, please consider leaving a brief review on Amazon. Your help would be very much appreciated!

As Always…Happy Gardening!

Author: Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening, © Copyright 2016. All rights reserved

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day & Foliage Follow-Up October 2016: Beauty of an Autumn Garden

October 2016 Garden

The month of October has arrived and so has autumn with all its beauty. As the temperatures decline into the 60's, there is a refreshing chill in the air and colorful foliage is emerging throughout the landscape. There is an array of both new and established blooms, as roses, lilies, butterfly bush and viburnum continue to flower, joined by chrysanthemums, liriope and daisies. It's the 15th of the month and it's time for another Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and Foliage Follow-Up. Come stroll along with me through my October Long Island garden.

Daylily 'Stella D Oro' October

We start the tour with raindrops on lilies after a passing shower. The Stella D' Oro Daylily are continuing to bloom with dazzling yellow flowers from early summer to frost. I do a simple rejuvenation on them in August in order to get them to re-bloom and bring in the fall season.

Variegated Liriope and Japanese Garden Juniper Combination

Variegated Liriope is in full bloom with its vibrant purple hyacinth-like flowers emerging on reddish-brown spikes, just in time for autumn.

Weigela 'Spilled Wine' and Juniperus 'Limeglow'

Here is my Weigela 'Spilled Wine', which is adjusting nicely in the garden after being planted in August. It is all about the foliage with this plant and an added bonus will be its pink blooms in spring-early summer.

Double Knock Out Rose

There is something wonderful about a rose that just keeps on blooming, and these Double Knock Outs fit the bill.  I have had them in the garden for several years now, but they never cease to amaze me as they push out profuse blooms from June until frost.

Bumble Bee on Butterfly Bush Lo & Behold 'Blue Chip'

The bumble bees continue to enjoy the dwarf butterfly bush in the back garden border as they busily pollinate, and I enjoy the resulting blooms! 

Evergreen, Flowering Shrubs & Perennial Garden

Here is a view of long-blooming Lo & Behold Butterfly Bush with Gold Mop Cypress, Caramel Coral Bells and Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar. I enjoy this combination of evergreens, flowering shrubs and perennials as the garden changes throughout the seasons.

It's All About the Foliage-Sedum and Maiden Grasses

Over the years of being a garden designer, I have also enjoyed combining various hues and textures of foliage. This particular combination is especially striking to me, even more so in autumn, as the foliage of the sedum changes color and the grasses are showing their wispy plumes.

Blue Atlas Cedar October Seed Cones

The Blue Atlas Cedar is showing off its larger than usual cones for this time of year. It could be a sign of a severe winter approaching, but hopefully not.

Coral Bark Maple October

Signs of autumn appear as the first of the trees on the property starts to display its changing colors. This Coral Bark Maple is lovely for its beautiful yellowing foliage and reddening bark as the temperatures start to decline.

Weeping Japanese Maple Autumn

Soon the large Weeping Japanese Maple on the front lawn will start to lose its leaves, unveiling its beautifully structured trunk.

Plum  Krauter Vesuvius 

This 'Krauter Vesuvius 'Plum has matured nicely and is getting established in the garden after being planted about five years ago. Besides the delicate light pink blooms it produces in spring, this tree is also all about the foliage...

Weigela 'Spilled Wine'

as is the foliage of this Spilled Wine Weigela, as we pass it by once more.

Pool Garden

Here are some of my favorite evergreens along the pool garden. Weeping White Pine (left), Golden Hinoki Cypress (center), Montgomery Blue Globe Spruce (center in front of Hinoki) and Dwarf White Pine (center front).  They add structure to the garden throughout the entire year, but especially in the winter months. The 'Yaku JIma' grasses are also seen here to the right, with their feathery plumes.

Weeping White Pine (Pinus strobus 'Pendula')

Here is Weeping White Pine close up. This one has been here since 1996.

Viburnum 'Summer Snowflake'

In the back partial-shade garden is Viburnum 'Summer Snowflake', which blooms on and off throughout the summer and into fall.  It is still pushing out some of its delicate white blooms that remind me of lace doilies each time I look at them.

Weeping Norway Spruce, Salvia 'Caradonna', Spirea 'Magic Carpet', and Agastache 'Kudos Yellow'

Strolling back around to the driveway garden is purple Salvia 'Caradonna' with Spirea 'Magic Carpet', Agastache 'Kudos Yellow' and Weeping Norway Spruce in the backdrop. The Spirea 'Magic Carpet' and Agastache 'Kudos Yellow' are new to the garden this year, and I am getting lots of enjoyment from their continuous blooms.

Dwarf Maiden Grass 'Yaku JIma'

Autumn wouldn't be the same without ornamental grass plumes, so we need to pass by and take a closer look! This is dwarf maiden grass 'Yaku Jima', which stays more compact than some of the others.

Nandina domestica (Heavenly Bamboo)

The Nandina domestica (or false bamboo) is also starting to come into character with its fall berries, which will turn a bright red for winter. This plant exhibits bamboo-like foliage, but does not spread like its counterpart, making it a wonderful addition to the garden.

Perennial Border October

One thing I love about gardening is how the landscape changes with the seasons, always bringing something new and exciting to look forward to.  As the blooms start to fade, a new array of color starts to present itself with hues of orange and gold.

Montauk Daisy

So pretty are these Montauk Daisies that are in the neighbor's garden across the street. I always look forward to them blooming and wonder over to take a photo every October. Having resided in the home I grew up in, I have admired these flowers for as long as I can remember, and the lady who has planted them is very special to me.

Autumn Mums

As our tour comes to an end, we pass by the chrysanthemums on the back stoop...

October 2016

along side this unusual tree bark pumpkin which I discovered a few years ago. The blooms are right within constant view and surely make me smile every time I pass them by.

Hydrangea 'Tardivia' in a Vase on Monday

The last of the 'Tardivia' Hydrangea are now in a vase on the kitchen counter, bringing a little of the outside within.

October 2016 Garden

I  hope you enjoyed your stroll through my October garden. Special thanks go out to our hostesses 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 and Pam at Digging for hosting Foliage Follow-Up.  I am also linking with some other wonderful hosts and hostesses at Today's Flowers, Floral Fridays, I Heart Macro, Macro Monday 2, and Nature Notes at Rambling Woods. Also check out What's Blooming This Week Garden Update, In a Vase on Monday at Rambling in the Garden, Garden Bloggers' Foliage Day and Saturday's Critters.

In the news: I was invited to do a talk and presentation on garden design at the local gardening club this past month and got to meet lots of lovely gardeners who share the same passion!

Planning your Garden?: Have you read my book? For gardening tips and design information, you may be interested in my recent publication on Amazon, A Guide to Northeastern Gardening: Journeys of a Garden Designer (Gardening in Zones 3-9). If you have read my book and found it to be helpful, please consider taking a moment and leaving a short review on Amazon. Reviews help a book get noticed and your help would be very much appreciated!

As Always...Happy Gardening!

Author: Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening, © Copyright 2016. All rights reserved

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day & Foliage Follow-Up September 2016: Late Summer Views

September 2016 Garden

Welcome to another Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day & Foliage Follow-Up! The month of September has arrived and there are subtle signs of the seasons starting to change.  After a week with Hurricane Hermine lingering off the eastern coastline, we have finally received the much needed rainfall that we have been waiting for all summer. It's much more comfortable in the garden now, for the temperatures are stabilizing in the 80's after a long, hot and dry summer. There is a combination of new growth and continuing blooms in the landscape, along with seed heads of past blooms and grasses pluming for autumn. Come along and walk with me in my Long Island September garden.

Pool Garden

Many of the blooms by the pool garden are done for their season, so now its time for the foliage to shine, as evergreens along with deciduous trees take front stage.  The Dwarf Maiden Grasses are starting to form their plumes (which we'll take a closer look at later), and the foliage of Weeping Japanese Maple and Caramel Coral Bells is looking more prominent.

Perennial Border

The perennial border is starting to look a little fall-like as Echinacea 'Pow Wow' and Astilbe 'Pumilla' show their seed heads and Lamb's Ear displays its upright flower spikes. Dwarf Fountain Grass 'Hameln' is forming its plumes in the backdrop in preparation for its autumn show. As the garden changes throughout the seasons, I always enjoy the new views.

Northwest Garden

Here is the northwest garden with Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar, Gold Mop Cypress, Dwarf Butterfly Bush Low & Behold 'Blue Chip' and Heuchera 'Caramel'...

Crape Myrtle 'Sioux' September

and the voluminous blooms of  Crape Myrtle 'Sioux', which takes center stage on one of the island beds in the backyard.

'Stella D Oro' Daylily September

Daylily 'Stella D Oro' has all new foliage and is re-blooming in September after I did a rejuvenation on it in August.  

'Stella D Oro' Daylily September next to Peony Foliage

Here are some of the blooms close up!

Bumble Bee on Dwarf Butterfly Bush

Speaking of up close and personal, this little bumble bee visitor had no issues with me being in his face with the camera.  He was too busy collecting pollen from the butterfly bush and was covered in it...making for one happy bee!

Double Red Knock Out Roses September

Along with Butterfly Bush blooms are the blooms of Double Knock Out Rose, which continue throughout the entire summer from June until frost. We are looking at the red variety here, while the pink is below.

Pink Knock Out Roses September

They continue to be one of my favorite long-blooming shrubs in the garden. 

Garden Visitor

Besides blooms, there are many visitors to the garden, including this little sparrow who frequents the birdbath. He's enjoying his solitude for now, for later on there will be a massive bathing frenzy, with water splashing everywhere as others join in.

Shade Garden

As we approach the back area of the property, there is a hidden shade garden with a path leading to it. A collection of plants known for their foliage thrive here, with selections such as Leucothoe, Boxwood, Yew, Hosta and Japanese Hakonechloa Grass.

Front Walkway

Along the front walkway, Variegated Liriope is now in full bloom with spikes of bright purple flowers that appear from September through frost...

Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar and Sedum

and Sedum 'Brilliant' sports its bright pink blooms as well.

Updated Southwest Lamppost Garden

As we move back along to the front driveway entrance, we pass by the newly renovated lamppost garden. The tall grasses that had resided there have been replaced with Spirea 'Magic Carpet', which will produce blooms all summer, along with Salvia 'Caradonna' and Agastache 'Kudos Yellow'. So far the plants seem to be happy in their new home.

Southeast Lamppost Garden

On the other side of the driveway is the established cottage-style garden with coreopsis, nepeta and coneflowers.

Front East Garden

To the left of the lamppost garden is my mature Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar, one of the two that are on the property. This particular one spans approximately twenty feet.

Hydrangea 'Tardivia' September

Along the north side is Panicle Hydrangea 'Tardivia' with its creamy white elongated blooms. This variety blooms later than many of the other hydrangeas, creating interest for the later part of the summer and into fall.

Variegated Liriope September

Let's take a look at some more foliage. Here is Liriope, which displays its wonderful variegated foliage all season long with blooms as an added punch...

Weigela 'Spilled Wine'

Weigela 'Spilled Wine', with its lovely burgundy foliage...

Heuchera 'Caramel' with Golden Japanese Sedge

and another glance at Heuchera 'Caramel', along with Golden Japanese Sedge. The Weigela 'Spilled Wine' is my newest additions to the garden. Not only is the foliage wonderful, but it also produces bright pink blooms in spring. Hopefully it will overwinter well so I can look forward to the blooms next year. 

Still Enjoying the Birdbath!

As our garden stroll comes to an end, I believe the same little visitor is still enjoying his alone time at the birdbath.  As we exit, we pass by some familiar foliage...

Leucothoe 'Auxillis' and Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'.

and some new, as we view the plumes of Dwarf Maiden Grass very close up.

Dwarf Maiden Grass 'Yaku Jima' September Plume

Add some garden whimsy...

Garden Whimsy

and some sunflowers in a vase...

Sunflowers In a Vase on Monday

and our tour is complete.

September Garden 2016

I  hope you enjoyed your stroll through my September garden. Special thanks go out to our hostesses 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 and Pam at Digging for hosting Foliage Follow-Up.  I am also linking with some other wonderful hosts and hostesses at Today's Flowers, Floral Fridays, I Heart Macro, Macro Monday 2, and Nature Notes at Rambling Woods.  Also check out What's Blooming This Week Garden Update, In a Vase on Monday at Rambling in the Garden, Garden Bloggers' Foliage Day and Saturday's Critters.

For more gardening tips and design information, you may be interested in my published book, A Guide to Northeastern Gardening: Journeys of a Garden Designer (Gardening in Zones 3-9).  If you have read my book and found it to be helpful, please consider leaving a short review on Amazon. Your help would be very much appreciated!

As Always...Happy Gardening!

Author: Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening, © Copyright 2016. All rights reserved