It's Autumn ...

I 've been meaning to do Autumn  post , but I've had, not a... terrible cold, but a lingering…not a lot of energy  …first cold of the season. So, I 've been just lazily enjoying these last days of September.   

September gardener's bloom day

It's Asters , Asters and more Aster's this month !

September in the garden ...

The garden has been looking Autumnal for weeks. I 've been watering and dead heading and cutting back and adding new plants … trying to keep things looking fresh .

A week of good rain fall  and cooler temperatures. The garden has perked up ! I am  finally  going to dig out the gigantic Oregano clump hanging over the driveway on the left. It is smothering everything . 

The TALL back border has held up with very little water . This is probably the hardest driest soil in the garden , they seem to love it.

One of my most difficult areas to fill in , under the Santa Rosa Plum tree. It's shady most of the day . Then it gets a blast of late sun.  I've dug up and moved so many unhappy plants this summer . I've now filled it with : Euphorbia 'Blackbird', Aster 'prince', Panicum' Shenandoah' ,  as many  purple  Geraniums  as I can find and anything of the purpley dark foliaged sort. I might throw in a Eucomis' sparkling burgundy if I can find one.  

The former front lawn has been another tricky area. I'm still trying out plants .  When it was just a big area of grass , I never noticed how the wind blasted through.  I've got three Hemmamelis planted in here , hopefully a bit of a wind break! And low plants in the most exposed area .

The former Vinca major corner. Has been coming along nicely. I've been tugging out hand fulls of sedum ground cover as other plants fill in. There is still a LOT of sedum , which turns a frothy pink when in bloom.

The shade or not that shady area got awfully crispy this year, I've had to move a few things. This calls for a major replant . I blame my neighbors ... hacking down the tree that used to shade this area better.
So now to get on with it !

Tiny trees...

My Robinia 'tristy baby' has made a baby! And since I had an extra Goodwill pot  to fill…another 'Keshiki Bonsai' 

I found this little Albizza ...I think anyway.  I t was ether  you go in the compost  bin or in a  little pot.

The China rose I grew from seed last year is making a few blooms . With the weather being milder this year and  watering twice a day I've managed to keep the moss green .

Garden Blooger's Bloom Day for August….

It's the Bronze Fennel  and the Guara that reigns supreme in the Garden this time of year.  With a  little help from  Nicotiana sylvestris , which has just now coming into bloom.

After just reading 'A Flower a day' by Margery Fish ,  I see what she means about the" rampant Golden rod ".  But then again they are easy to pull out. I haven't pulled many, as you can see. 

The heleniums have become a stalwart in my dry garden, along with the Pentstemons

Every year this Fuchsia 'whiteknights amethyst'  collapses all over the gravel path...but not this year  . I made a little rebar support …nice clear path , with  the Fuchsia standing proud. 

More Guara , with Agastache this time.

Panicum 'cheynne sky' , Sedum' autumn sky' , Queen annes lace , Teucrium hircanicum 'paradise delight' , Verbena bonariensis and Echinacea pallid in the very  dry and wind swept front garden.

One of  annuals or tender perennial  I grew from seed. Blooming at not four 'o'clock , but more like six here in the PNW.

This is Mirabilis longiflora 'fairy trumpets' . I'm thinking, I might have to dig this up and over winter it indoors.! 

And for many more August blooms visit: Carol May Dreams Gardens

An August evening ...

I thought I'd better get out the camera , it looks like grey skies for a few days…and " slight chance showers".
I've hardly watered this area at all, just some of the new planting . It's held up  really well, the planting is getting nice and thick now. Which makes less watering and less weeding! One weed got away...the tall one on the top right ! 

There always seems to be a stick holding up some badly behaved branch , the Decaisnea Fargesii in this case. 

Looking at some planting from last year...

Last August I did a post on a small area I had replanted. Looking at it this morning , I'm  very pleased  !

This is from last year , I had just bought this Rhododendron 'evered' and the Yucca 'blue boy'.                                              I had to pull out and pick though all the variegated sedum, that was no longer variegated  and replant  ….just the few variegated bits.

This with the Weigela , Eucomis 'sparkling burgundy' and Panicum 'cheyene sky' makes a nice group .