Embracing Autumn - GBBD October 15, 2011

Embracing Autumn. I've been trying to take my cue from all of the bloggers posting about the wonderful sights and smells of autumn but it's very hard for me to do. Spring is definitely my favorite time in the garden.

Not because autumn isn't beautiful, for it is.  In fact, many would say that nowhere in the world is autumn quite as beautiful as it is in New England, where the fall foliage is usually vibrant, the red and orange and gold so vivid, the forests seem to glow as if on fire.

So why can't I enjoy the crisp air, the way leaves swirl along the edge of the driveway in the breeze, the changing colors and textures in the garden? Well, for one, if autumn is here, can winter be far behind?

This year, autumn has been less fun than usual, in part because the traditional fall colors have been muted in the extreme. I'm hoping that the brilliant hues we normally see are simply delayed.

The sugar maple across the street is usually a brilliant orangey red in late September. Last year (top photo), I collected leaves and waxed them to send to soldiers we support in Afghanistan and to decorate the table with for Thanksgiving.

This year, the leaves have all fallen and barely achieved a passable gold before they began swirling around the entrance to our driveway.

I hear that the color is better in the Mount Washington and Berkshire regions, but there is no question that rainy and cool end of summer weather has affected the fall color where we live.

Although autumn has definitely arrived in our gardens and most of the perennials have set seed and are going dormant for the winter, we still have a rainbow of colors. The roses, especially, are doing their part to make sure that the garden is alive with color and a haven for bees, butterflies, and birds.

The large swaths of blooming perennials are definitely a thing of the past, but virtually every summer-blooming plant has sent up a flower or two or more, providing sometimes unexpected pops of color throughout the yard.

Nothing says autumn in a New England cottage garden like wild asters. Owing to the influence of Nancy Ondra, we planted our first ornamental grasses this summer. The combination with wild asters that self-seeded in all of the cottage beds is a breath of fresh air after the disappointing foliage display!

The other big surprise this month is the lavender. We have our formal beds edged in Munstead lavender and it typically peaks in June. We trim it back in early August and usually get to enjoy a second, lighter bloom in September. This year, while some of the rest of the garden has struggled with the heavy rain and cooler than normal temperatures, our lavender (which normally isn't fond of being damp, mind you)  has thrived and is stealing the show. The second bloom has been even more robust than the June bloom, and even after a more than a month, the hedges are still flowering enthusiastically.

I love to cook with lavender. I dry buds to use in baking, save wands to flavor the barbecue, and also burn wands in the fireplace in winter. I've added lavender to cupcakes, tea, and even to a meat rub. But my favorite use of lavender is definitely medicinal. I use commercial lavender oil on light bulbs to perfume the house and spritz our bedsheets with lavender linen spray. I find the fragrance helps me to sleep better and to relax when I'm anxious.

But we truly appreciated lavender as a medicinal herb following our tricolor Cavalier King Charles Spaniel's two neurosurgeries. Spencer (Eulenburgs's Voyage Home, Spencer Tracy) earned his nickname "Toughie" because of the determination he showed to survive a catastrophic congenital brain malformation that left him near death when he was four months old.

Keeping him on bed rest after both his first emergency brain operation and his second operation a year and a half after the first for insertion of a shunt was made tremendously easier with the use of lavender, which I put in his food and sprayed on his bedding in his pen.

With the room totally perfumed, I'm not sure who it helped the most, him or me. But three years later, if he has a headache or is experiencing an increase in neurological symptoms, he will immediately seek out the lavender and self-medicate. When I see him lying on the hedges or nibbling on the buds and blooms, it usually means a visit to the vet is in the offing..

This photograph was taken this week, just before Toughie's most recent visit to the vet for his acupuncture treatment.

The roses continue to send forth fragrant, gorgeous blooms, although many are somwhat stunted by the persistent rain and cold. late summer and fall perennials are putting on a show, and there is beauty in the seed pods, garden visitors, and even in some of the weeds!

Although there is plenty of yellow, white, orange, and pink to go around, the red roses are stealing the show this week. The Double Red Knock-Out's are covered with blooms, and both Mister Lincoln and Olympiad have provided bouquets for the house. But the real treat this week has been Dublin Bay. Although it's a climber, we prune it and grow it as a shrub rose. This rose has shown a remarkable resistance to mildew and the dark red blooms are stunning. The shrub has been covered with blossoms for the past month.

Sprays of Double Red Knock-Out roses are plentiful. The red and white open faced bloom of the Fourth of July climber are a luscious blend of red, white and pink.

Some of the red beauties blooming today are Dublin Bay (top left), a climber that we prune and grow as a shrub rose, Olympiad (top right), Double Red Knock-Out (bottom left), and Mister Lincoln (bottom right).

Also filling the garden with red are the geraniums and a late summer surprise, Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans).

When we bought the sage, we got it because I loved the fragrance and thought it would be fun to cook with.  And indeed, I used it to add a hint of pineapple goodness to some meat dishes and cupcakes over the summer.

I was surprised this week when tall spikes of red flowers began blooming in the herb garden! My first thought that was that it looked like the cardinal flower we see growing along the river banks where we canoe.  A sniff of a leaf confirmed that what had been a relatively compact plant for much of the summer now looked like an herb on steroids and had attained a height of 4 feet seemingly overnight.

Other pops of red are showing up everywhere in our pots and container plantings where an assortment of both Nova geraniums and ivy geraniums continue to fill the planters with color.

Geranium blossoms from some of our container gardens. We also had assorted pinks, white, and lavenders but none of those are blooming although several buds are ready to open. We'll bring many of them in for the winter.

The pink roses are just behind the red when it comes to beautiful garden color. Pink blooming perennials are also doing their part to provide late summer color.

Lovely pink roses currently in bloom include Bonica (top left), Cape Diamond (top right), Wisely (bottom left), and Passionate Kisses (bottom right).

We are also enjoying Gertrude Jekyll (top left), Blushing Knock Out  (top right), Cupcake (middle left), Memorial Day (middle right)., Lady Elsie May (bottom left), and Mary Rose (bottom right).

A few Japanese Anemone blossoms are still blooming in most of our beds, although nothing like they were a month ago (top left). A deep pink zinnia  (top right) from one of the raised beds on the deck - we also have them in the perennial beds to give fall color; The spirea continues to bloom (bottom left);  Sedum  Brilliant (bottom right) has given a brilliant performance.

Left Top:  Snapdragons that have been growing in one of the planters around the base of one of our potted trees. Bottom left: A striking pink phlox. This popped up unexpectedly in a spot in the garden where I don't recall ever planting any phlox, and the plant is only about 24 inches tall. Right: We still see some coneflowers here and there through the garden, although most have faded and the tops have dried.

There is precious little orange in our garden this time of year, aside from the Monarchs which have been visiting our Butterfly Garden for the past 6 weeks, and some of our koi. The orange lilies are busy producing seeds, their blooms long since passed. And the foliage that usually provides brilliant orange color has been a major disappointment. The "orange" roses, Tropicana and Fragrant Cloud, which have been blooming all summer, have slowed down and although they are both sporting buds on several stems, with the cooler temperatures and shorter days, the blooms are much slower to develop. 

A Monarch in our Butterfly Garden.

Hints of orange and peach are seen in the Pee Gee Hydrangea (top left),  Apricot Drift rose (top right), Bella Roma (bottom left), and Hot Cocoa (bottom right.)

The hydrangea tree on our deck (top left) has white blooms that turn deep apricot and then warm peachy rose. The single yarrow bloom, though deep pink, looks almost peachy as a result of the bright yellow blossom centers. Two blooms of  What a Peach rose (bottom left and middle) show a blossom that has just opened (middle) and another that is about a week old (left). And  a just opening bud of our Peace rose (bottom right) shows a lovely mix of yellow and pink.

 Yellow flowers are among Steve's favorites and we have been adding more and more to our gardens.
 

 This is our first year planting Texas Tarragon (top left) in the herb garden.  It makes a lovely tarragon chicken. We do not cultivate goldenrod (top right) as we are both allergic to it, but volunteers from the meadow behind us pop up here and there. Hotel California (bottom left) continues to bloom and the yellow marigolds we planted among the vegetables on the deck are at their peak in terms of blooms and beauty (bottom right).

The bright yellow bud of Rio Samba (top left) evolves into a deep yellow and rose and then yellow and orange beauty.    More goldenrod (top right) Yellow calibrachoa  (bottom) cascades over the edge of one of our planters.

Texas Tarragon (top left) in the herb garden.  Yellow strawflowers (top right). Yellow zinnias  (bottom left). Rudbeckia (bottom right).

Julia Child (top left) has been a star performer this summer. Macy's Pride has been our most favorite yellow bloom this summer. An enthusiastic performer, the shrub has been covered with blooms all summer (top right and right).  Rio Samba is another favorite (left middle and bottom) .These blooms just opened and by mid week, the color of the petals will have evolved to a beautiful rose and then orange bi-color. When we have less rain and more sun, the color change is more dramatic and vivid.

Lavender and purple are well-represented in the garden as well this time of year. The wild asters are popping up everywhere. (We've had to pull some over-enthusiastic volunteers who were growing where they shouldn't.)

The violas benefited from a late summer haircut and are once again covered in blossoms, many of which I have pressed to use in paper crafts over the winter.

Top: Lavender wild asters, lavender phlox; Bottom: Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender', Cranesbill "Jolly Bee"

 

Left: Lavender Mexican Heather, Cuphea hyssopifolia; Right: Purple petunias

Buddleia, Butterfly bushes,"Dark Knight" (purple) and "White Profusion"  (white)

"White Profusion", white butterfly bush with a carpenter bee seeking nectar.

Clematis Henryii on the left, a single bloom on the left lamp post. A single lavender bloom (cultivar unknown) also appeared on the strawberry garden trellis.

Top Left: Wild asters, white. Top Right: White straw flowers.  Bottom left: Montauk Daisies, which do not usually re-bloom to this extent, are blooming again in in the herb garden. Bottom Right: White echinaceaa (coneflowers).

Although it appears almost creamy when the buds are just opening, the bloom on the left is John F. Kennedy and will open into a beautiful white tea rose.   If the middle bloom, Lace Cascade, looks familiar, it's because of its relationship (identical) to Iceberg. Lace Cascade is a climber, and I'm not sure why it wasn't simply named Climbing Iceberg.   The New Dawn blossom on the right is the palest pink,  having opened a slightly deeper shade and then faded nearly white with age.

The nights are getting colder and the days shorter, and we have already begun the task of preparing the beds for winter.  While most of the perennials have stopped blooming and seed heads are drying, we still are able to enjoy beautiful rose and perennial bouquets. Even as the perennials slowly fade, the roses will continue to bloom right until it snows.

The other hallmarks of the fall garden are the fruits and berries that provide food for us and winter food for the wildlife in the area. I'll feature those in next week's foliage tour of our gardens. 

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day is the brainchild of Carol who blogs about her gardening escapades at May Dreams Gardens. Like me, Carol is a lover of spring (May in particular) who invites gardeners to record the blooms in their garden every month throughout the year on the 15th of the month. You can read more about it on her blog where you can also find links to tens of dozens of other gardens who celebrate their gardening blooms each month with Carol. Click here to visit Carol's fabulous blog!

Spectacular Summer Color - The July 15,2011 GBBD

Welcome to the July edition of the Garden Bloggers Bloom Day postings, where gardeners record and report what is blooming in their gardens every month on the 15th of the month.

The lupines, lilacs, peonies, and rhododendrons may be a fragrant memory but the 31 beds that comprise our gardens are alive with color.

The heat wave seems to have abated, at least temporarily. The temperature is a sunny 75 with a pleasant breeze. Welcome to my garden for a Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day July tour. I have so many things to show you! Let me grab my basket and snips and lets go cut a bouquet, shall we?

In addition to a blueberry garden which we call Blueberry Hill, we have a rose island as well as sun and full and partial shade gardens in the front of the house.

The blueberries are ripening, the shade perennials have come into their own, and the hostas are blooming. Throughout our gardens, clematis, roses, daylilies, lavender, and coneflowers are blooming with abandon.

Several years ago we spotted a tall green urn that we absolutely loved. We had it drilled and fitted with a pipe that extends up from the center of the bottom, level with the top.

It attaches to a pump at the base and sits on a grating over a reservoir of water covered by pebbles. Water cascades over the lip of the urn and runs down into the pebbles giving the illusion that the urn is spilling water over its sides from an unseen source.

Three or four years later, we saw similar urns at the flower show in Boston and decided the spies must have been checking out our yard! The urn sits in a shady area and we positioned a bench close by in another shady alcove.

Here are some of the hostas and other shade perennials that fill the beds in the front.

In the photograph on the left, you can see a honeysuckle blossom - our vine is still blooming!

 

 

 

I've decided that this is the Year of the Daylily. I don't recall ever seeing as many bloom stalks on the lilies as we have this year. Some newer ones that we planted at the end of last year have pleasantly surprised us with luscious blooms and ruffed petals. Not all of them are in bloom - many are keeping us waiting for them to burst open - but here is a sampling the ones that stood straight and proud for the camera this week.

Sage and lavender blooms against a backdrop of daylilies.

 

 

We generally have clematis blooming for much of the summer. Here are some of the ones that are currently in bloom.

 

 

This gorgeous clematis has been blooming for over a month already .

This usually sun-loving variety is thriving in deep shade on a trellis behind the bench in our "Zen" garden. The blossoms are much smaller than those of it's sister which is blooming in bright sun, but just as sweet.

The deck overlooking the back gardens has become one of our favorite places to spend time. We have built a true kitchen garden - a blend of annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, trees, and shrubs, all in pots or raised beds. 

With a curtain-draped canopy, what had been a drab and unappealing wasted space has turned into a true oasis and a wonderful space for entertaining, 

Left: Lilacs grow on the deck in pots filled with annuals  Right: Tomatoes and basil with lettuce and marigolds

The upper level is lined with 2 foot wide raised beds filled with cosmos, zinnias, pansies, hollyhocks, and herbs. Large pots of lilacs are set right into the raised beds.

Left: A tree hydrangea with buds that will soon be open  Right: Pots of trees and shrubs are topped with annuals for additional color

Vegetables and dahlias share space with basil. The peas are ready to harvest.

We ordered a Meyer Lemon. We think they sent a lime. Either way, the blooms are gorgeous and fragrant. (Left)  Pansies and snap dragons grow around the base of a potted hydrangea tree. (Right)

A riot of zinnias and pansies provide color while we wait for the hollyhocks in the background to grow tall and flower. (Top);    Lemon tree and lilac shrub. (Bottom)

In the back yard, we have a formal garden, herb garden, grape arbor, woodland and butterfly gardens, a flowering shrub and tree grove, and smaller cottage beds scattered among the larger beds. 

Our water garden is lush this summer. Except for the yellow iris, which actually bloomed early, much of the blooming plants are as much as 3-4 weeks behind schedule.

This is actually a blessing. As the glorious spring blooms have passed and we are settling squarely into mid-summer, the water garden is taking center stage.

Iris louisiana "Black Gamecock"

Purple water iris

The heart shaped leaves and white flowers pf Houttuynia cordata which makes a great companion for both the marsh marigold and iris in the pots in our garden.

Marsh marigold, Caltha palustris started blooming a week ago - also a late bloomer this year.

We saw our first water lily blossoms last week.

Nymphaea "Barbara Dobbins"

 

The cattail reeds are blooming this year for the first time as well.

The water mint has grown so enthusiastically, like its counterpart in the herb garden, it threatened to overtake everything else in the pond.

We've had to cut it back aggressively but it is a wonderful water cover that competes with algae and provides shelter for the fish.

The herb garden has been a bountiful source of fresh herbs and a fragrant and colorful haven for the bees who visit here regularly.

Climbing roses and clematis cover the fence behind the herbs.

Texas tarragon, hyssop, parsley, basil and oregano provide color, fragrance and flavor.

The right end of the herb garden is waist high with spearmint, peppermint, and lemon balm. Keeping all three under control is a challenge. The mailbox holds garden tools and gloves for quick jobs.

A bouquet garnis of oregano, several thymes and several sages.

The petite white lemon balm blossoms against the dark purple of Clematis jackmanii

In the formal garden, perennial and rose beds are hedged with Munstead lavender, a hardy, fragrant, and tasty shrub lavender that is especially well-suited to our micro-climate.

Deep purple buds open to dark lavender blossoms.

Lavender hedges are stunning. Best of all, after we prune later this month, they will send up fresh flower spikes and bloom again before fall.

The perennial beds are our big surprise this summer. Gophers and rabbits had decimated the yarrow and coneflowers and we worked for two years to bring them back. Our efforts have been rewarded with the most amazing color and prolific blooms.

Next to clustered purple bellflower Campanula glomerata, the lavender creates a vision in purple.

The left perennial bed, separated from rose beds on either side by a lavender lined cobbled walk.

A rainbow of coneflowers

Astilbe in the left perennial bed

The gorgeous astilbe spikes in the left perennial bed bloom bright white, maroon, and pale mauve.

Spirea bumalda "Anthony Waterer" has taken over a corner of the right perennial bed.

Never fond of yellow yarrow, the white, rose, maroon, and red varieties are featured prominently in our summer perennial gardens.

Montauk daisies form a backdrop to the daylilies in the right perennial bed.

We won't tell this ligularia that it is blooming and thriving in full sun!

The roses are another pleasant surprise. After a wet spring and a slow start complicated by blackspot, a fair amount of TLC, trichoderma spray, hard pruning, and a top dressing of compost and manure have given us mountains of color in the roses in not just the formal rose beds but everywhere.

One of four rose beds in the formal garden

With nearly 200 roses blooming throughout the garden, deadheading is a daily labor of love. But the results are well worth our effort.

When we left on vacation at the beginning of the month, the grape arbor had been straggly and tiny clusters of grapes were just beginning to form. When we returned a week later, the vines and grapes had exploded under the hot daytime sun and cool nights, a recipe for sweet grapes in the fall.

 

In the tree grove our mystery magnolia is blooming, although a couple of weeks later than it usually does. Purchased as an unmarked tree on clearance at the end of the season several years ago, we were startled the first year it bloomed. We believe it is a Southern Magnolia but unsure of which variety. It has creamy blossoms that give way to large seed pods. This year, the tree is covered with blossoms that are fully open and almost as large as my hand.

Wrapping up this month's garden tour is the butterfly garden, where things are really starting to pop. Between the hydrangea and the butterfly bushes, which seem to have grown up overnight, I can hardly wait for the butterflies. Later in the season our garden will be a stopping point for flocks of monarchs as they migrate south for the winter.

Buddleia "Black Night" began blooming this week.

Buddleia, hydrangea, and drift roses... bright colors that attract both butterflies and hummingbirds.

Thanks so much for joining me this month. Usually at this point in the dog days of summer, the color is beginning to flag and the weeds are beginning to look attractive. This year, the gardens have continued to give us profuse, brilliant blooms and I have been enjoying myself, making bouquets for every nook and cranny.

Be sure to check out the other amazing gardens that participate in May Dreams' Garden Bloggers Bloom Day!