I have forgotten in so many months of late to do any kind of overview of what is blooming in the garden, always an interesting exercise to enable comparisons from year to year. Only just over halfway through September, I whizzed round the garden today to check out what was still in flower. Much of the colour is concentrated at the ‘bottom end’, in the cutting beds, where the dahlias continue to strut their stuff (above) and many annuals are still holding forth (below), especially the zinnias which are still getting better and better:
The annual ‘rainbow border’ has been a moderate success, providing colour since June:
Many of the roses haven’t had much of a second flush this year, but ‘Lady Emma Hamilton’ and ‘Munstead Woood’ buck that trend:
Likewise, most of the clematis have exhausted themselves, but there are still blooms (clockwise from top left) on C viticella ‘Alba Luxurians’, ‘Arabella’, ‘Pernille’ and ‘Gypsy Queen’ and odd blooms on others:
Persicarias are probably amongst the best of my late summer bloomers, and I must have well over a dozen different varieties (plus a new shorter white variety, ‘Alba Junior’, purchased on our recent travels). The three below are, I think, ‘High Society’, Blackfield’ and ‘Jo & Guido’ (clockwise from top left):
Other plants flowering now include the following: Origanum ‘Rosenkuppel’, Helenium ‘Lemon Queen’, Japanese anemone, succisella, various sedum, Salvia ‘Neon’, reflowering astrantia, Verbena bonariensis, Cyclamen hederifolium and Caryopteris ‘Heavenly Blue’:
Despite a distinct lack of attention, some of the pots and baskets are still doing well, especially Busy Lizzies, petunias and nemesia: I am confident that a generous quantity of water retaining granules and slow release fertiliser has helped in this respect.
Concentrating these colourful splashes into one post is a little deceptive as there is definitely an air of shabbiness about the garden, adding perhaps a different sort of seasonal charm, clothed as the garden is in spiders’ webs, and hinting (not inaccurately) at a degree of neglect as the gardener, busy elsewhere, allows it free rein for a little while.
Your Clematis are wonderful still! Ihave grown Persicaria Blackfield this year and love it, but was disappointed with Orangefield which is decidedly pink!
It really is only a minority of clematis still flowering, honest! I agree with you about Orangefield, although I suppose it is slightly coral rather than just pink, but definitely nowhere near orange!
Still very pretty. All of my color has gone and left only the green …except the surprise lilies are beginning to pop up. That is always a welcome suprise.
Lucky you with your lilies, Beverley – what type of lilies are they?
Some beautiful late colour Cathy. My astrantias have have had their best ever encore! The persicarias certainly hold on for a good while. I’ve not heard of ‘Alba Junior’. One to look up 😄
Same with my astrantia this year, not all of them, but certainly several. Hopefully I will be able to propagate Junior soon, and if you fancy some I could do a special cutting just for you…
Loveliness! Happy almost autumn!
Thanks Beth, I am feeling the stirrings of wanting to tidy up and cut things back…but still too early for that!
Hello Cathy,
What lovely photos! Your flowers are beautiful! Makes me miss my old garden.
Aw, was it an enforced move from your previous garden? Do you have another one now?
Hi Cathy,
We took over my in-laws home which has zero space for a garden. I have a few potted plants but alas, no more garden. I can grow vegetables at my brother in law’s house but it’s not practical because it’s about a 25 minute walk and I’m always so busy.
Sorry to hear that, but I guess there was a reason for it. The potted plants will be inside, I guess, with no room for outside pots either?
I have potted plants both inside and outside. I’ve got two potted lemon trees that I grew from seed, a huge flowering cactus, lots of spider plants, vines, begonias…whatever I can fit outside. In the winter some must come inside. But as far as an in-ground garden- not possible anymore. Leaves me more time for other things 🙂
My goodness – that’s a lot! Good to have all that the greenery though, especiall, in the absence of an actual garden
Yes! I need plants around me. Call me the crazy plant lady!
No sign of shabbiness Cathy. Lots of beautiful flowers.
Thanks Susie – but I could go round and take photos of the shabbiness to prove my point!!