Musings on Fall Drama

Coneflowers

Fall is definitely here. We're having cool, clear days and chilly nights. I love it. It's what we southerners dream of in August.

The garden is changing in some dramatic ways and some subtle ways. One of the more dramatic things I've done this year is leave the coneflower blooms to go to seed for the birds. Many people do this but I've typically cut them off since I have so rarely seen any birds here go for them. Maybe it's the availability of bird seed I provide at the feeders. Regardless, one day a month or so ago I saw a chickadee on the coneflowers. That was it - the seed heads would stay. At least it's in an area where I don't see the messy stalks.

View from back porch

A different view from the back porch

These two photos from my back porch reveal some subtle shifts in the garden to me, though maybe not to you. Many plants are starting to go to rest, I can tell. And the big dramatic Mexican salvia that was taking up the whole square bed to the right has been given to a friend for her garden and the park she works at.

Black-eyed Susan vine, Thunbergia alata

The black-eyed Susan vine is on its last blooms, though I must say it is not very dramatic. Too much greenery, not enough blooms. Next year this spot will go back to the dramatically named "exotic love vine," Mina lobata.

Wild arugula and honeybee

The wild or Italian arugula is blooming like crazy. That means millions of baby plants next spring! :-/

Fall aster,  Symphyotrichum oblongifolium 

Last month I went to Austin for a visit and went to the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center's semi-annual plant sale. Man, that's a great sale! I picked up way more plants than I intended, including three fall asters. My garden was in desperate need of some fall asters.

Guapilla,  Hechtia glomerata

How about this pineapple relative I also picked up there, commonly called guapilla? I thought it was a little agave until I did some research. I think it's cute.

Yucca rupicola 'Blue'

I love twist-leaf yucca, especially this blue form. I'd like to put it into a prettier pot with some tan gravel. Some day.

'Silky Deep Red' butterfly weed (Asclepias  curassavica)  covered with some pretty aphids!

This butterfly weed is still waiting for some monarchs. Meanwhile, the aphids are moving in.

Purple beautyberry, Callicarpa dichotoma 'Issai' 

The birds have eaten most of the beautyberries already. Now they're waiting for the Savannah holly berries to finish ripening.

Muhlenbergia lindheimeri, Lindheimer's muhly grass

Of course, not so subtle this time of year is the Lindheimer's muhly grass. It is a little too close to the 'Belinda's Dream' rose bush, so early in the spring when I cut the grass back, I'm going to move it. I gotta say, I am not looking forward to that. It will be a big job.

Variegated frittilary butterfly on Mexican mint marigold, Tagetes lucida

Fall is when I see the most butterflies, probably because I'm outdoors more then.

Majesty shrub rose

The roses are having their last fling with blooming. I love how velvety the blooms on the Majesty shrub rose are.

Mystical Flame hydrangea

The drama of fall - the creamy white blooms of Mystical Flame hydrangea are turning dark pink. Though I ripped out my 'Lady in Red' Hydrangea macrophylla because I tired of seeing wilted leaves (no reason to keep something that dramatic), this Hydrangea paniculata will be a keeper.

This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2013. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day for September 2013

Solidago sphacelata 'Golden Fleece' 

Today is Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, a meme started by Carol at May Dreams Gardens. Time to catch up on what's blooming around the world today. In my little world, let's start with this lovely goldenrod, 'Golden Fleece'. It's a diminutive plant only reaching about 15" tall and 24" wide. Behind it is Nasella tenuissima (Mexican feather grass). I love that grass but some beasts keep sitting or sleeping on it. I brought this grass from my old garden in Austin.

'Autumn Joy' sedum and Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha 'Bicolor')

This poor sedum is struggling to survive the thug of a salvia above it. I love Mexican bush sage but this one has taken over almost the entire 8- by 8-foot square bed!

Hummer and Mexican bush sage

Besides not liking how big this salvia got, I'm not that enthused with the color. A few years back I had an intensely brilliant deep purple one that I loved and that stayed in bounds. Alas, it succumbed to a freeze.

'Fireworks' cuphea and sulphur butterfly

This 'Fireworks' cuphea is a bit of a miracle. Most cupheas don't survive winters here. After a freeze last winter I cut it back instead of pulling it out and there you go - it came back. Granted, only one out of three did. But still I'm glad one did.

Echeveria 'Topsy Turvy'

Nice little blooms but I wish the plants wouldn't elongate like that. They always do that when about to bloom. They're supposed to not do that if you keep them in bright light but if I gave it full sun, it would fry here. Bright light on the west coast is way different I think.

Moonflower vine

I'm finally getting some blooms on my moonflower vine (I planted the seeds pretty late). These vines put on lots of green growth at first. I wonder if that's because I had sweet peas planted here previously and they added lots of nitrogen to the soil??

Hydrangea paniculata Mystical Flame

I'm thrilled to see multiple blooms on this little Mystical Flame hydrangea this year. It's its first year for blooming. I got it as a 4-inch baby in 2010. I almost ripped it out in 2011 during our extreme drought when I was against all water loving plants. But because it never really flagged, and because it was half hidden behind a large tree, I let it be. The blooms are supposed to turn burgundy red after this creamy stage. I should have taken a long shot of it because it's only about a foot tall and wide right now. Mature height should be 4 feet.

'FIreworks' Pennisetum setaceum

I'm always enchanted by 'Fireworks' pennisetum when it's young, but it always looks like any other purple fountain grass by the time it blooms. Maybe a few more green stems but ...

I hope you visit Carol's blog to see links to more GBBD posts. Fall is almost here, yay!!

This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2012. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, August 2013

Backyard raised beds, black-eyed Susans in the back

Well, well. I'm actually going to do a post for Carol's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day meme. I used to post fairly regularly for GBBD but life has gotten in the way. Yet I'm happy to say I took some quick photos yesterday evening of some things going on in my little world that I will share with you. GBBD celebrates all things blooming on the 15th of every month.

Bronze fennel

I'm loving my bronze fennel this year. I tried it once before and was underwhelmed. It seems to be happy this year, though. I planted it for the butterflies to lay their eggs on. Once the umbels open it should be very attractive to other pollinators.

'Baby Joe', a dwarf variety of Joe-Pye weed, and bee

Speaking of pollinators, Joe-Pye weed is always a good one for them. The variety I'm growing - 'Baby Joe' - is a dwarf one. I would give you the botanical name of Joe-Pye weed but last time I looked there were a couple of them (is the genus name Eupatorium or Eutrochium now?).

'Baby Joe' behind the birdbath

To give you a frame of reference of its size, here it is behind the birdbath.

'Issai' purple beautyberry (Callicarpa dichotoma)

The beautyberry is starting to color up now. That means fall won't be long! Yes, it's technically not a flower but I consider the berries colorful enough to qualify. By the way, this particular variety is supposed to be about 3- to 4-feet wide by 4-feet high. Well, it's 4-feet high but a good 7-feet wide!

'Mardi Gras' helenium

This photo of 'Mardi Gras' helenium is a little blown out by the setting sun (as are several of my photos), and the blooms are a little past peak. But the fact that it's growing at all is a slight miracle to me. I bought it last fall on a whim thinking surely it doesn't really do well here, but it'll do for a little fall pick-me-up. Lo and behold, here it is blooming again this year!

Sacred lotus seed pod

Love this little seed pod. I just wish the raccoons would stop washing or whatever they're doing in my lotus bowl.

'David' tall garden phlox 

Here's another surprise - 'David' phlox. It's a mildew resistant variety that didn't take too well to the first place I planted it. Perhaps not enough water?? I moved it to my rock wall bed and recently accidentally decapitated it. That didn't seem to phase it, did it?

'Autumn Joy' sedum

Another sign that fall will surely come soon is the budding out of the 'Autumn Joy' sedum. Some blooms are even starting to turn pink. One thing I love about this plant is how long the blooms last and the colors the blooms go through - white to pink to bronze.

'Black and Blue' salvia

After a drastic cut-back, my favorite salvia is blooming again. I cut it back by a third to a half after its first spring bloom in order to keep it from getting ratty at the base. It's one hummer friendly shrub!

'Patrick's' abutilon

It was getting a little dark when I took this photo of 'Patrick's' abutilon. It hasn't bloomed that much this year, and I'm not sure why. Guess I could try fertilizing it (something I rarely think to do with most of my plants!).

That's just a sampling of the flowers in my garden today. I've also got cuphea, basil, arugula, borage, some roses, coneflower, lantana, verbena, and some succulents blooming. What's blooming in your garden? Check out May Dreams Gardens for links to other bloggers' GBBD posts.

This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2013. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.

A Sweet Little Fling Garden

View as you enter the backyard

I have been doing some major dilly-dallying when it comes to blogging about my wonderful experience at the San Francisco Garden Bloggers Fling. I think it's because I found it daunting to try to capture a dozen stunning gardens, one fun-filled dinner in a conservatory, and two wonderful nurseries, knowing I'll only have enough time to do one or two posts. But with some encouragement from my fellow Flingers I've decided to blog about one of the gardens that really spoke to me - Rebecca Sweet's garden in Los Altos. Rebecca is co-author of the book Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large Spaces. She's also written numerous gardening articles and is a landscape designer. Above is the view as you enter the backyard from the side and stand on the patio. Wouldn't love you that bouganvillea on the right?

We were fascinated by the beautiful birds in this lovely birdcage

Rebecca's yard is filled with so many charming vignettes, and this birdcage is no exception. I've never seen one like this. And how cool to have it outdoors!

Metal birds and wreath above the birdcage

I realized after I got home and looked at this photo that I must have been subconsciously influenced by these birds because I bought some very similar ones while at Flora Grubb Nursery.

Fountain

Jacaranda blossoms and glass ball in fountain

OK Rebecca, how on earth do you keep your fountain water so clear and clean? Wish I could get that with mine!

Rebecca and her design studio

Hidden from immediate view as you enter the backyard is a little studio that us Flingers salivated over. It is just so darn cute and very personalized. The studio was created out of a former shed. I love the dark exterior and light interior and all the windows.

Path along one side of the studio

Interior of Rebecca's studio, nice and sunny

Tillandsias on the windowsill

Every windowsill in the studio had interesting arrangements.

More tillandsias and some glass eggs

A repurposed fireplace mantel

There were ingenious places to "garden up." And shells here and there.

I was very jealous of all the lovely succulents and agaves I saw in every garden

More succulents and agave

So why did this garden speak to me so much? I think it was because it was another example of a deeply personal garden, something I am very much drawn to these days. And the garden was small enough that I could imagine myself gardening there. The interesting vignettes and tidy space spoke of a loving hand. Thank you Rebecca, for sharing your space and allowing us to dream.

[Notice I didn't once complain about the heat? Inside joke for Flingers. :-)]

This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2013. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - Summer Transition

Poppy from seed I bought at the Chelsea Physic Garden

Well, this is what happens when I don't blog often enough - spring flies by and summer is here! This year I've got very few spring posts and photos from my own garden. Now that Garden Bloggers Bloom Day is here, it seems fitting to catch up on May and then show you what June has in store. And since it's been a while, I hope you don't mind lots of pictures!

'Mango Popsicle' kniphofia - I've been enjoying this one. It requires no care whatsoever and blooms are constant.

This is my best yellow daylily - first to start blooming and many blooms. 

You can tell I've already started to transition to summer with this daylily pic. This year's crop of daylilies has been a mixed bag for me. Many of them are shorter than usual and some of them got a good case of daylily streak. I think it was the long, wet spring. But these tough flowers still manage to bloom! If I don't tell you the name of the daylily, it's because it was a passalong and I don't know the name.

One of my favorites daylilies. I call it Dreamsicle but I really don't know what its real name is.

I have lots of daylilies that are this color. They are some of the ones who didn't grow very tall this year.

'Windmill Yellow' daylily - it has massive blooms and our own Joywalk Daylilies wins awards with it.

Another one of my favorite daylilies - 'Crimson Pirate'

Okay, last daylily photo. This is 'Yellowstone', a progeny of 'Hyperion' that is very floriferous and fragrant.

Moving to a cooler spot - Southern wood fern, inland sea oats, and oakleaf hydrangea.

And more coolness, a rex begonia

The figs on my espalier are plumping! I only hope the tree rats and birds leave me a few.

I bought a few milkweeds, 'Silky Deep Red' variety, for the monarch butterflies but I've only seen one monarch.  

The long spring we had has delayed ripening of my tomatoes. This is 'Black Cherry'.

Some cool looking dragonfly nymphs on my papyrus in my stock tank pond.

I can't forget to spotlight 'Belinda's Dream' rose, now in its second flush of blooms for the year. There are 'Yellowstone' daylilies and coneflowers in the background.

Wow, my sacred lotus finally bloomed! And I have several more in bud - excitement!

'Grand Marshall' monarda (bee balm) is starting to pop. It's great for pollinators and hummers.

Last but not least, my new tuteur. Gotta get cracking at planting some moon vine and exotic love vine (Mina lobata) at its base!

I hope you managed to make it through my compendium of late spring and early summer garden highlights. And I hope you'll visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens to see what other folks around the world have blooming on this Bloom Day. Oh, and I hope to see you at the Garden Bloggers Fling in San Francisco later this month. If you won't be able to make it, I promise to post about it, and hopefully before the summer is out, ha!

This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2013. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.