Late Summer at its most Beautiful (Part 2)

Ironweed, Vernonia noveboracenis at Edwards Garden. Height: 180-210 cm, 

Spread: 90-100 cm Full sun, prefers moist soil. 

I hope you had a super long weekend. 

We were very busy working in the garden and I have new things to show you- once I get out there and take a few pictures!

In the meantime, I have more late summer/early fall pictures to show you from my rambles here and there.

Summer Alliums, Lost Horizons Nursery

No matter how long you have been gardening, there is always something new that you haven't seen before or plants that you just plain overlooked.

I am very familiar with spring alliums, but summer flowering varieties of alliums have only recently grabbed my attention. I have a couple of varieties in my own garden (fairly new additions), and I am so taken with them, that I have started to notice them in other gardens as well.

Summer flowering Alliums in the spotty light of early morning at Lost Horizons Nursery. Sorry there was no ID available- quite possibly Allium 'Millenium'

There is always a getting-to-know-you phase with anything new to the garden. So far, my only concern is that these summer flowering alliums will set seed and spread a little too prolifically. To avoid any problems, I planted them in a spot where I can keep a good eye on them.

Also a soft, delicate beauty- Calamintha nepeta. This was my new favourite last summer. I haven't quite found the perfect spot for it though. 

Its pretty, the bees adore it, it blooms mid-summer and continues into fall-all great attributes, but where do you place something this dainty so that it doesn't get lost?

At Edwards Gardens, it has been placed at the feet of some tall Miscanthus. 

The purple spires are Liatris.

Spiderflower, Cleome with Zinnias in the distance at the Dixie Park in Brampton.

This was a drive-by shooting- I happened to see these huge Hibiscus flowers in a local garden and had to stop to take a picture. 

It always amazes me that something this tropical looking can happily find a home in a place with such freezing cold winters.

This one was growing at the Toronto Botanical Garden and so I have an ID for you. Swamp Rose Mallow, Hibiscus 'Kopper king' has coppery-red leaves and flowers that are 10-12" across. 

It dies back to the ground in autumn and does not break dormancy until late spring. Full sun, moist, rich soil. Mulch well in winter. Hardy zones 4-9 Height: 90-105 cm, Spread: 75-90 cm

Note to self- Japanese Maples and blue-green evergreens look stunning in fall.

Annual Fountain Grass, Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' also looks great in 

combination with grey-green foliage.

Container planting at Edwards Garden 

Note the interesting use of the herbs sage and parsley in this container planting.

Davis Austin Rose, The Ingenious Mr Fairchild (Austijus) at Edwards Garden

Butterfly sipping nectar from a Butterfly Bush

Edwards Garden

Summer Snapdragon, Angelonia angustifolia 'Angelface' is an annual here that can be sown from seeds in spring. Full sun. Heat and drought tolerant.  Height: 45-60 cm, Spread: 30 cm

From the trial garden at Edwards Garden

Spiderflower, Cleome, Senorita Rosalita 'Inncleosr' a sterile Cleome that has bright magenta flowers. Full sun. Height: 60-90 cm, Spread: 45-60 cm

Edwards Garden in Toronto

Coneflower, Echinacea 'Colorburst Orange' Full sun. Height: 40-60 cm, Spread: 45-50 cm 

Can it possibly be the case that we need more varieties of Echinacea? 

It seems that some plant breeders think so. The Toronto Botanical Gardens was trialing several new varieties this summer.

Coneflower, Echinacea, 'Glowing Dream' is a compact Echinacea with watermelon-pink colored flowers. Full sun. Height: 40-60 cm, Spread: 45-50 cm

Hopefully up next are pictures of our latest garden projects.