The early beginnings of Great Fall Color

While many perennials in the garden are beginning to look a bit weary, a few plants are just coming into all their glory. 

Helenium is one of them.

I have always had a few Heleniums in my garden, but sadly, I don't think I have ever 

 given them a chance to really shine. Something I'd like to rectify in future!

Helenium in a public park in Brampton

I have come to realize, by way of example, that Heleniums look best planted in large groups in combination with tall grasses or other late blooming perennials. 

In this public space, Helenium looks terrific mixed with Phlox, yellow Rudbeckia, and blue-grey Russian Sage.

Helenium in a public park in Brampton

Sneezeweed or Helenium autumnale is a North American native plant that can often be 

found growing in wild, damp meadows.

Larkwhistle Gardens

As you can see here, many varieties of Helenium are skyscrapers that soar to a considerable height.

Larkwhistle Gardens

Heleniums are happiest in rich moist soil, but they will tolerate a somewhat sandier soil and will even adjust to somewhat dryer conditions once established.

Helenium 'Short 'n' Sassy'

This fall to add to my small collection of Helenium, I am adding a few of newer 

cultivars that are shorter in height. 

Helenium 'Short 'n' Sassy': This compact variety of helenium has orange and gold petals with a deep brown centre. Full sun and moist soil are best. Height: 30-45 cm (12-18 inches), Spread: 40-50 cm (16-20 inches). USDA Zones: 4-9.

Helenium autumnale Mariachi 'Fuego': Another compact variety of helenium, 'Fuego' has orange-red petals and a golden halo around a deep, coffee-colored centre. Full sun and moist soil are best. Height: 40-50 cm (16-20 inches), Spread: 50-60 cm (20-30 inches). USDA Zones: 3-9.



I also brought home a piece of a tall yellow Helenium from my Mom's garden. Fingers crossed it takes!

Sedum 'Maestro' is super tall and reaches a height of 60-75 cm (23-29 inches).

Another group of plants that really comes into its own at this time of year are tall Sedums. 

Sedum telephium 'Matrona': This Sedum has sage green foliage with reddish stems and is fairly tall.  Full sun. Height: 60 -70 cm ( 23- 28 inches) Spread: 45-60 cm (18-23 inches). USDA Zones: 3-9.

In early June, I usually cut my tall Sedums by a third. I find they produce more, smaller flower heads and flop less as a result.

Propagating Sedums is fairly simple I've found: just stick your June cuttings in damp soil and keep them watered and out of direct sun until they have rooted. What could be easier! New generations of my original Sedum telephium 'Matrona' can be found all over my garden. 

It is also nice to add a few new Sedums to the mix each year. 

Sedum spectabile 'Neon': This Sedum has light green foliage and magenta-pink flowers.  Full sun. Like all Sedums, it is attractive to butterflies. Height: 45-60 cm (18-23 inches) Spread: 45-60 cm (18-23 inches). USDA Zones: 2-9

Sedum telephium 'Munstead Dark Red': This is an older variety that has a dark rose flower. It can be floppy in moist rich sites. Height: 45-60 cm (18-23 inches) Spread: 45-60 cm (18-23 inches). USDA Zones: 3-9.

So far, I am really liking this low mounding cultivar called 'Pure Joy' that I purchased in the spring of this year.

Sedum 'Pure Joy': has a low, rounded mound of blue-green foliage and pale pink flowers. Grow it in poor to average well drained soil. Full sun. Height: 20-30 cm (10-12 inches) Spread: 45-50 cm (18-20 inches). USDA Zones: 4-9.

Beside soft pink 'Pure Joy' is the Sedum Sunsparkler 'Dazzleberry' (you can see 'Dazzleberry' peaking into the picture on the lower right).

'Dazzleberry' has flopped a bit and has been held up by the surrounding Lamium (it gets lots of sun so perhaps my soil is too rich and causes it to flop). It's purplish grey foliage has made it a perfect companion plant for Penstemon 'Dark Towers' and mauve flowered Veronica 'Eveline' in my front garden.

Sedum Sunsparkler 'Dazzleberry': has purplish grey foliage and raspberry red flowers in fall. Again poor to average well drained soil. Full sun. Height: 15-20 cm (6-8 inches) Spread: 30-45 cm (12-18 inches). USDA Zones: 4-9.

So what do you think?

Are Helenium's outrageous colors too much for your garden? 

What's your experience with tall Sedums? 

A Beginning and an End

Today I am going to share with you the start of a big project and the end of what I refer to in my head as "Phase 1".

I have always had an overall vision for the design of my garden and to my plan's credit, I have stuck pretty close to it over the years- never changing my mind or the design direction the garden is headed.

This is not to say that I have never second-guessed myself. I have done that many times! But at the end of the day, my gut instincts usually serve me best and my first ideas are most often the ones that I end up carrying through to completion.

I carry the design plans around in my head. I see it like a drawing- although I have never committed it to paper.

There are a few design challenges. For one, our backyard is like a bowling alley: long and narrow. The previous homeowner put flowerbeds down the outside perimeter and had a circular herb garden at the end of the expanse of green grass that ran down the centre of the property.

It was a fine enough garden, but the yard felt really narrow and much smaller than the 150 feet that it was in reality. I kept many of the original features and have made lots of changes-perhaps a subject best kept for another post- with the addition of a place to relax and unwind being our latest project. 

So here it is! 

Midway down the yard and off to the right- a small circular courtyard of pea gravel (in its present form). A narrow border of plantings enclose it like a cocoon.

One of our biggest challenges in creating any backyard retreat was going to be the mosquitoes. Living this close to the Credit River we have tons of mosquitoes- even in the middle of the day. Who wants to be batting away at mosquitoes while trying relax and sip a drink?

We decided me needed to make a mosquito proof enclosure. Our house is late Victorian and so our plans are to eventually build something traditional in keeping with the house- our own take on a standard gazebo. 

Umbrella Loblaw's Superstore $50 (approximately). The folding wooden Adirondack chairs were also purchased at Loblaw's late last summer (just under $50 each).

If time and money were no object we would have built the gazebo this summer, but that's not the case. So for now, we have mapped out the space with our little pea gravel courtyard. (Eventually we will build the gazebo overtop of this foundation layer of fine gravel.)

There isn't a lot of sun in this part of the yard, but the umbrella is not just for show. It serves several functions including protecting our heads from falling walnuts! At this time of year, the black walnut tree overhead drops a steady shower of golf-ball-sized walnuts that are as hard as rocks. 

The umbrella also holds up the oversized mosquito net that we purchased on clearance (not installed at the time I took these pictures).

The surrounding plantings still need a bit of finessing. Here are a few early favourites:

Phlox paniculata 'Creme de Menthe'- many of my phlox are finished, but this one is just coming into its glory. Love, love the variegated leaves! 

Sunflowers self-seeded themselves into the planting scheme.

Coleus, 'Vino' and Hydrangea 'Little Lime'

Sedum 'Matrona' Height 40-50 cm Spread: 45-60 cm Full sun is best, but I have mine in part shade. The flowers are big and heavy so pinch the plant back in June to prevent it from flopping when in flower.

Agastache 'Blue Fortune' Height: 60-75 cm, Spread: 60 cm. Full sun or part shade. I am amazed at how big this plant has gotten in its first year. It is a blooming machine!

White Joe Pye Weed, Eupatorium altissimum 'Prairie Jewel' Height: 90 cm, Spread: 40 cm. 

Moist soil (or afternoon shade). 

Brilliance Autumn Fern, Dryopteris erythrosora 'Brilliance' Height: 45-60 cm, Spread: 45-60 cm. Part Shade and moist soil.

Another project almost complete are these plants supports. We made two 5' plant supports for diagonally opposite sides of my four raised beds. (The other two raised boxes have lilac standards in the centre of each bed.)

One of these 5' supports sits in my raised herb bed and so I have elected not to finish it any way (the last thing I want is flakes of chipping paint falling in among the plants we eat!).

The supports are made of inexpensive spruce and I used a fence post finial to decorate the top (about $15-20 in raw materials). With the exception of angled saw cuts, they are fairly easy to make. (I wasn't sure if there would be enough interest to do a how-to post. If it turns out that there is interest, I will do one.)

We also made two 6' plant supports for the circle garden at the back of the yard. (You can just see it in the distance through the arbor.)

Turtlehead, Chelone obliqua Height 60-90 cm Spread: 60-75 cm Full sun or part shade. Mine is in part shade. The clump is at least 5 years old and is quite sizeable.

Just before we take a closer look at the taller plant supports, let's pause to admire the Turtlehead flowers blooming just to the right of the arbor we will pass through. It is really amusing to watch bumblebees try to sandwich their little round bodies into these tight-lipped flowers.

I elected to paint these plant supports burgundy, which is the color of the shutters on our white house. Scrambling up the sides is a small bell-shaped clematis that bloomed a little over a month ago: 

A few other recent additions to this area of the garden:

I got this Rhododendron at a 50% off sale in late June. In a garden that tends to the messy, I love the compact shape and neat, glossy leaves. Rhododendron 'P.J. M.' Height: 150 cm, Spread: 150 cm. Full sun to part shade.

On the right a great foliage plant Caryopteris divaricata, 'Snow Fairy'. It has insignificant blue flowers and beautiful variegated foliage. Height: 60 cm and Spread: 60cm (very similar in size and shape to a small Spirea) Full sun to half shade.

This is a perennial Goldenrod new to the garden this year. I misplaced the plant tag, but feel pretty confident that it is Stiff Golden Rod, Solidago rigida. 

This is a skyscraper of a plant that is almost as tall as I am (120 cm)! Until I find it the perfect home, I have it in half-shade, but it would much prefer to be in full sun. As you can see, it tends to flop and requires staking.

Stiff Golden Rod, Solidago rigida

I hope your enjoying these first few days of fall.

I am going to link this post to May Dreams Gardens Garden Bloggers Bloom Day meme on the 15th of this month and also to Fishtail Cottage's Garden Party on Thursday. To see other pretty gardens, please click the links.

A Fall Intermission

 

I love taking photographs at this time of year. 

The hard edge of summer sun is gone. The light is mellow and golden. 

Fall leaves are not only colorful, they are translucent. The subtle underlying structure of veins is literally brought to light. 

In this post today are recent shots taken in the garden and around the neighbourhood.

Have a great weekend!