Heading into Fall: What was Blooming Last Week

Hydrangea paniculata 'Quick Fire' blooms a bit earlier than most hydrangeas. Initially, the flowers are white. As the fall approaches, they age into a deep firey rose.

Any possibility of gardening today has been rained out. Poor Piper is curled up on his bed looking a bit dejected about spending the afternoon indoors. Every time I get up from my desk, he looks at me expectantly, hoping I am going to put on my gardening shoes.

If it's one thing I've learned this summer, it's just how much we both love to be outdoors. What's surprising about this is I am not at all a sporty person. I've always thought that given a book and a comfortable chair I'm happy, but no, I've come to realize how much I like to be busy and active. Sometimes the heat and mosquitoes get to me a little, but I still choose to be working outside.

I think Piper shares my sentiments.

If I have been posting rather erratically, it's because I have been rushing to finish off a long list of projects before the weather turns. Sadly not everything on my to-do list is going to get completed. The pond for instance. It's likely to remain a cavernous hole in the ground until next spring. I am super disappointed about this, but in the end, it all came down to issues of time and money. Instead, we've decided to focus our energies on revamping our compost system which is a smaller project and will cost little or no money (we have most of the materials needed already).

This phlox has been blooming since mid-summer:

Phlox 'Sweet Summer Candy' has pink flowers with a white eye. Water regularly for best performance. Full sun with a little afternoon shade. Height: 20-30 cm (8-12 inches), Spread:38-45 cm (15-18 inches). USDA zones: 4-9.

Yellow Wax Bells, Kirengeshoma palmata love moist soil, part-shade/shade.

Native Cardinal flowers, Lobelia siphilitica

I am pleased with what we have accomplished over the gardening season. With my husband's help, we have managed to tackle two problem areas. In the first spot, an old variety of big leafed Macrophylla hydrangeas that never bloomed had to be removed (they bloom on old wood that dies our Ontario winter). The orange daylilies that surrounded them have also been ousted. Good riddance! Never put up with plants that are problematic or don't perform!

We also cleared an area that had Goutweed, orange daylilies and Double Soapwort, Saponaria officinalis. The Goutweed and the daylilies are almost defeated, but the Soapwort is proving to be a bit more tenacious. While I'd love to be free to replant this space in the spring, I am willing to wait it out to make sure that there will be no recurrence of these invasive perennials.

Hydrangea 'Little Lime' with various Sedum in the background.

Hydrangea 'Little Lime' is the little sister of popular 'Limelight'. It has greenish-white flowers that turn deep rose-green in early fall. It blooms on new wood so prune it in late winter or early spring as needed. Part-sun to full sun. Height: 36-60 inches, Spread: 36-60 inches. USDA zones: 3-8.

Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost' has heart-shaped, silver-coloured leaves that are veined in a bright green. Sprays of blue flowers, which closely resemble forget-me-nots, appear in mid-spring. This cultivar can take more sun than many other types of Brunnera, but it still prefers afternoon shade particularly in hotter gardening zones. Average garden soil is fine, but 'Jack Frost' prefers rich soil and moist conditions. Height: 30-40 cm (12-16 inches), Spread: 30-45 cm ( 12-18 inches). USDA Zones: 2-8.

Verbena bonariensis

I am very grateful to a friend who gifted me several Verbena bonariensis seedlings that she had grown herself.

Verbena bonariensis is a tender perennial (usually grown as an annual here) with mauve flowers on tall, wiry stems. It likes sun and moist, well-drained soil.  Sow 6-10 weeks before planting out after frost.  Seed depth: 1/16 inch. Sprout time:10-30 days. Blooms July until frost. Verbena bonariensis will generously reseed itself if spent flower heads are allowed to remain into the fall. Height: 2- 4', Spread: 1.5-3' . USDA zones:7-11. Bees and butterflies love it!

Wild Bergamot, Monarda fistulosa (top left), Phlox and Sedum (bottom of the picture) with Miscanthus grass in the distance.

Sedum 'Autumn Joy' and Sedum 'Autumn Charm' (with variegated foliage).

A new-to-me perennial:

Dwarf Liatris, Liatris microcephala is native to the area of the southern Appalachian Mountains. It has arching stems of lavender flowers on a compact, vase-shaped clump with grass-like foliage. Attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds. Drought tolerant. Full sun. Height: 24 inches, Spread: 18-24 inches. USDA zones: 4-8.

Another thing I am really happy about is the numbers of butterflies that have visited this year. The Monarchs have loved the Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), Monarda (both the scarlet 'Raspberry Wine' and the mauve Monarda fistulosa), the tall purple Ironweed (Vernonia) and the Echinacea. There is always one or two of them flitting about each afternoon.

Cabbage White Butterflies have come faithfully to the Calamintha, Sedum and Catmint (Nepeta). Other pretty visitors have included Swallowtails (both yellow and black) and Admiral butterflies. 

Phlox paniculata 'David's Lavender' (right) and Wild Bergamot, Monarda fistulosa (in the background).

Looking toward the back of the yard.

Salvia 'Black and Bloom' and Salvia patens

Salvia 'Black and Bloom' has showy, indigo-blue flowers and black stems on a plant with attractive green foliage. This fast-growing tender perennial likes regular watering especially in the heat. Part-shade to full sun (with some light afternoon shade). Height: 3-4 ft, Spread: 3-4 ft. USDA zones: 8-9.

The thyme seeds I planted in late June didn't take (we did go away for two weeks–not sure if that is what went wrong). Thankfully the plugs I planted are slowly filling in. Fingers crossed the thyme makes it through the coming winter.

At the base of the sundial (inside the little circle) I have planted:

Catmint, Nepeta racemosa 'Blue Wonder' has compact, aromatic grey-green foliage and blue flowers. Butterflies love this perennial. Cut the plant back mid-summer to encourage new blooms. Drought tolerant. Full sun to light shade. Height: 30-45 cm (10-18 inches), Spread: 30-45 cm (12-18 inches). USDA zones: 3-8.

Dwarf Calamint, Calamintha nepeta ssp. nepta has arching sprays of pale mauve-blue flowers. The foliage of this plant has a slight minty fragrance. Full sun or light shade. It tolerates average, dry and moist growing conditions and is suitable for normal, sandy or clay soils. Bees love it! Height: 20-30 cm (8-12 inches), Spread 30-45 cm (12-18 inches). Hardy USDA Zones 4-9.

Russian Sage, Perovskia atriplicifolia 'Little Spire' is a shorter, upright Russian Sage with lavender-blue flowers and grey-green foliage. Full sun. Height: 60-75 cm (23-29 inches), Spread 45-60 cm (18-23 inches). USDA zones: 4-9.

 I still haven't replaced my broken sundial.

I know other gardeners like this Salvia. Myself, I feel only mild enthusiasm based on its performance this summer.

Salvia 'Mystic Spires' is a tender perennial (annual here in my garden) with grey-green foliage and deep blue flowers. Full sun. Height: 46-61 cm (18-24 inches), Spread 30-45 cm (12-18 inches). Hardy USDA Zones: 7-10.

Looking back toward the "pond" which is just a big hole in the ground at the moment. Thankfully all the flowers hide it somewhat.

Echinacea purpurea 'Pow Wow Wildberry' has magenta petals and an orange cone. This is a mid-sized plant that was the All-American Selections Winner in 2010. Full sun. Height: 50-60 cm (20-23 inches), Spread: 45-60 cm (18-23 inches). USDA zones: 3-9.

In this part of the garden, there are four raised beds with an urn in the centre.

Phlox paniculata 'David's Lavender' has flowers that are lavender-mauve. Average to moist growing conditions. Full sun or light shade (mine is in light-shade). Height: 90-120 cm (36-48 inches), Spread: 60-90 cm (24-36 inches). USDA Zones: 4-9.

I have this particular Phlox in a number of different spots. The big clump (shown above) is in one of the four raised beds. To tell the truth, 'David's Lavender' is a little tall for this particular location, but I have left it because it looks so nice every fall.

Garlic Chives in my herb garden.

If you have a keen eye, you'll have spotted the Goldenrod in the flowerbed at the very back of the yard. Digging it out is at the top of this week's to-do list! 

The entire circular flowerbed has been neglected while I focus on other things.  It needs a complete overhaul next spring.

Rosa 'Never Alone' 

Though the forecast calls for a few hot days later this week, the temperatures at night have dipped significantly. Most mornings are frosty enough to require a coat.

I still have perennials to move and tasks to complete, so I am hoping that the first hard frost is still a few weeks away.

Never Give Up! Never Surrender!

 

Like me, you have probably devoted most of your adult life to pursuits for which you have a talent or aptitude. Life in general, and childhood schooling in particular, have a way of pointing us in that general direction.

Over the years, I am sure you have discovered a long list of things you are good at doing; whether it may be adding up columns of numbers, working with mechanical things or even a way with words.

Most of us also have an alternate list of shortcomings. These are the kind of things that you might want to skip mentioning in a job interview: "Yeah, I am not much of a morning person." or " I crack under pressure."

I became well aware of my limitations early on. The childhood rhyme used to teach young children to tie shoelaces which begins "Left over right and under..." was lost on me.

I was the last person in my primary school class to learn to tie their shoelaces.

I am dyslectic- left and right, b and d- are things easily confused in my feeble brain. In those early school days, I also lagged behind my classmates when it came to reading, verbal and language skills. (Ironically, I have always loved reading. A trip to the bookstore or library is right up there with a trip to the local nursery on my list of favourite things to do on a Sunday afternoon.)

Early on, I learned to compensate for being a slow reader by teaching myself to skim texts in search of the answers. Much of schoolwork is memorization, and I excelled at that. A series of drawings to illustrate my school reports was always good for a few extra marks. Despite my handicaps, I always managed to be an average to above average student.

In my working, life I have focused my energies on the things in which I excel: creative and artistic pursuits. 

But then... every once in a while, I crash head-first into something that reminds me of my limitations.

This fall, I decided to take a college accounting class. 

It's not that I have late-in-life ambition to be an accountant; I merely want to be able to be able to manage to books of a small business. (Most small business accounting software packages do not require accounting skills, but I thought an accounting class might give me an extra degree of confidence going forward.)

I knew going in that this was not going to be an easy class to take, but I had no idea just how truly hard it was going to be.

I suck at accounting! Big time!

Last Saturday, we had a mid-term exam and I worked really, really hard to get ready to for the two-and-a-half-hour-marathon-of-a-test. 

Depressingly enough, I am sure I either failed or came darn close to it.

Failing as an adult is just as hard as failing as a kid. I have been beating myself up for days over my dismal performance on that darn test.  

"Joe Smith works as a security guard in a hospital and earns a wage of $8.80 per hour. Smith's payroll deductions include withheld income tax of 10% of total earnings, pension of $180, unemployment insurance amounting to $300, and a monthly deduction of $45 for a charitable contribtution. Calculate Joe Smith's gross pay and net pay assuming he worked 172 hours during the month."

Huh?

I get lost right after "Joe Smith works as a security guard in a hospital..."

I bet Joe is one happy man knowing I don't work in his hospital's payroll offices, because I have no idea how much to pay him, gross or net.

At this point, it is pretty safe to say that my ship is sinking. 

It is too late in the term to drop the Accounting class. Even if I could drop out, I am not sure I would.

I am determined to persevere, even if I do end up with a big fat "F". I am just going to have to work hard, keep bailing water and hope for a miracle: a shining beacon of light at the end of a very dark accounting tunnel.

At the very least, I hope to salvage the basic understanding of accounting principals that I set out to learn in the first place. 

What about you? 

Have you ever had to struggle to learn or do something that you are just plain not good at?

Are you wondering why I have shown these particular plants in this post? 

The first plant is a Mallow or Malvia sylvestris that I photographed in mid-October. These Mallows continued to bloom right up to the end of October. It seems that this old fashioned cottage flower has amazing staying power, even when the temperatures start to dip in late fall. 

A short-lived biennial, and a cousin to hollyhocks, this pretty self-seeder has crossed the street to our yard from my neighbour's garden. 

The plucky pink chrysanthemums are growing all along a chain link fence in another neighbour's yard. 

We have even had two hard frosts. Here it is the 21st of November and they are still blooming their little hearts out.

Now that's persistence!

P. S. The post title "Never give up! Never surrender!" comes from the 1999 movie "Galaxy Quest" starting Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman. In the movie, the washed-up cast of an old Star Trek-like television show have a real life encounter with aliens from another planet. I am no Trekkie, but I have been married to one long enough to think that this movie is hilarious.

A Thanksgiving Feast for the Eyes at Edwards Gardens

I swear that I did not doctor this opening shot in any way. 

The fall color at Edwards Gardens was just that outrageous!

This is a long weekend here in Canada. Chill temperatures and heavy grey clouds cast a melancholy gloom over the first two days of our Thanksgiving weekend. I refused however, to let the weather dampen my spirits. I had Saturday morning off from my usually scheduled accounting class and that meant I could go along with my hubby to the local Farmer's Market. We bought fresh vegetables, flowers and feasted on a giant bag of salty-sweet popped kettle-corn. Yum!

Yesterday, on the way back from the St. Lawrence flea market, we stopped in to see the fall colors at Edwards Gardens. The lack of sunlight means my pictures are a bit flat, but the garden itself was beautiful. Take a look:

My only complaint about Edwards Gardens at this time of year is the lack of proper I.D. tags. I have a few mysteries that I hope you can help me solve.

The yellowing leaves of Amsonia or Blue Star. 

The sinister-looking seedheads of echinacea.

Love the shape and the organization of the leaves on the branches of this shrub. 

Do you know what it is?

 Verbena bonariensis 'Lollipop'

Russian Sage

 

Gentian

Asters

Japanese Anemone

Rudbeckia seedheads

Fountain Grass

Chocolate Boneset, Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate'

Mystery shrub? You have to love a shrub that is willing to bloom this late in the season. 

Do you know its name?

 Another mystery. I was so impressed with these flowers that had to be at least 8 feet tall. 

Talk about skyscrapers! Do you know what they are?

Special Thanksgiving good wishes go out to all my Canadian friends!