Colors of Fall
I am being a little lazy this week. Couldn't think of anything to really write about or show everyone that was different. So here are the flowers in my garden that remind me that fall is here.
What would a garden be without mums for fall?
The first one I was told is a native mun. Not sure if that is true. Never heard of a mum native to the Midwest? It grew like gang busters this summer. I was such a small little plant when I planted it this spring.
I have to give the deer credit for something and this might be the only nice thing I have to say about deer. Hear goes, they did a good job eating back my muns this last spring. I didn't have to pinch them back at all!! With that said I will get back to deer bashing, I don't mean literally, in the coming blogs.
This is my Russian Sage. I just love the blue color and it has been blooming for a while now. For me it stands out more in the fall. I don't know if that is when it comes into bloom more or if it is just my imagination.
This red grass is I believe Japanese Blood Grass. Someone correct me if I am wrong. I bought it because of the color and uniqueness but when I was ready to plant it the tag said it could be aggressive, so I put it in this pot for the summer. I will have to say it did real well with the heat and with only getting limited water. So that aspect about it is good. Not sure what to do with it now. Has anyone grown this before? Let me know your thoughts.
This is the Hydrangea tree with it's fall color. The one thing I did wrong when I planted it was the location I picked and at the time I thought it could be a problem. What happens is in July and August after the blooms come out the sun get too hot and burns the blooms on the top. Over all in the picture it looks like a dark pink but if I showed you a close up of just one bloom it would be brown on the top and pink on the bottom. Next year I think I will try and put an umbrella over it for July and August. Any thoughts on that or how I can give it more shade without moving it. Ultimately I might just have to move it.
OK before you say this isn't a fall plant here me out. This is Vinca, one of the plants that I think is over looked at times. This plant has never failed me. It can take the hot and dry weather. Blooms continuously from the time it is planted until frost. I guess the one thing that I can think of that limits it is the number of colors that it comes in. I plant it every year and I don't have to worry about the heat getting to it.
To me the Vinca is the unsung hero in my garden.
9 comments:
I am glad your garden still has some color. Mine is "cooked", and it's still to hot for me to spend much time outside. Poor excuse, I know. Jane
Glad you have shown some of your fall colour. It looks like you have plenty to write about.
I too love vinca and miss growing it. In the Seattle area it doesn't always perform will if we don't have a hot summer. So generally I don't plant it. But when I live in So. Cal. it was great. Loved the heat and bloomed, bloomed, bloomed!
Regarding your Japanese Blood Grass (Imperata) It generally is fine in the ground and stays in a nice tidy clump. In tropical areas is where it's parent plant Imperata cylindrica a green grass is super invasive not only by root but also by seed. In northern states we generally don't see it bloom. If it does simply cut the blooms off before the set. Yours is a Imperata cylindrica 'Red Baron' which is generally not invasive. One note of caution, If it reverts back to being to the parent plant (being all green, especially in the summer months) then yank it out. Usually it always has some red, especially on the tips, until cooler weather and then it really colours up. I find it looks best with the sunlight behind it, that way in the afternoon and evening it looks like it's on fire.
Hope all he info helps. BOB
Jane, I know you have more important things to do. You got the business head in the family!!
Bob, yes that helps. Now I don't feel like I need to keep it in the pot. Will plant it in the ground and keep an eye on it. Thanks!!
I wish I could think of something nice to say about the deer eating my flowers & garden..:) I love Russian Sage..love the bluish grey color of it and it does have a long bloom time! Love the Hydrangea tree~beautiful!
Have a great evening,
Cat
Vinca is a great plant and usually does well for me. In fact, it is just now looking its best. Your hydrangea tree looks fantastic!
My hydrangea must be getting too much sun the same as yours because the tops of my blooms are brown also, I have picked about half of mine for drying. Your Russian sage looks wonderful, for some reason it has never done well for me. It is one of my son's favorite plants. Mums do brighten up the fall garden, don't they?
Lovely color at this time of the year! The vinca is cute--a neighbor just yanked out all of her coleus but left the vinca that was blooming its heart out (unseen) underneath. It's kind of refreshing at this time of the year, isn't it?
As far as that bloodgrass goes, I have it in a few places and it hasn't gotten very aggressive for me at all. (I do have sandy, dry soil, though.) If you like the way it looks in a pot you could always just stick it in a nursery pot in the ground--at least over the winter, after which you could dig it up and put it in a decorative pot. Or if you want to leave some in the ground in a pot, that can sometimes help tame an aggressive spreader. Just a thought.
I have a very small clump of Japanese Blood Root. I really like it! I had it in the ground in a previous residence and it didn't go "wild" and spread quickly, but it did eventually spread into areas where I didn't want it. To keep it in check, because it didn't pull easily for me, I had to dig it.
At my present residence, I put it in the ground in a small rocky area where it doesn't have room to spread very much.
We live in zone 5 (on the edge of 4) and have a lot of yukky clay soil.
Cliff if you're still worried about planting your bloodgrass, why not put it in a very big pot and plant it in the ground that way? That's a garden trick that works very well with invasive plants.
BTW Thanks very much for your very kind words on my blog about the flower arrangements. I've noticed that you've linked with me and I have done the same.
Happy gardening!
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