Fall Garden

These are (probably) some of the last photos I’ll be posting of my garden this year. I have already dumped a lot of pots and cleaned out some areas of the garden (I hate to pull out still-blooming plants though, so I usually just leave them all until the frost knocks them down). Most of the flower beds still look good — even though poplar leaves are falling by the thousands all over everything right now. As always, click on any of the photos to view larger versions.

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“Hearts-a-burstin” (Euonymus spp.) are native and plentiful in the woods here. This one in the Secret Garden is a small tree about 8 feet tall and is filled with fruit right now.

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Foliage plants in the secret garden, including Coleus, ‘Iron Cross’ Oxalis, Dichondra “Silver Falls”, hosta and Japanese Forest Grass.

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Profusion Zinnias just keep blooming and blooming in the creekside bed. These were started in summer from seeds I saved last fall.

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Morning Glory ‘Heavenly Blue’
I’ll probably be pulling seedlings of these for the next ten years. They sure covered an arch and the fence nicely though, and are filled with flowers.

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Plumes of Purple Fountain Grass

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Purple Shamrocks Oxalis have been blooming since spring. The bulbs I planted last year have spread this year and this is fast becoming one of my favorite plants. I’ve stuck it here and there throughout my garden.

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(Mouseover photos for descriptions, click to enlarge)

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Common Buckeye Butterfly

There’s nothing common looking about this beautiful butterfly, the Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia). I see these butterflies quite often in my gardens in summer. Today, this one kept coming back to some tall yellow marigolds on the patio. Click on the photos to enlarge and see the gorgeous patterns of color and large eyespots on the wings.

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Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)

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Buckeye With orange Skipper butterfly

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The large eyespots on the wings likely scare away birds and other predators.

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Summer Blooms

Just random shots from around the garden. Click photos to view larger versions.

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Shasta Daisies in back porch bed

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Chinese Forget-Me-Nots & Rudbeckia at bridge

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Gladiolus

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Stargazer Lilies and Monarda ‘Raspberry Wine’

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Border Dahlias

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Volunteer Sunflower at edge of Secret Garden

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_{Bidens and Ageratum, Rudbeckia and Zinnia ‘Profusion Knee-High Red’, Bee Balm in front of purple butterfly bush}

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_{Mixed container (Sunpatiens, Alternanthera ‘Grenadine’, Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’), Coneflowers, Torenia ‘Purple Moon’}

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_{Zinnia ‘Swizzle Cherry and Ivory’, Collarette Dahlias: ‘Goldalia Scarlet’ and ‘Mary Eveline’}

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_{Strawflowers, Supertunia® Vista Silverberry, Caladiums in a container in the secret garden}

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_{Portulaca oleracea, Anise Hyssop, Astrantia}

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This Week’s Blooms

Well, actually these are photos taken over the past two weeks. I have been so busy with the planting and yard work that I haven’t had time to post. I still have so many plants just waiting to be planted.. The photo at left is a Showy Orchis (Orchis spectabilis), a very pretty little wild orchid that grows here and there throughout the woods surrounding the yard. I did stop with my planting long enough to take a walk in the woods to get some photos of it. And, below are a few of the latest blooms in my gardens, these were taken over the past couple of weeks. As always, click any photo to view it larger.

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Flame Azalea
It seems I post photos of these native shrubs every year when they’re in bloom. They are so pretty this year though, I just had to post them again. There are many of these that grow wild in the woods, this particular one is in our back yard and is about 15 feet tall and it is absolutely gorgeous this year!

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Closer view of blooms of Flame Azalea

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Weigela shrub blooming on slope behind house

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Allium Purple Sensation

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Tall purple Allium in creekside flower bed

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Allium neapolitanum in spring bulb bed

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Late flowering Tulips above gazebo flower bed

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Annual Phlox ‘Twinkle Star Mix’ (Phlox drummondii), grown from seed.

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Coral Honeysuckle-Lonicera sempervirens
This red honeysuckle blooms at the edge of the woods on the slope.

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A Silver-Spotted Skipper on Bluebell flowers.

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Large-flowered bicolor Azalea

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A white Azalea in a shady spot in the front yard.

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This is just a portion of the blooms in and around my yard right now. I love this time of year!

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