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Some of the last flowers of Autumn

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It was a beautiful weekend! I think we might have had a very late Indian Summer here in Toronto! The temps got up to 17 C or 63 F and tomorrow’s going to be warm for this time of year too.

Of course, the warmer weather probably isn’t doing my garden much good as it has been cool here for a few weeks and in a few days it will be cool again. Yep, the garden is pretty much shutting down for the winter.

I still have some roses that seem stuck in bloom and some rose buds that haven’t opened and that probably won’t, but most of my flowers are dying down.

About two weeks ago my New York Asters were in full bloom – now they are fading although there’s still some pale purple/ blue color on the plant.

Here’s what the flowers looked like when they are at the height of their bloom-

First new york aster blooms 2

The pink salvia was also putting out new blooms – but they too are pretty much gone now as well.

Pink Salvia bloom

My Liatris plants stopped blooming by late August or so, but they developed seed heads in September and October.

faded liatris bloom 4

I collected the seeds off of some of the Liatris stocks and planted them in a few sparse areas of the garden. Perhaps in a year or two I’ll have more Liatris coming up in areas that desperately need some permanent plants.

Has your garden begun to shut down for winter?






Annual Asters for the garden border

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Well it seems that my garden has finally got the message that winter is coming.

There are still some stubborn roses sticking around, but they are no longer alive. The cold got to them and they are just there. Actually I’m hoping that I can take some pictures of them with frost or a light coating of snow on them one of these days as I think that will probably look pretty.

There’s also one single clematis flower on the vine at the front of the house. Like the roses it’s dead, but it’s still holding it’s color. I’m sure it fooled a few people that might have noticed it.

Since I don’t have any pictures of frosty flowers or snow covered plants to show you today I’ll have to fall back on pictures that I took earlier this summer.

One flower that stands out is the annual asters that I grew this summer. They were so pretty! Such vibrant dusty rose pinks, purples, blue and white flowers.

IMG_4865

They started blooming in late July (if memory serves me) and continued to produce lovely blooms until early October.

The annual Aster plants are 12 inches or less in height so they are the perfect size for a garden border. I planted several of them in the open spaces at the edge of my raised garden beds, beside lavenders and hostas and they looked lovely.

Did you grow Asters this past summer?

Growing Hydrangeas

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Hydrangeas are a favorite shrub of many gardeners because of their eye catching blooms.

The majority of Hydrangeas originate from Asia and North America.

Hydrangea in October Hydrangea Macrophyllia (Mophead and Lacecap) are common in the Atlantic border states. They have big leaves, and their blooms come in colors of blue, lavender, pink and white. Other common hydrangeas are Paniculata or panicle hydrangea (PeeGee and family), Hydrangea arborescens (Annabelle) and Hydrangea quercifolia (Oakleaf). There’s also Hydrangea anomola-petiolaris (climbing hydrangea). You can find this last hydrangea growing on the northern side of buildings. Depending upon which variety you purchase, you could have blooms from Summer to Autumn.

If you’d like to have a garden that almost always has something in bloom, plant hydrangea near rhododendrons, azaleas and or forsythia and you’ll have blooms and color from spring through to fall. I also have my hydrangea growing near a lovely clump of peonies.

Some species of Hydrangea, the Macrophylia in particular, will bloom either pink or blue depending upon the PH of your soil. Acidic soil will produce blue or violet flowers, while a slightly alkaline to neutral soil will give you pink or white blossoms. Hydrangea blooms can range from 5 to 10 inches in diameter depending upon the species.

How to grow Hydrangeas:

  • Hydrangeas prefer light to medium shade, although large leafed hydrangeas seem to be able to handle full sun if they are given enough water.
  • Hydrangea’s need moist well draining soil.
  • Hydrangeas don’t require a lot of fertilizer. A good feeding in the spring is often sufficient. Compost or manure mixed into the soil near the plant will often be sufficient. You might also want to try Liquid Seaweed extract. It’s an organic fertilizer.

Pruning:

Big leaved Hydrangeas flower on old wood (previous seasons growth) so if you must prune only prune about a third of the weakest growth in early spring. Otherwise, prune immediately after your hydrangea has flowered.

You can visit this site to learn more about the proper care of your species of hydrangea. You might also want to visit the Hydrangea Forum at GardenWeb and talk with other hydrangea owners and gardeners.

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