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Spectacular Toad Lilies in the Fall Garden

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I think the Toad Lily is one of the most unusual flowers that I grow.

In the Spring the plant appears as small sprouts emerging from the ground with several oblong green leaves. As summer passes the Toad lily plant grows to about two or two and a half feet in height in the form of long stalks with oblong green leaves.

To tell the truth it doesn’t really look like much for most of the growing season. However, when many of the other flowers in the garden stop blooming the Toad Lily is just getting started. By late September most years the buds begin to appear and then by early October the Toad lilies begin to bloom with their lovely speckled flowers.

Aren’t they pretty?

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The Color Purple

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My garden is made up of many different colored flowers, but when I look at the photos I’ve taken it seems that there are much more of some color than others. I thought I’d show you a few of my lovely purple flowers today.This flower is grown from a bulb. It’s formally called Liatris and more commonly known as Gay Feather.

Liatris

In my front flower bed I grow a small woody plant called Pervoskia Little Spire. I believe it’s a form of Russian Sage. I think it was a little windy when I took this photo and the flower stalks in the center moved closer to the lense as I shot the photo so the center is slightly out of focus.

If you can’t grow lavender you might try growing Russian Sage or even a nice Salvia as they are similar in appearance (tidier I believe), but they don’t have any scent.

Pervoskia Little Spire

Finally, here’s the common but ever so lovely purple petunia. Need I say more?

Purple petunia

How many purple flowers do you grow?

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Rows and Rows of Liatris flowers

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This weeks theme is Rows

Liatris

When you take a close look at many flowers or leaves you can see that there’s often a pattern to how it’s been formed.

I mean, take this Liatris stalk. When it’s in full bloom it just looks like a puffy floral stalk in the garden, but when you look a little more closely you’ll notice that the stalk is composed of many flower buds in tight rows. Each stalk must have at least 50 flowers on it.

I can’t remember if this Liatris was about to bloom or if it’s blooms were fading when I took this photo, I believe it was finishing up it’s bloom.

I have several clumps of Liatris throughout the garden. I plant five to 15 bulbs or corms (I can’t remember which they are at the moment) in a circular pattern so that when the individual plants grow they form a natural looking clump.

I’ve only been growing Liatris (Gay Feather) for a few years and I haven’t yet noticed if any of the bulbs have naturalized to produce more plants. Does anyone know if they naturalize?

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