It's September

Welcome to September. For many gardeners September is a great month with cooler temperatures and a second planting season. For me, my garden is starting to go downhill, I'm back at work [trying to convince college students that are only taking science because they have to that Biology really is cool!] and Winter Is Coming.

But it's not all doom-and-gloom. Yet. I still have tomatoes ripening.

My Buddleia, butterfly bushes, are just past their peak (with a patch of Gaura to the right) but still attracting butterflies.

My Sambuncus (Elderberry) Black Lace is looking gorgeous and the birds are nibbling on the berries.

The view against the side fence is fabulous but hard to photograph because the neighbor's house is white. It really needs a paint job - do you think I can convince them to change the color so I get better photographs? Left to right - Physiocarpus, Ninebark Diablo, Buddleia evil ways and Paniculum virgatum, switchgrass Cloud Nine

Lacecap Hydrangea, possibly Lady in Red, past her peak but still handsome

Hard to photograph but this is Thalictum, Meadow Rue (afraid I don't know the variety) growing up over the edge of the deck (as planned).

My experiment with Palms in pots got mixed results. The palms grew but also got some sunburn. I think I'll try something different next year. The New Guinea impatients in the bottom did very well (they're pinker than they appear)

That's my garden as the month changes. How's yours doing?

Foliage Follow Up July 2014

While the flowers are all orange there is still some gorgeous foliage to be found this month here on The Edge.

I bought two gorgeously dark Cimicifuga [Actea] simplex Brunette and planted them in a partly shady area - this one kept some dark pigment and developed these complexly colored leaves. The other one is mostly green (bleh). They're supposed to get big, which is good since they're in a shrub border with lots of Viburnums.

I'm not sure if this Panicum  is Heavy Metal or Cloud Nine. I bought both and can't really tell the difference in my garden. Still, it's nice and [very important] it's dog-resistant. Even when My Little Predator tried to dig it up to get at something hiding deep inside the plant.

Ah, Physiocarpus opulifolius Diablo [ninebark]. Go ahead, tempt me, you sexy thing!

What's mid-summer with Hostas? I'm a fan of the jumbo sized leaves on these two: Guacamole (on top) and DamnIForgotToRecordTheName (on bottom).

Sambucus [elderberry] Black Lace

And a surprise appearance by Baptisia australis. Not normally known for their foliage they do form a nice shrub sized clump during the summer. Unless it pours down rain. In which case they flop over like drama queens.

This is Gaura lindheimeri Guadi Red. I bought it to bring some more dark pink genes into the gene pool of the volunteer reproducing Gaura in my yard. It hasn't bloomed yet but I really like the colors in the foliage.

Ferns are always good for foliage photos. Lady in Red on top and Ostrich on bottom (note the dots on the underside of Ostrich's leaves? Those are the spore producing structures)

 And let's end this month with a close up of a very nice Canna leaf (possibly Tropicanna). 

Thanks to Pam at Digging for this meme

Bad Advice - Garden Center Edition

I checked out a new-to-me garden center recently.  The grounds were nice, the selection of plants decent, prices normal for around here.  On one of the perennial tables I saw a dark colored plant with deeply cut leaves and pinkish-white umbrel shaped flowers.  

There was no information on growing conditions or size or anything.  So I found a staff member and asked him.  Full sun (dark foliage plants usually require lots of light so no surprise there), normal watering, size about an average sized perennial.  The lack of specificity there should have warned me.  The plant was tagged and the name sounded vaguely familiar but I couldn't place it.  So I thought about it.  Where I could put it depending on the size (3 foot?  Is that average for perennials?).  Oh, and they were in small 5 inch pots so they couldn't be something really big, right?

I gave up and bought it.  Actually three of them.  I had several possible places to plant them and I figured I would check on the Internet when I got home and pick one of those spots.

I wish I had a smart phone so I could have looked it up at the time (this isn't the first time I bought a plant, got home and went Hey!  That's not what I thought I was getting!  I WANT a smart phone.  Can't justify the monthly fees.  Have been known to carry books in the car so I can look things up but not this time).  I probably wouldn't have bought the plant if I'd known what I was getting.

What was it?  Sambucus Black Lace.  For those of you who can't put a plant to that name (like me) it's an elderberry.  A shrub.  It gets to be between 6 and 8 foot tall.  

I don't think that counts as an "average size" for a perennial in anyone's garden. 

Argh.

Fortunately I have a spot for these three not-going-to-stay-little guys.  The Mad Side1 of the house has a large blank area that can use a good sized plant to fill it.  I think a dark colored foliage would look extra nice here.  I had been contemplating options but now it looks like the Sambucus will go here.  I'm not too upset.  I think they'll be nice plants and the wildlife will like the fruit but I would have liked to choose the plant myself and put it in at a good time.  Did I mention that the house is being painted next month?

So I can't plant them until after the house gets painted.  For now they are in a pot where I will try to keep them going until I can get them in the ground and then I'll have to nurture them carefully through the heat of the summer.

Nope, definitely wouldn't have bought them if I'd known.  Also, not planning on going back to that garden center.  They may have gotten me to spend about $20 on plants I wouldn't have bought normally but they lost my continued business.  I am not impressed with staff that clearly doesn't know the plants they have for sale and, worse sin, won't admit to it and find someone who does know.

Here endeth the Rant.

1.  Hamlet is but mad North by Northwest.  This side of my house is West Northwest so it's not REALLY the right direction but it's a fun nickname so I'm going to play fast and loose with the quote.