Some of you may know that my property is shaded by very large and old maples and oaks. So, I'm super excited to see anything grow, especially, if it is colorful.

The yard is getting a little more sun here and there due to trees dying, limbing up of branches, and down branches every time we have a thunderstorm.

A couple of months ago, my neighbor had to limb up the tree that borders our property. I'm able to get morning sun for about an hour on this side of my house. The photos are from that area.

I tried to upload all three pictures but the 'Choose File' button only allowed me to add one picture. Every time I added another, the older one was deleted.

I wanted the pictures included here for convenience. But, could not copy and paste nor drag the picture here. So, I'm added links to my Google+ page where the pictures are. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Japanese told lily: {{gwi:1090038}}

Foxglove and Caladium: White Christmas and Rosebud
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Caladium: Florida Cardinal (far left and right), Pink Beauty (largest one in back row on right), the two smaller pink and green ones are either Rosebud or Pink Beauty (I'm having a hard time telling the difference.)
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-Tina

Nice pics, Tina, I particularly like the caladiums and the toad lily. Do you winter over the caladium bulbs?

I was going to refer you to the FAQ on inserting photos, but it looks like you figured it out yourself when you inserted the Google links. I need to add something to the FAQ concerning the new GW photo feature, I just haven't gotten around to doing it.

The classic fall show is beginning in my yard now:

Sedums are slowly coloring up, with Sedum 'Matrona' going first.

Various grasses have plumes. Miscanthus 'Malepartus' is one the first (panicums are even sooner but harder to photograph).

And the daylily Stella de Oro which is classic for three seasons.

Sweet Autumn Clematis is starting up now and some roses are blooming. No goldenrod or New England asters yet.

Claire

Thanks, Claire

This is the first year for the caladiums. I read that I will have to dig them up when the foliage dies. Then, dry them out of the sun and store in peat moss or shredded paper at about 40 degree.

Wish me luck. If you or someone else have any suggestions, let me know.

Your plants are always so healthy looking! I'm green with envy. That is a beautiful sedum and the day lily just demands attention.

I enjoy the plumes! I particularly love it when they wave back and forth with a soft breeze. I find it particularly soothing.

Thanks for sharing,
Tina

Tina: I only tried to overwinter caladiums once and that was when I was living in an overheated apartment in NYC. One actually made it through the winter packed in peat moss, but that was probably a miracle. I just found this old thread on the bulbs forum with a post by EGO54 (George) who is well known and enormously respected on this forum, although he doesn't post now. According to him, 40 degrees will kill the tuber, but he has a regimen to get indoor growth.

I had a surprise this morning. I usually let the birdseed volunteers grow up and go to seed (free bird food) and I had one in an unusual spot which I just ignored. Today I saw what looked like corn silk on it and I realized it's a corn plant! This is where I spread "wildlife food" with whole corn - I didn't know those whole corn kernels are viable.

with a tassel on top

and a new little ear developing below.

I doubt this will survive to edible stage (and it's probably not sweet corn), but it's the only vegetable I've ever grown myself.

Next to the volunteer corn plant is a volunteer Potentilla fruticosa that's been quietly blooming all summer. Not terribly ornamental but pleasant to see and a bumblebee was harvesting pollen today.

Farmer Claire

Tina - gorgeous caladiums. I've never tried to grow them.

Claire - congratulations on the corn plant! I've thought of planting a row of corn so I don't have to buy corn stalks for decoration, but I never get around to buying the seed.

Instead of posting more photos of my tithonia, I decided that I would start my entries for September with some photos of plants that aren't very happy in my garden today.

I bought 2 Plum Crazy Hibiscus last fall. As you can see, they are now about as tall as the plant label!

Here's a Russian Sage, also purchased last Fall.

Lastly, a perennial Salvia purchased this spring.

Pixie_lou, those are seriously small plants considering they've had a whole season to grow! Do you have any idea what the problem is? Lack of sun, drought, sick mulch... They don't look that unhealthy, they just look like they were newly planted.

I still have a few meadow phlox blooming - this one is self-seeded in the pea gravel path next to some cotoneaster and a yucca.

My sweet Autumn clematis is sprawled over a log and dripping down the retaining wall, where it meets up with white wood aster (did I mention I don't have a neat, tidy garden?).

I'm beginning to see more action from the garden phlox in the Phlox Protection Zone.

David's Lavender is in full bloom

and at least two more are about to open - not photo-worthy yet.

Oh, and I found another corn plant with a new ear on it.

Claire

And the roses are back, not in spring bounty but blooming enough to give me much pleasure. The last rose of summer here gives way to the first roses of fall.

I have three big Blushing Knockout roses (very big), two shown here. The one in front often puts out a single red rose, sometimes pink and red.

Blanc Double de Coubert (I always have to check the spelling) is a sparse bloomer here but has a few blossoms now. Regular Knockout is behind it.

Carefree Beauty is really sprawly but long-blooming. She'll have a lot of hips soon.

Little Carefree Delight with charming blossoms

and Pink Knockout in front of a Miscanthus.

If I hadn't let the roses grow as big as they wanted, I might have room for a rose that isn't pink (or white), but it's crowded out there.

For a non-rose for a change, there's white wood aster and early goldenrod.

Claire

Pixie_lou, I'm a less experienced gardener but I read that pine needles are acidic. Do you think that could be the problem?

Claire, your corn is adorable! As always, your flowers are beautiful. Thanks for naming the sweet autumn clematis. I drove pass several places where they were growing and wondered what the beautiful vines were.

-Tina

Claire, no goldenrod yet? Around here it starting blooming over a month ago! I was driving to work one morning and as I sat at a light I realized I was absent-mindedly staring at goldenrod in bloom! Boy, did that wake me up! I was practically sputtering, lol. The first words I said to my co-workers when I walked in the door was "I saw goldenrod blooming this morning! I can't believe it!"

Geez, things are just way too early this year. Wood asters in bloom too, but at least those didn't start a month ago. ;)

Dee

Dee: I'm on the deck now and I just looked out at these goldenrod starting to bloom (in part shade). Spring always comes way too slow here by the coast and fall lasts a long time, which is good. I never noticed, but maybe fall is slow to start too. Feels kind of chilly today, though. The ocean is a big drag on seasons and temperature extremes.

That orangey splotch above the goldenrod is one leaf on a sumac, probably damaged. All the other sumac leaves are still green.

Claire

Great photos as always.

Claire, I really like the clematis meeting up with the wood's aster. I don't think I've ever seen a picture of your retaining wall. Where is it in relation to your house/other gardens?

The Cottage Forum had a similar thread that I posted to. The thread is below and includes some pics from other folks across the country. You'll find September pics from my garden in there. I'll post more to this thread later this month since the garden goes through so many changes during September.

Here is a link that might be useful: september blooms

Tina , what a cute toad lily! And I love your caladiums. I have one caladium, and I am going to try to overwinter it for the first time this year, too.

Claire, that corn plant is such a cool surprise! And the David's lavender is such a beautiful color. How many rose bushes do you have?

Pixie lou, I cannot seem to grow Russian sage in my yard. My plants that were purchased last fall look just like yours.

Thyme2dig----your gardens are stunning; they look so meticulously taken care of! I confess to being a lazy gardner; sliding by with a bare minimum of upkeep.

September is my favorite month in my gardens, but this September things are sort past their peak. I'm a little tired of it and I'm already making plans for next year's garden. One side of my yard has been in upheaval all summer. My neighbor told me she was putting a privacy fence up and I had to dig up my whole border on that side.....and guess what? No fence. The installer is months and months behind schedule. I could have left my plants instead of having to dig them up in late June.
Ugh, and I got hit with that impatiens virus just recently.

The morning glories foliage was kind of ugly and sick this year, but that didn't affect the bloom:

Autumn clematis:

Plectranthus, overwintered from a few small cuttings:

Seafoam reblooming:

Castor bean:

The zinnias are finally getting going:

The dipladenia and black-eyed susan vine in my front bed never really got going:

Little Lamb hydrangea in her fall colors:

Autumn Joy sedum and asters just starting to bloom:

Japanese anemone:

I was surprised these wintersown perennial sunflowers(helianthus? I don't know....) bloomed the first year:

Teresa

And I don't know why some of my pictures are so huge. Sorry about that.....I use photobucket, and they are on the right size on their website, then they show up big here!

Teresa

Teresa, beautiful garden!

What is the grass next to your hydrangea and autumn joy?

I want to try ornamental grass in a sunny dry spot along the sidewalk and driveway. However, I would need the grass to be less than 3 foot tall since it might block my view as I try to exit my driveway.

This is one of the few sunny spots I have. I think the neighborhood dogs have been peeing on that spot. Nothing really seems to take. Or, if it does, it just look plain 'tired' and brown.

Good luck on overwintering the caladium. Hopefully, we are successful and will have pictures of them next summer.

-Tina

thyme2dig: The retaining wall is in the alley at the south side of my house, across from the Phlox Protection Zone (which is by the house). The view is looking west. My parents' old toolshed is on top of the retaining wall which which was required by grade changes associated with new construction. Someday I may paint that toolshed, or maybe I'll just aim the clematis at its roof.

The alley is a working/storage area with the hose bib and a nursery where I plant things I find in the garden and haven't decided what to do with. I turned the white buckets on their sides after the last rain to foil mosquitoes trying to lay eggs in the water.

Teresa: Your garden is beautiful and I'm glad to see another clematis dripping over a fence. The morning glories on the trellis are obviously viewed from the top - is the trellis by a window?

I did a rough count of my roses by memory and I think I have about two dozen. Some of those are tiny and others are submerged in overgrown shrubbery. Roses do so well here that I've given them priority for the little full sun areas I have.

Claire

claire and girlcat - love your sweet autumn clematis. Mine is in almost full shade, and is just starting to bloom. It's growing on my daughters teepee, so I'm hoping it becomes a thug - at least in that area - and covers the teepee!

girlcat - is the castor bean perennial? I have some seeds I got in a trade. Was thinking of sowing them, but wasn't sure whether the plant was annual or perennial.

And I'll add goldenrod to the discussion. Lots of volunteer goldenrod plants down around the pond. Waiting for the siberian iris to fill in to choke out the weeds down there!

I have lots of gerbera daisies in containers on the patio. They usually stop blooming in July or so. But I'm getting a second round of blooms now.

My second sun flower of the year. NOID. Came from a mixed pack of seeds.

I dumped the pots of ws nasturtiums in one of my newly built raised beds that I'm composting/lasagna gardening in. I was surprise to see some blooming nasturtiums there!

And lastly - a slightly phallic looking mushroom sprouted up in the garden.

Steve - FWIW yesterday I posted a bunch of photos in the gallery of the hosts garden at the Acton Arboretum.

Steve: That streaked hosta is sensational, I didn't know I loved them until I saw yours.

Back in August, I think, you posted a pic of your Ilex verticillata (winterberry) berries turning red. I was amazed because all of mine were still solidly green. Now my winterberry wall is turning, along with a seedling.

The winterberry will be a joy until late December/early January when the birds will gobble up all of the ripened fruit.

Claire

Tina---thank you ! The ornamental grass is 'Hameln'. I also have 'Little Bunny' in that bed which looks very similar, but is about a foot tall.

Claire--thank you! The morning glories are atop a pergola covering my back deck and viewed from my upstairs bathroom window. Unfortunately I can't see them when I'm down in the yard.
I counted up my own rose bushes and to my surprise I have nearly as many as you, but they definately are not the 'stars' of my yard the way they are in yours.
And I am a sucker for Autumn clematis.....I haven't found it to be a garden thug at all.
Your winterberry looks gorgeous; I can't wait to get some in my yard.

Pixie Lou---I grow both my Sweet Autumn Clematis vines on the north sides of my house and shed. They were a little slow to get going, but don't seem to mind the lack of sun.
The castor bean is an annual. It's the first year I've grown it. I was hoping it would fill a gap where I took out some invasive honeysuckle on my property line. It did not get as bushy as I had hoped, but I must confess to totally leaving it on it's own throughout the drought.....no supplemental water at all. It would probably have done better if I had paid it a little attention.
Your sunflower bloom is a beauty!

Steve---that pennisetum 'Redhead' is very eye-catching; is it an annual grass?

Teresa

The predominant colors in my garden now seem to be pink and green and white. Not your usual fall colors and they'll probably not last too long. This time it's not roses; the pink and white is due to sedums and miscanthus.

Good old Autumn Joy with a variegated miscanthus

Miscanthus 'Cosmopolitan' with pink seedheads

Early this summer I decided I needed to add a border to pull together the front bed that has roses and peonies and grasses and junipers and whatever, so I moved some sedums from the alley to the front to see what would happen.

It worked out better than I expected. I think the sedums add a little control to what tends to be a very very informal planting. They do need to fill out a bit more.

I'm not sure yet whether it will work when the sedum color gets darker and browner as they always do. The green and white grasses will also turn tan soon so the pink and green and white color scheme will be fleeting, but I'm enjoying it now.

There's some white wood asters nearer to the house, just barely visible in the photos.

The colors are a little different in the last photo, probably because the sun came out and I changed the camera setting.

Claire

Claire--all that sedum looks so pretty; I especially like the first photo.

A few more from my yard.....

Verbena bonariensis taking over the zinnia bed:

Fall asters with Marth's Vineyard rose peeking through:

Purple Emporer sedum:

Caryopteris:

Purple hyacinth bean:

Salvia reblooming in front of 'The Fairy' rose:

One of the coleuses I overwintered; I particularly like the coloring of this one:

Teresa

- Tricolor Beech tree's pink leaves look nice against the purple spikes of Friesland Salvia

- Various lilies from my lily beds

- Sensation hydrangea - LOVE it!

-

I love the photos of your winterberry, Claire, including the pictures of the birds it has attracted (on the other thread). The sedum is beautiful. I may just have to plant some!

My gardens are pretty much done, but my red/pink asters surprised me by rallying, after being decimated by Japanese beetles during August. In the second picture you can see the withered, blackened stems. Apparently all my purple asters succumbed to the swarm.

Next year I will have to plant my morning glories, 4 o'clocks, and moonflowers someplace else where I can keep an eye on them. This yellow 4 o'clock is the single solitary blossom I've witnessed blooming.

Clearly there were a few other blooms - either moonflower or morning glory - but I missed them.

The only other thing still blooming (besides the wild goldenrod and a few waning marigolds and nasturtiums in pots) are a few scattered phlox, but they are a shadow of their summer magnificence. Still I'll take what color I can get. I'm looking forward to a good hard frost to bring out the colors in the sugar maples now.

Looking at all these beautiful flowers tended by loving hands is just pumping another addiction. Now I want more sedum, more phlox, hope my winterberry grows, on and on. I, on the other hand, am still in rhododendron mode. Surely, others must have autumn blooming rhodies, yes?
Just roseum elegans

Forgot which rhody - but it has Yak in it - see the leaves - and this is the 2nd blooming this year. Did the same last year.

Young sedum with pink scotch broom in background. Did not know that scotchbroom produces seed pods that look like flat peas.

This is the 3rd flush for the Livin Easy rose

Jane

None of my rhodies bloom in the fall, Jane. Does your Yak rhody leaves always curl up? I only see that in cold weather.

The sedum and broom is a great combination. I bet sedums would look good with 'Powis Castle' artemisia too (I remember you have them).

Love that rose!

Claire

Spedigrees---sorry about your purple asters! The pink is very pretty though. I didn't see many Japanese beetles in my yard this year, thank goodness. I have a moonflower vine just budding now; I hope it blooms before the cold gets it.

Jane----I haven't seen any rhodies around here blooming in September. I have a Yaku Princess....eight years old and only bloomed twice! I have no idea why; very frustrating.
That Livin' Easy rose is gorgeous! I'm a sucker for orange roses. Is the photo true to the actually bloom color? I think I'm going to be looking for one of those.

Teresa

Teresa - yes, the color is very true. Not only does this rose seemingly glow from the inside, the fragrance is wonderful. I planted it in a large container which sits on a sturdy plant caddy so that it can come into an enclosed porch for its dormant period this winter. It's the first year I've had it, but it is absolutely a spectacular rose - and again, it's the 3rd flush of roses since early June. I bought it at Flower Power Farm in East Windsor, CT - $16 in about a 2 gal. pot.

Kindly,
Jane

Claire, yes, I've noticed that leaves on the Yak and Yak hybrids seem to curl more despite the temperatures. I also have a Cunningham White that will rebloom in September, certainly not as prolifically, but it blooms again when most others are done. Must be a Celtic thing.(joke)

Jane

That's it! I must have Livin' Easy rose! Thanks for the info, Jane.

Teresa

I say, three cheers for weeds! at least some of them. This is the area I see from my deck (although I walked down to take the photos). This used to be all lawn with a few oaks and cherries, and I let the steepest part of it go wild with some added plants as a border. I may have relocated a goldenrod there, I don't remember. The white wood asters volunteered first, and then the goldenrod joined in. I like the combination of the asters, goldenrod, and variegated miscanthus.

Another volunteer is a pokeberry in my alley by the side of the house (this is a plain old "alley", not a fancy "allee"). Here the pokeberry fruits are hanging over the one sedum I didn't move out.

Claire

It's been a great year for everything, including the desert garden out front, as well as gardenias, roses, camellias, daylilies, rosemary and more. But the coleus in this photo is amazing. It's ONE plant started from a six pack in spring. The scale may not be obvious, but the planter is 4 ft. W X 4ft. L X 4 ft. H. I've grown coleus many times but this one really surprised me!

{{gwi:5901}}

That's a great corner planter, Bill, and the coleus looks wonderful there. Are you going to take cuttings so you'll have the same behemoth next year?

Claire

That coleus looks amazing, Bill!

Teresa

Claire, yes I will take cuttings. I have a couple of other coleus from last year that overwintered in a vase of water on the window sill so it's easy for sure.
Teresa and Claire, thanks for the positive comments!

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I just realized its October. I'll try to get the new thread up tomorrow.