Departing summer hath assumed
An aspect tenderly illumed,
The gentlest look of spring;
That calls from yonder leafy shade
Unfaded, yet prepared to fade,
A timely carolling.
- William Wordsworth, September
Here we are the middle of September and perhaps, especially for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, taking stock of what is left in the garden. It does serve to make me actually stop and take a proper look at what is left flowering and to my surprise there is still quite a lot. All these photos I took early this morning, so the lighting is different to what it would be later on in the day. September has a wonderful clear quality to the light, something I am beginning to learn about, especially when it comes to photography.
The Japanese Anemones and Fuchsias are still in full swing and looking very happy and healthy. I would have liked to have included a photo of the Passion Flower but it has been a bit mean with its blooms this year and there are none left now.
The South facing sunny border, to the left of the garden, is very dry and last week I cut down the dried up, dead and dying Peony leaves as well as the Geum, which didn’t fair too well in its new home this Summer. I have one solitary Verbena Bonariensis, which is swaying in the wind and looking slightly ridiculous, so I didn’t bother to photograph it. I must remember to plant several together next time with the hope that they all self seed and clump up.
I noticed that the Salvia Hot Lips were flowering again and as I got closer with my camera, I saw new buds on the Penstemon also, so life carries on despite Autumn knocking on the door. I have collected as many Cerinthe seeds as I can, leaving some with the expectation of it coming back again next year.
As you are probably all too aware, September brings out the spiders. If your garden is anything like mine, you will find yourself entangled in a spiders web very quickly. I try to remember to walk with something in front me , just to break the web before I feel I have to brush anything out of my hair.
Earlier this year I bought a little pale leaved plant from the A&E bench at the local garden center. I then lost the label so Tweeted a photo of the pretty blue flower asking for it to be named. True to form, Twitter came up trumps and I know the plant to be Caryopteris. That and the Sedum look very colourful together as well as the Nasturtiums that continue to flower.
In the bottom flower bed, almost everything has now gone to seed or died. This weekend I will be collecting as many seeds as I can from the Poppies and Love in the Mist. The Hisbuscus is still flowering and the Michelmas Daisies are just about to burst through – always a very pretty, almost shocking, pink which lends a bit of brightness to an otherwise dull border at this time of year.
Taking a quick look at the front garden, the Skimmia which has been covered in red berries all summer, is now producing new berries, which look like little green apples just beginning to ripen. Then there is the magnificent Hydrangea which, with its enormous mopheads, has been absolutely splendid this year.
Finally on this September Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, I can’t leave you with a rose. The Compassion Rose, which sulked for a while earlier this summer is doing itself proud and making up for lost time. It has a slightly autumnal burnished look to the buds which makes it all the more attractive at the moment.
Please now visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens and see what everyone else has got for their Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.