Sedum HerbstfreudeAlthough there is plenty of color in the garden, many of the early perennials have finished flowering and I have cut the stems to the ground so that the crowns will build up for subsequent years. The compost heap is ready to be turned now and I will use what is ready through the autumn to mulch around the crowns of perennials and on the rest of the borders to improve the soil and cut down on weeding!
Verbena bonariensis is a joy in our garden for months through summer and autumn. Not only do the leafless stems hold up to the strongest of breezes, so that the flowers wave around, but there are always plenty of insects and butterflies attracted to them adding more movement and color. The Day Lilies have done well this year and the big established clumps have flowered for weeks but are ending now. I will cut them to the ground, leaves and all and give them a feed of fertilizer to reward them for their show - new leaves will soon be produced and the crowns will build for future years. Some of the clumps have grown very large and although they are still flowering well, this is a good time to divide them and spread them around the garden!
For late color in the garden, Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ is one of my favorite plants. It is such a good doer in most soils and sun or part shade, where the bright gold daisies shine for weeks above ground covering clumps of deep green leaves. We have it in several spots in the garden as it is not too fussy about the soil as long as it remains moist – hence the productive compost heaps for mulch! It also grows in Mrs McGregor’s cutting garden as it is invaluable material for this time of the year.
Asters in the garden flower for weeks and attract plenty of butterflies. There is nothing like them for autumn color and there are many to choose from. From August until October, there is at least one in flower starting with ‘Little Carlow’ which has single, rich blue flowers with a nectar rich purple center and ending with the dwarf growing ‘Little Pink Beauty’. Again, moisture retentive soil is required so that the plants do not dry out in summer, making many varieties susceptible to mildew. My favorite has to be the old variety ‘Winston S Churchill’ with magenta flowers that glow for weeks in the borders and in a vase.
In the front garden, the Dieramas (Angel’s Fishing Rods) have been a picture wafting in the breeze and loving the hot weather. They have almost finished flowering now and are a mass of papery seed heads holding plenty of potential progeny that will seed around the garden! I have been content to let them do so but we are thinning them out this year as some of the older clumps are beginning to crowd other plants. Luckily there are always plenty of friends who would like corms of these charming plants although Dieramas dislike being moved and will sulk and not flower for a few years until they settle into their new homes!
