It’s fall and many gardeners take leave of their garden until spring. Autumn is a great time to create new color schemes that will carry over into the winter garden. It’s just like spring all over again! Frost hardy flowering plants get their turn, such as pansies, violas, snapdragons, and diascias (USDA Hardiness zone 7), […]
Archive for the ‘Autumn flowering’ Category
Fall Blooming ‘October Skies’ Aster
From Maine to Texas, the aromatic asters (Symphyotrichum (Aster) oblongifolius) are great garden performers in the fall garden (USDA hardiness zones 5–8). The cultivar ‘October Skies’ is one of the best. Plants are covered with lavender blue flowers (up to 1 ¼ inches in diameter) from late September thru late October. Each flower displays a gold button center. […]
Wingstem Common Along Roadsides In Late Summer
In late summer several wildflowers, golden rods (Solidago spp.)and ironweeds (Vernonia spp.) to name two, start blooming along many Midwestern and Eastern U.S. roadsides. Wingstems (Verbesina alternifolia) are another 4-8 feet tall native perennial wildflower that grows nearby (USDA hardiness zones 4-7). Many people ask what they are. Sturdy stems, mostly unbranched, stand tall and […]
Reawaken Your Garden This Fall
In many areas of the U.S., Labor Day traditionally signals return to school, the start of the football season, and an end to gardening for the year. Mother Nature surely did not schedule it this way. Here are ten plants (plus an extra) that are blooming in late August thru the coming weeks: Stonecrops or […]
Tall Sedum – The New Mailbox Plant
Tall sedums (Sedum x spectabile) are a popular late summer blooming perennial often nicknamed “showy stonecrops” (USDA hardiness zones 3-9). Members of the succulent plant family, tall sedums have thick round leaves and are recognized for their drought resistance. Star shaped flowers are clustered in colors ranging from whites, pinks, and reds, depending on the […]
Gladiolas Are Wonderful Cutflowers
Across most regions of the U.S., planting gladiola corms (they’re not really “bulbs”) begins a week before the probable frost-free date has passed in the spring. Stagger individual plantings every 2-3 weeks through mid- July. Many people opt to grow them as cutflowers for their homes. Purchase large or premium sized corms that measure 1 […]
‘Going Bananas’ Daylily Blooms Continuously
‘Going Bananas’ is an extended-blooming daylily. This diploid cultivar flowers a three month long continuous blooming cycle (rather than stopping and starting again) from early summer into fall. Each bloom stays open longer, at least 16 hours per day. Each trumpet-shaped flower opens wider, a new genetic trait in daylilies. Going Bananas features slightly fragrant, […]
‘Stella D’Oro’- First And Last Daylily To Bloom
For over a quarter of a century, wherever daylilies (Hemerocallus spp.) grow, you will find the very popular gold-flowered ‘Stella d’Oro’ daylily (USDA hardiness zones 2-9). It’s one of a few daylilies that blooms 3 out of 4 seasons. Its small size makes it an ideal choice as a ground cover. This short clump growing […]
Growing Sunflowers Fun Family Activity
Growing sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) are the current rage. Sunflowers are native to Central America and have been cultivated for thousands of years. Sunflowers are classified as annuals, living one growing season, and often returning the following spring from seeds dropped the previous fall. Some gardeners put out large beds to feed the birds. Sunflowers come […]
ShiShi Gashira Camellia So Far Holding Up to Zone 6-b Winters
Camellias bloom at a time when most trees and shrubs are not flowering. Growing them is no longer a dream for gardeners who do not live in the deep South. A number of “designated zone 6 hardy” cultivars prosper in the Southern Appalachian region (USDA hardiness zones 6 and 7). ‘ShiShi Gashira’ camellia (Camellia hiemalis) […]