September - - - a beautiful month!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Although I dislike the thought that September and October is a precursor of colder months waiting ahead – I absolutely love the colours and fauna our plants give us during this time of year.
It’s a magical sight in the yards and gardens; watching plants delightfully transform into various stages of colours and textures. You are witness to luxurious greens turning into soft muted tones of yellows or robust, vibrant shades of orange and red. It is a very special time when all kinds of unique and interesting perennials are just reaching their peak.
So often we think that this is the final lap for our perennials in the garden – but that is far from the reality that can be. There are a lot of plants that truly shine during this special time of year. All we need to do is a little bit of planning to include them in the garden!
We can enjoy the wonderful beauty of the taller ornamental grasses, like the pampas and miscanthus, as they send up their glorious tassels to quiver and sway in the gentle autumn breezes. The smaller cousins like blood grass and Japanese sedge certainly hold their own as their colours intensify.
We can be pleased by the flickering finches who seek out interesting seed heads from coneflowers, gaillardias and rudbeckias.
The loosestrife and lythrum still refuse to cease their floral display which really pleases my hummingbirds that are eagerly searching for that last ounce of nectar before contemplating their southerly journey.
They also enjoy the fruits of the trumpet vine that gently winds its way through the cherry tree still sporting beautiful orange blooms that hold their favourite dish of sweetness.
The ligularias are in their glory right now. I have several varieties that bloom all through the growing season but the topper is the one out in the garden right now - Ligularia dentata Britt Marie Crawford. It has bold structural foliage and very dramatic with its deep maroon stems housing two toned leaves of dark purple on top and blood red underneath. All this is perfectly contrasted by the deep orange-yellow daisy-like flowers that explode above all the foliage. It never fails to turn my head for admiration as I do my walkabouts in the garden, therefore rightly earning the title of Plant of the Week
Don’t forget the smaller contributors – epimedium (barrenwort) and cranesbills (perennial geranium)! These fellows not only give you great showing in spring and summer with fanciful greenery and flowers; they turn magnificent colours of maroon, red and buff for their fall performance.
So there are a few ideas to assist you in enjoying your garden this time of year. It truly is a magical time and I hope you will take advantage of all that nature has to give.
That’s it for now – enjoy and Happy Gardening!
Terri Dent is home grown from Chatham-Kent. Her roots began on a farm in Raleigh Township. She moved to the big city of Chatham when she married in 1971 but the love of the land and nature has always remained in her blood. Her big push into horticulture started in the 80's. She and husband Ron (with tender persuasion) decided to turn their suburban plot - which their house laid on, into something more than a patch of grass. Through numerous gardening and horticultural courses, Terri harnessed the knowledge to move full steam ahead and hasn't looked back. She has a Diploma in Garden and Landscape Design and believes continuous education is a must in the horticultural world. Terri was instrumental in starting up Garden Tours in Chatham and has won numerous local and regional gardening awards. The Dent's garden has been published in several magazines and is listed as a the number one top area garden in the Ontario's Great Gardens to Visit book authored by a Patricia Singer of Toronto. Terri's past speaking engagements have been to business, church groups, libraries and Horticultural Societies. Terri presently sits on the Board of Directors for the Blenheim-Harwich Horticultural Society.
