Yep, I’m late late late. We were away on 15 Sept., the usual GBBD date, and then events overtook. But it’s the last hurrah for the New Hampshire garden until May, so I’m ploughing on with deets & pics of flowers at the end of summer, beginning of autumn.
First, the weather. We had 5.75 inches of rain in September, and it rained at least a little on 19 of the 30 days, AND it’s rained on three of the first four days of October. The highest high temperature for September was 79.5F, on the 15th, and lowest high was 53.6F, on the 30th; the lowest low temp was 40.6F on the 29th, and the highest low was 64.2F on the 23rd. The daily mean (average) temperature for Sept. was 59.8F. I can tell you anecdotally that I’ve gone from sleeveless tops and a skort to flannel and fleece with long pants in the space of about five weeks.
Now — the flowers!
FRONT YARD
We haven’t had a frost yet, and the annuals are still blooming: gazania, zinnias, cosmos (white one hosts a tiny goldenrod crab spider), and Cuphea ‘Vermillionaire’ (large firecracker plant).
Most of the echinacea bloomed from June through August, but a few have rebloomed now; this photo was taken on 28 Sept.
The Autumn Fire and Autumn Joy sedums are lighting things up with their pinkish-reddish hues.
As I’ve mentioned previously, ‘Rozanne’ geranium blooms all season, from June into October.
On the main stage now in the front yard is the Aster laevis ‘Bluebird’, which attracts monarchs, cabbage moths, and other Lepidoptera (most of which have left us in the last week or so), bees, hoverflies, and other pollinators in droves.
SIDE YARD
The buddleia is finishing up.
Cosmos and calendula (both from seed) have just begun blooming, and the morning glory, plus the orange marigolds that I bought hoping to deter some vegetable garden pests (alas, it didn’t seem to work this year), continue their show.
Amidst wild asters and holly berries, some splashes of pale pink in the Intensia Neon Pink phlox.
The feverfew seems to bloom from start to finish. It’s still going strong in the vegetable garden.
Russian sage (Perovskia sp.) doesn’t do all that well where I’ve planted it; I think it’s too shady and too crowded. But a remnant gamely reappears and blooms each year.
As in the front and back yard, the asters — a mix of purple, pink, and native white and lilac — are in high bloom in the side yard, too. These are the pink ones:
And across the lawn in the rock wall, a pee gee hydrangea (planted by previous owners) is aglow.
SHADE GARDEN
A favourite of mine, Kirengeshoma palmata (yellow waxy bells) just finished its bloom. It’s not showy — more demur, I’d have to say — but its smooth, almost-sculpted, drooping flower is still a feast for the eyes — my eyes, anyway. I like the foliage, too.
‘Hot Lips’ Chelone lyonii (turtlehead) blooms between the shade garden and the back border, enticing bumblebees to its perfectly shaped buds, which are shown here in rain.
The Heuchera ‘Kassandra’ (a coral bells cultivar) is blooming now! And its foliage is a nice contrast to others in the shade garden.
BACK YARD
More asters.
Plus another pee gee hydrangea.
Some echinacea still hanging around in the back border, at least until about a week ago. This photo, taken on 7 Sept, reveals a jagged assassin bug lurking.
The Joe Pye weed is pretty much finished now but it was going strong throughout September, an invitation to monarchs to feed before heading south. There are 10 monarchs on these blooms (top photo taken on 8 Sept).
Persicaria ‘Painter’s Palette’ is grown for the variegated foliage, but I like the dainty stem of red blooms that pop out in late summer/early fall.
There’s goldenrod everywhere in the yard but probably more in the back than the front and sides. There’s even some in the shade garden, posing with lamium.
We were fortunate on 9 Sept. to see a pair of fairly rare birds here, prairie warblers, mostly on goldenrod plants for about an hour. I got photos (thru the sunroom window) only of the female.
One of the last hummingbirds I saw this summer was on the comfrey, also on the 9th Sept.
I can’t remember where I bought this perennial mum a couple of years ago or what variety is it.
FRUIT GUILD
Peach season has come and gone! It lasted less time than usual due to vagaries of weather but we had hundreds of sweet peaches, which we turned into pie, peach cobbler bread, and dehydrated peaches. And we gave away most of them to neighbours to eat, can, freeze, and use for baking. I encountered one of the few grey tree frogs I saw this year while peach-picking.
I like anise hyssop when it mellows in late summer like this.
The sneezeweed and woodland sunflower are still blooming bright yellow in this somewhat dark corner of the yard. (It wouldn’t be quite so dark if it weren’t so overgrown with fennel, Queen Anne’s Lace, ferns, shrubs, etc.)
Thanks for walking the garden paths with me this month! See you next spring!
Featured image is goldenrod crab spider in white cosmos. Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.
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