September Bloom Day

Butternut squash

the vine that took over the yard!

pumpkin in hiding

small acorn squash

hanging basket

tuberous begonia that I keep and grow every year

white tuberous begonia

white begonia in tree- it takes until August for them to start blooming well although this one has bloomed nearly all summer

some squash harvested before frosty night yesterday

Autumn Joy sedums

closeup

Toad lily-I like these tiny orchid looking flowers

berries of the Jack in the Pulpit

Eupatorium 'Juncius'

another view

Anemone going strong

annual salvia that's bloomed all summer

Summer Blues Delphinium

fall view of east side

view of hillside in need of some weeding

Fiesta rose poking through little bluestem grass(which has flopped over this year)

Pink Lemonade honeysuckle

 Not much time for the gardens these days since being back at work in my school. By the time I get home there's just enough time to do some watering before dark. I've been doing a lot of that these days since we haven't had much rain in at least a couple of weeks. We had our first frost here already last night. About three weeks earlier than normal. I'm still trying to enjoy the gardens but am tired of watering so often. The butterflies are mostly gone now but I've enjoyed the hummers at my feeder the last couple of weeks as they ready for their trip to warmer climates.
 It wasn't a great year for tomatoes but the squash went to town. My apple bagging attempt had mixed results. There were a few good apples but I found a few good ones that weren't bagged also. The bags also held a lot of moisture even with the holes cut in the bottom for drainage. There were lots of apples on the trees but only a few edible ones. Even so there's something about eating an apple you've grown yourself.
 I always have mixed feelings about the gardens this time of year. There's some sadness because the beauty will soon be gone and buried in white but also a sense of relief from all the work that this passion entails for a few months out of the year.

Funkie Gardens

   Last week Mom and I traveled a little ways to Marine on St. Croix, north of Stillwater, Minnesota. We went to visit Funkie Gardens, a nursery specializing in hostas and rare perennials. We went looking for the mini hosta 'Holy Mouse Ears' and whatever else we might find. We both love discovering what smaller, specialty growers have to offer.
   Once we arrived we found how many "mouse" hostas there are! After doing more research at home I discovered there are at least 18 different varieties. Mom got the 'Holy Mouse Ears' she had looked for all summer. I decided on 'Frosted Mouse' and 'Snow Mouse'. So many choices of these tiny wonders, some way out of our price range. We checked out all the other hosta offerings and I found another tiny one called 'Teeny Weeny Bikini'. I also picked out 'Diana Remembered',a full sized hosta. I had a small hosta named 'Miss Susie' on my list to look for but didn't see any. I asked and the helpful person chatting with my talkative mom went and found one for me. It wasn't potted because they were small but I popped it in the garden as soon as I got home. Mom and I both picked out a few more perennials and I reserved a couple of Martagon Lily bulbs which will be dug later in September. I've never had these before but have read about them and wanted to try them.
   It was so nice to talk to someone who is knowledgable about the plants they offer.  When going to local garden centers I feel like we know as much or more than some of the help. We also like finding plants that aren't widely available. There's also a fun gift shop next door with lots of garden accessories. After stopping for lunch in Stillwater we headed home with our treasures.
   I will have to get the new things planted this week before I go back to work at school next week. My lazy, carefree summer days are coming to an end very soon!

                 Some of what's blooming  in the gardens today

new phlox 'Aureole'

new Hosta 'Teeny Weeny Bikini'

new Hosta 'Diana Remembered'

 Hibiscus 'Plum Crazy'

awesome purple pods on hyacinth bean!

Hyacinth bean flowers

Sedum 'Abbeydore' 

Joe Pye Weed

Rose 'Pink Grootendorst'

'Blue Heaven' little bluestem

'Prairie Sky' Switchgrass

unnamed phlox

'Pink Beauty' Potentilla

'Little Lamb' Hydrangea

'Pinky Winky' Hydrangea

'Tiger Eyes' Sumac already turning color

 

It's Magic!

leaves in early May

four naked stalks poking up through daylily leaves

last week's buds 

soft pink flowers with a hint of blue 

most stalks ever!

A fun wonder to have in the garden is the Magic Lily-Lycoris squamigera. They're magical because a clump of strappy leaves appear in early spring but then disappear. In August I begin to search for the bare stalks that seem to shoot up overnight. I'm so excited this year because it's the first time since I planted these bulbs in 2002 that all three are blooming! The largest clump has bloomed the past two years and once before in 2006.  Last year it had two flower stalks but this year it has four! I love the pastel rosy pink with a slight blue tinge color. These plants are a protected zone four hardiness and are doing well on the east side of my house. I thank my mom for introducing the magic to me.

August Bloom Day

Swallowtail on 'Fancy Feelings' Phlox

view from front steps-Hydrangea tree 'Pink Diamond' and Hydrangea 'Quickfire'

Coleus 'The Flume' filled out

Phlox

Phlox 'Laura'

backdoor planter

Phlox in backyard

Sunpatien

daylily 'Princton Silky'

Hydrangeas 'Little Lamb' and 'Pinky Winky'

hillside garden in backyard

Hydrangea 'Little Lamb'

Hydrangea 'Pinky Winky'

annual moss rose basket on deck

water hyacinth- first time it had blooms they were destroyed by storm before they opened

closeup

magic lily flowers-more on next post about these

another phlox

hyacinth bean-finally climbing up arbor and blooming