Fall's Gentian Blues

There were beautiful sunshine and clear skies today, showcasing the effects of last night's -5 degree celsius temperatures on the wilted annuals.

A lucky petunia that has not yet succumbed to frost:

Fall colors of the Siberian Dogwood, a shrub I picked for it's touted "winter attraction". The younger stems are a brilliant red, which if the snow is not too deep, you might be able to appreciate!

Lupinus polyphyllus "Gallery Yellow", another perennial that hasn't looked this good all summer:

Reblooming Campanula persicifolia:

My first blooms of Gentiana septemfida, the lovely blue crested gentian. This one was given to me by a local gardener friend. I see that Kate's (in Regina, SK) crested gentian bloomed in the end of August! Mine is a month late (and 518 km/322 mi north), though this is its first summer in my garden.

Kona is giddy about her new straw bedding. Her house may look over-stuffed now, but it is her bedding for the winter and all the frosty -45 degree celsius nights we are looking forward to! Of course, her fur will also have to keep her warm, since she pulled the rubber door off of her house last spring.

Fall Garden Tour

Here is a fall tour our yard, for those that have noticed a lack of pictures that encompass the yard as a whole rather than through the macro lens. There was a bit of sunshine this morning before it started to rain.

Large raised bed on the right:

Raised beds, blue spruce, and crabapple. You can also see three of the four "Carmine Jewel" tart cherries, which I planted in 2005. The water is Lac La Ronge.

View from the road:

The shade beds, under the poplars that I hate (I hate the fluff and the suckers everywhere).

The first of my sunflowers!

The perennial border along the driveway.

Bank of sedum (unknown type), which flowers yellow in July and turns red in fall. The mountain ash tree to the right has been stripped clean of its orange berries by the hungry robins. I would like to do something more with this bank, but it is composed of mainly sand, boulders, and rubble. It is impossible to dig weeds out of here and most plants would require addition of real soil.

Daylily planted last week, labeled with a Permastake, my favourite plant marker:

Morden "Blush" rose never looked this good all summer!

Large raised bed with fall colors in the background. My raised beds contain mostly perennials.