Seeds, bulbs, and rhizomes

Pansy seed pods

My first Botanus mail order arrived and was planted this week.  I ordered two novelty bearded iris "Final Episode" (yellow and purple flowers) rhizomes and they were promptly planted in the center raised bed. I hope they do well there.  They prefer to have some sandy soil and stay on the dry side in the summer.  I have only one other variety of bearded iris, and it has multiplied handily.  It is a plain but sturdy blue flower of unknown name. 

First fall mail order arrives: Bearded iris rhizomes to be planted

I decided to let the alpine currant grow freely this year, choosing not to prune it in the spring.  I decided that it may take up more space in the raised bed, covering ground I otherwise would have to weed and cultivate.  However, there were several lily plants growing under the currant this summer, and those were moved to better locations. 

Cosmos mix in the raised bed

My project in the center raised bed with a succession of annuals has worked well.  July saw a lovely mass of Papaver rhoeas, an annual poppy.  These faded in August and I pulled them in September.  Now, the cosmos are blooming their bright mix of colors.  These are tall cosmos, so they started pushing above the poppies in late August.  However, they are easy victims to wind storms, as the shorter supportive poppies are now gone.  I've pushed a bunch of bamboo stakes into the ground and tied them up.  It's worth the two months of lovely color!  The poppy seeds were volunteers from the flowers of last year (you could directly sow these in April) and the cosmos were directly sown in early May.  Cosmos are one of the few annuals that looks great right up until frost.  I think I may try some shorter ones next year, and focus on planting them around the edges of the raised bed.  For the center, I might try growing some of the late flowering Phlox paniculata.  It grows reasonably tall and flowers in September. 

Ornamental kale

I hope my ornamental kale grows its showy pink centers before the grasshoppers eat it all! 

Getting that Autumn Feeling

It has been a rainy weekend, but that's okay, since we had some nice weather in the last half of August.  I've put in a couple of bulb orders, though there won't be a huge bulb-planting extravaganza as in previous years.  I've decided to try a few more Oriental lilies, as they bloom later and will thus extend the lily season into August.  Looking at the garden now, I wish I had more Echinacea for their late season color.  I prefer Ruby Star and Magnus for their size and bloom shape (I hate the droopy-petal flowers on some of the other pink varieties).

Presently, I have only a few perennials blooming, including the Morden Chrysanthemum, Echinacea, Potentilla, Scabiosa, Gentiana septemfida, Geranium Rozanne, Monarda and the roses.  

Morden Chrysanthemum

 Our fruits/vegetables have had a challenging time this year, being victim to the raids of the squirrels.  Our dog keeps the ones in the back yard under control (she has eaten a few), but there are two squirrels in the front yard that have stolen all our tomatoes from the potted plants on the front deck, leaving the green tomatoes half-eaten and sitting like trophies on top our chain link fence in the back yard.  They even crawled under the carefully-placed netting to steal the strawberries!  I have lost patience and RLM has been out with his pellet gun, though I think it is getting rather late in the season to save many of the tomatoes.   

Several pumpkins are ripening.  This is a small pie pumpkin variety called "Field Trip".

Alpine garden - with few blooms this time of year.

Morden "Centennial" Rose

Gentiana septemfida, a beautiful blue-flowering late season perennial.

Monarda x hybrida "Bergamo", which I grew from seed this year.

 
 Among the indoor plants, one of my Phalaenopsis orchids has rebloomed.  It did have three spikes, but I accidentally broke one off, leaving only these two stems full of flowers.  I had been keeping this plant under fluorescent lights in the basement for the past year, where it grew abundant leaves and looked far too happy and coddled, so I brought it upstairs and put it by the window.  It responded by blooming.  Orchid blooms last for months too, so keeping a Phalaenopsis after blooming is definitely worthwhile. 

Lily Perfume and Other Lovely Blooms

Tall delicate flowers of Thalictrum rochebrunianum (Giant meadow rue).

 How are your gardens growing?  It is that time of year that we do seem to spend less time in the yard, and the yard isn't doing as much as it was in spring.  Of course, this leaves time for other summer activities. 

Thalictrum seeds itself around generously and I pull out seedlings all around the flower beds, but I leave a few to grow these 6-8 foot delicate towers topped in tiny pink and yellow flowers. The flowers are hard to photograph, hardly appearing more significant than spider webs. 

Oriental lily "Acapulco", planted in fall 2010

 The Oriental lilies seem to be the last lilies to flower in my garden.  They are just getting into their prime today and smell amazing.  Orientals are known for their amazing fragrance.  I would plant some more of these just to have more end-of-summer-color, if I could remember where the empty spots are (the remains of tulips are now disappearing and I can't keep up with my own signage).  I buy my lilies by mail order and plant them in fall.  I prefer to buy only the types of lilies with upwards facing flowers, which includes the LA Hybrids and the Orientals, but not the Martagon lilies and some others. 

Hardy geranium "Rozanne".

 I think the bees, frogs, spiders, and ants enjoy my yard a whole lot.  We see many insects here and they seem to thrive, except for those 300 or so dead ants I just dumped out of the new hummingbird feeder.  That made me decide that there is indeed a purpose for those ant moats they sell to keep ants from hummingbird feeders!  

The hardy geraniums are known to spread seed a fair bit, but Rozanne does not make seeds and has very attractive flowers on a nice compact rounded plant, making it one of the most recommended hardy geraniums.

Large raised bed with Oriental lilies; Lac La Ronge in the background.

Annual poppy Papaver rhoeas

After a losing battle with the squirrels last year, I started my "Tiffany" sunflowers indoors this spring and planted them out as 4 week old plants.  This was more successful and we are getting a few of these bright flowers for August.  I was planning for blooms in fall, but their headstart may have accelerated their blooming season.  "Tiffany" is another sterile flower that doesn't make seeds -- much to the kids' dismay --but this feature ensures that the squirrels won't ravage the blooms either.   

"Heavenly blue" morning glory, an annual vine.

The yard, just before mowing today.