Late Bloomers

The front garden continued its show from September into October.

The hydrangea is so gorgeous with the autumn sedum and wooly thyme at its feet. 

I planted salvia in late June and it continues to astound me. Showy purple plumes invite the bees and pollinators for miles around. This is supposed to be perennial, here's hoping, as last year's varietal didn't come back as promised.

Daphne also kept its bloom through summer into fall, although it had more perfume early in the season. So glad I transplanted this to enjoy more light. An added bonus is that I get to see it when I walk out the front door.

Purple coneflowers and astors in the front blossomed and then died back very quickly, while the rudbeckia spread recklessly. 

Calla lilies definitely did not get enough sun where I planted them, but the dahlias prospered. The white dahlias' visual appeal isn't long lasting because when they brown they look half dead. Next year, orange! Porticulata is also on the nursery shopping list; the annual flowers all year with a minimum of fuss.

The pollinator garden got end of season attention when I dug up a fair bit of sea holly and moved the lambs ear. The sea holly was falling onto the sidewalk and taking over. Digging it up was a bit of a chore, the roots are tenacious. We'll have to see if the lambs ears can stand up to their new neighbours. I may be weeding more in that corner next year.

The anemone only started to open its petals the second week of October. We planted in spring but it didn't even bud until September. Probably too busy establishing its roots.  Before our front garden was torn up for city work there were plenty of purple anemones there, and when I looked to replace them this year it was hard to find a nursery with any in stock.  

A trio of white is blooming at the entrance of the back garden: impatiens, phlox, and mandevilla. Earlier in the season, a rabbit or groundhog chewed the phlox to half its size, so it is good to see it is resilient.

Early summer I transplanted mandevilla into the ground when I brought it home, and then it spent two months on its roots without flowering - next year I will look for another white one, but keep it in a pot so I can enjoy the flowers longer. 

Also in bloom: nasturtium, monks hood, snakeroot, autumn cyclamen, and foxglove that was planted in mid-August for Alex' wedding. Backyard colours are still predominantly green, with white and hues of red, pink and purple. Fall colours will be changing that palette soon enough.

Must order more cyclamen for next year! They look so exotic poking up through the leaves of violet.