There is a persistent garden legend around here that has begun to annoy me. I heard it again the last week of July from a new-to-gardening friend. I told her that her container plants looked really thirsty (my thoughts were more like, “All that money you spent on those annuals is going to go down the drain if you don’t water them today!” Yeah, they were really that close to death. Her response? “It doesn’t matter, right? They are just going to die in a week anyway.”
Au contraire, my friend. I have plants blooming into October (stop laughing everyone)! I told her she had a good month or 6 weeks left of her container and to keep watering it.
What was blooming, September 23rd, in my garden*:
1. Salvia
2. Achillea
3. Alyssum
4. Dahlia
5. Petunia
6. Papaver
7. Verbascum
8. Penstemon
9. Periscaria nummalaria aurea
10. Viola sp.
11. Sedum
12. Moss
What was blooming, October 17, in my garden:
1. Salvia
2. Achillea
3. Alyssum
4. Penstemon
5. Moss
*You’ll notice this list is not very specific as far as variety, but my computer (to put it in the evocative language of someone that lives at my house but shall remain unnamed) “took a dump” and my plant list is looking something like $%^&&*>"*!@#
There was quite a drop off in types of plants in bloom over the course of about a month, but still, it’s something! It should give heart to those who assume Alaska has a three month window of bloom that ends like a guillotine on midnight, August 31st. And for the record, it hasn’t snowed yet at my house. Woohoo!!
What is the die-off date in your area?
My asters are the exclamation points of fall. The rest succumbed to a hard frost, but I'm with you. Ride the wave my friend, ride the wave.
ReplyDeleteYou have a nice variety of bloomers in your garden. Just shows that if you pick the right varieties you have string out those bloom days.
ReplyDeleteI think some people just fer fed up and start to neglect their plants and use seasonality as an excuse.
ReplyDelete@Bonnie KHi, Bonnie! Sorry to say the wave ended abruptly today, when I awoke to 6 inches of snow. And it's still snowing. This must be the universe thumbing it's nose at the Alaska gardener that dares to push the season boundaries.
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P.S. Much as I adore a good fall aster, they don't seem to like me back.
@Lisa at GreenbowI hate to take any credit for planning for bloom, though. My mantra is foliage that is interesting and bloom that does the summer/autumn thing. I guess I've given the horticultural equivalent of the cold shoulder to spring and early summer. Note to self, plant some spring and early summer stuff.
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@Sue GarrettHello, Sue. Why didn't I think of that? I'm usually quite cutting edge when it comes to lazy gardening.
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I love that first picture! Here we usually have a few things blooming until sometime in November, though most of the "summer" flowers start disappearing at the beginning of October.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful picture, especially that top one. Killing frost here can be anywhere from early September to some time in November. This year we had a light frost that did in some of the heat lovers but mainly damaged the rest. I have no idea anymore what might bloom in my garden since the dastardly deer are eating everything. Will someone please explain to me why does should not be hunted? The balance is completely gone. I do have a container with begonia that is still stunningm alyssums, bless their sturdy hearts, a few baby roses and oh yes, marigolds. Must plant more marigolds later in the year when the slugs have slowed down a bit.
ReplyDeleteWay to show people you can keep gardening until there's ice on your fingers!! LOL. Seriously, I love you've chosen plants that can last through the fall. It's all about the selection isn't it? My garden closes up shop far too early I've realized. Most blooms were gone by the end of September, although I will admit I was still picking turnips at the beginning of November. Perhaps I need to reverse the two?
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