The Start of Autumn

Autumn is upon us in my area. The beginning of this month was quite warm, hot even, but now, at the end of September things have changed over. Days are reaching for 70’s and nights are in the 50’s. And rain, plenty of rain. We’ve also been getting a lot of wind. Some of my pots are top-heavy and I awake nearly daily to find them like this.

 

The Sweet Autumn Clematis is done with its blooms, but the seed heads are forming. Cute little feathers!

 

The Joe Pye Weed took over the “fluffy white” duties from the Clematis.

My ‘Fireworks’ Goldenrod is peak right now.

And the bees love it!

The Fall Anemone is bouncy and cheerful.

My ‘Limelight’ Hydranga is a rusty pink, which I find pretty, but not what I expected. And, if it is going to be pink, it is in the wrong place because it is in front in my white-yellow-blue triangle. It was whiteish-green this summer. I’ll have to find out if this is typical behavior.

The Knockout Roses have perked up now that the infidel Japanese beetles are gone.

The Chard that I planted for color has intensified.

And, some late starting Cleome finally bloomed.

This is my favorite time of year!

August Slowdown

I think of this time of year as a lull in my garden. There is plenty that is blooming, however, for about 2-3 weeks already, and continuing for another 1-2 weeks, there isn’t much *change* in what is blooming.

The Coneflowers, Blue Thistles, Brown-Eyed Susans, Coreopsis, early Goldenrod, Pincushion Flower, and Balloon Flower have been blooming and will continue to bloom. The annuals including Cosmos, Balsam, Snapdragons, and Salvia are going strong. It’s not like spring where stuff pops up and fades away sometimes inside a week.

Here’s some Phlox, with Pincushion Flower in front and Goldenrod behind.

But, the things that are blooming are sure pretty and I love the riot of color. The bees and butterflies like the blooms also.

I’ve been seeing a number of Tiger Swallowtail butterflies such as this one above. This pic is through my front window.

The Monarchs have showed up, here enjoying my Butterfly Bush.

The bees are getting nipped up on everything! And, quite a lot of different types of bees. I don’t know what they all are, but they are fun to watch.

The big disappointment right now is how awful my Honeysuckle Vine looks! It is so mildewed that almost every leaf has fallen off. But, it is still sending out flowers! You can see one on the top of this pic. There is also one on the side (unshown). So, I know it is still alive, but it sure looks bad. What's going on in your garden?