MySecretGarden: Summer/Fall garden

Showing posts with label Summer/Fall garden. Show all posts

Fall Garden Snaps

October and November 2020 were delightful in the garden due to the warm and not so wet weather.

First, some October pictures in no particular order.

Euphorbia characias 'Tasmanian Tiger':

Summer Garden Moments

These are some highlights of my July and August garden. June garden's pictures are here: In My June Garden .

JULY

Last winter was pretty mild, and the annual Lobelia is proving that - it overwintered in the pot.

Its neighbor, next to it, is a baby-maple self seeded here.

Roses. I love roses, but they aren't my favorite plants. They are welcome in my garden as long as they are healthy. So far, they are.

Front Plant Bed at Its Best in 2018

I'd like to share the views of my Front Plant Bed that I think was in its best shape ever last gardening season. And, I know exactly what gave this plant bed its luscious, best ever look.
Of course, many plants reached substantial size and several new important plants have been added (among them, Japanese maple 'Autumn Moon' and Hydrangea 'Oregon Pride').
But, there were two more important elements which I added to this central bed in 2018.

First, one of my potted Red Banana plants (Abyssinian bananas, Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii') was placed here.
Starting from the spring when I got it out of the garage, tall Red Banana instantly added dramatic effect to the Plant Bed. In summer, when it unfurled its gorgeous dark leaves, it became a star of the Front Garden. What a gorgeous architectural plant it is!

Second, several containers with annuals were placed in the front of the Plant Bed. What's important, those were relatively tall containers, which allowed their flowers to 'float' and fill otherwise empty or dark spaces. For two of these tall pots, I bought hanging baskets and just plopped them into the pots (instant gratification!). From afar, the pots are almost invisible and the flowers look suspended in the air.

Only the central front bed is shown in this post, but the second Banana plant and several identical pots were located further to the right, on the opposite side of the driveway. It provided a sense of unity and rhythm to the entire front garden.

Abyssinian Banana, big bush of Hydrangea macrophilla 'Oregon Pride', Phormium (New Zealand Flax) and Japanese Maple 'Autumn Moon' are striking plants defining the look of this Plant Bed

It's difficult to overestimate the impact of the Hydrangea macrophylla 'Oregon Pride' in this Plant Bed.
It's not just the large bright flowerheads that can differ in color on the same bush, but its big leaves and striking burgundy stems that attract attention.

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August Garden Pictures - 2018

These are several pictures of my August garden.

It still looks summery, with very few signs of fall.

The pictures are in chronological order.

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Dallas Arboretum: Pumpkin Village-2017

Almost wordless post.
There were 90,000 pumpkins, squash and gourds in Dallas Arboretum's Pumpkin Village this year.
Enjoy the walk through one of the best fall displays in America. 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' was the theme. Be a kid again, learn the names of the pumpkins, squash and gourds, meet the characters of the favorite story.

September Garden. Just Pictures

Yes, September, not October... It's good when there is no time for blogging, isn't it?

Western gray squirrel

My August-2017 Garden

September is gaining speed, so I'd better post my garden's August pictures.

This was a different August. Summer came later than usual this year as

everything in the garden shifted to a later beginning.

So, what was usually blooming in July, was flourishing in August, making last month colorful and lush.

And now, to the garden, with numerous pictures and a few comments.

The pictures are in chronological order, so there will be the same plants and parts of the garden shown in different times throughout August.

This pic is a symbol of some kind. A symbol of an era ending in my life and in my garden.
The birdies have flown out of our family nest. Tests have been taken, applications submitted, acceptances received, bags packed.
Test preparation books are now free for serving as stands for bouquets...

White begonia basket in the Shade Garden.
Different time of the day, different lighting, different atmosphere...

Right border is getting more full and colorful with the lawn shrinking slowly but steadily.

Some new plants - Hypericum p. above and Canna below

Hakonecloa, Japanese Forest Grass, got lighter, more yellow tone after being moved here from shadier corner of the garden.

October 2016 Garden Pictures

Thanks to mild winters, abundance of moisture, evergreen trees and shrubs, gardens in our area keep their green colors throughout the year. Even the grass stays green.

The last years' warm fall temperatures keep the blooming period longer.

Look at Rhododendron 'Honey Butter' - you might think, it's spring here!

The first ten days of October showed very few fall colors.
The majority of plants in the front yard were green.
This Fuchsia travels with its summery flowers from month to month, from post to post:

Fuchsia's neighbor, Euphorbia, requires only the removal of its old branches, but overall stays green year around.

Abutilon (below on the left) exceeded all my expectations with its non-stop blooming:

Japanese maples, as seen in above pictures, just started changing their color by the middle of the month,
but Schisandra chinensis behaved according to the season. I love its lemon color:

This is one undecisive hosta:

The fountain will serve as a winter shelter for agaves and some succulents, protecting them from excessive moisture:

Begonia welcomes cooler temperatures:

Hydrangeas bloomed wonderfully, but the record October rain took its toll on them:

From the front garden, let's go around the house. This is a good thing - the garden kind of wraps itself around the house and can be seen from all the house windows.

Thanks to a burning bush, it starts to look like fall.

Loyal and reliable Fatsia japonica (Japanese Aralia) blooms nicely.

Here, there is not much agreement on what season it is: grasses signal 'fall', but fuchsia thinks 'summer'!

Impatients are fuchsia supporters:

This is another Schisandra chinensis, the only fall-looking plant in this garden corner:

And another Schisandra chinensis:

I am very pleased with my grape plants used to create shade on the side of the garage.
It was fun to watch them changing color. Later, we'll see its end of the month coloration.

Korean Lylac leaves have a very pleasant color with a tint of pink:

Smoke tree ... Love its color, it's popping up on the green background:

Getting our garden decor mossy doesn't require any special procedures. High moisture does the deal.

***

The following pictures were taken in the second part of October.

We have had some strong rains and winds lately. Hardworking squirrels add more to the mess.
So, there are always opportunities for a cleaning job in the garden.

Sunny days have become a rare event by now, and a walk through the sunny garden feels like a special treat.

Karen, thank you for this hardy fuchsia! After sitting in a pot for several weeks, it found a permanent spot.

Some garden decor is moved to covered spaces or into the garage.

Abyssinian Banana trees are looking good in these pictures taken in the last few days of October.

Fallen leaves give a chance for trunks and branches to show their beautiful contours.

Campanula 'Pink Octopus' babies

Cercis canadensis

We are now in the front garden again.
As I said before, the plant beds here don't change their look dramatically from season to season. Japanese maples are the ones which do change.