"It's Symphyotrichum Time" just doesn't cut it. Such is the way of botany. The photos above and below are from the front garden. (As always, click on any photo to enlarge.) More about the two above later. The photo below shows Symphyotrichum ericoides 'Snow Flurry,' the groundcover Aster, getting some serendipitous support from the Coneflowers, which are still blooming.
S. novae-angliae 'Honeysong Pink,' below, is in both the front and the back. It's okay, but if I find a pink with better foliage, it's out of here.
S. oblongifolius 'October Skies' had just started blooming last month, and now, here it is in its full glory with 'Hidcote' Lavender (also in bloom).
It is a wonderful, billowy thing, a blogalong plant that I fell in love with on Nan Ondra's Hayefield House blog.
Every spring I intend to rip out this seedling of S. n-a 'Hella Lacy,' and every fall I decide I should keep it.
It's too big for the space, but the purple matches perfectly with the just opened bloom of Clematis 'Crystal Fountain,' which claims this year's prize for the longest continuously blooming Clematis at Squirrelhaven.Below, a closeup of S. laeve 'Bluebird' with Phloxes 'David' and 'David's Lavender,' in the background. I've decided I don't like the color of 'David's Lavender' with the Coneflowers, so I'll move it to the back border.
Sick of "Asters" yet? Too bad, because we're not done yet, as there are "Asters" blooming in the woodland garden too. (There is an "Aster" for just about any condition of soil or light.) Below is Symphyo Eurybia divaricatus with Maianthemum racemosum (Smilacina racemosa) in berry and Hosta lancifolia in bloom and Bergenia cordifolia, the Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), and Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) for foliage contrast.
Behind the large and growing ever-larger Tricyrtis 'Tojen,' is a volunteer "Aster" that I believe is S. lateriflorum.
And now, a photo without any "Asters." Colchicum 'The Giant' is blooming with Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, in its first year next to the Colchicums. It should look better next year, when it starts to fill in. The Mum in the background won't start blooming for another month or so.
After waiting all summer, the Cosmos have finally decided to start blooming. Here is a white, and a dark purple crimson in bud, underneath the Heptacodium miconiodes (Seven Son's Flower) still in bloom.
The pink Cosmos has just opened as well. It glows in the fog with Solidago 'Fireworks,' Phlox 'Nicky,' Geranium 'Blogold' (Blue Sunrise), 'Lemon Symphony' Osteospermum and, just when you thought it was safe to read on, another Aster. This one might actually be an Aster, because I have no clue what it is. It's on the left, playing a groundcover.
Okay, no more Asters -
here's a shot with the last of the blooms of Hylotelephium (Sedum) cauticola 'Bertram Anderson' (whenever I look at this plant, I always hear Hugo Weaving saying:
from "The Matrix" films). Below is 'Bertram Anderson' with Ceratostigma, Campanula 'Samantha,' and Geranium 'Gerwat' (Rozanne), backed up by the turning foliage of Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snow Queen.' The Aconitum behind the Bergenia and Campanula will start blooming in a couple of weeks.
Another Hylotelephium that's nearly done blooming is 'Matrona,' which I got when part of H. 'Black Jack' reverted. I like it so well, I'm going to replace the straight H. spectabile species with it.
Below is my favorite "Sedum," H. 'Becka' (Autumn Delight) with (I swear this is the last time!) Symphyotrichum oblongifolium 'October Skies' and Cotinus 'Ancot' (Golden Spirit).
Never fear, those aren't "Asters" in the photo below, that's (from front to back) Geranium nodosum 'Svelte Lilac,' Lobelia 'Sparkle DeVine,' and Actaea 'James Compton,' with Hibiscus syriaca 'Red Heart' in the background.
Here's a closeup of the Bugbane/Cimicifuga/Actaea.
Mmmm... grapey... It wouldn't be September without Japanese Anemones, and a signature plant here is 'Andrea Atkinson,' just coming into full bloom. It's a little late this year, and a bit shorter than last year. Think it might be because there hasn't been any rain in, oh, 18 days?
It stands up straight and rather tall on its own, unlike 'Party Dress,' a fitting name if you think of a stretchy, body hugging pink scrap of fabric you wouldn't let your 16-year-old daughter wear out of the house.
I got the stakes in early this year, but I still think I'm going to have to transplant this mess to the compost pile and replace it with a pink that can stand on its own.
Tricyrtis 'Gilt Edge' is finally blooming.
I don't know why it opened so much later than the other Tricyrtises, including its sport, 'Gilty Pleasure.'
I had to include a shot of it with Porteranthes trifoliata (Gillenia) just starting to turn orange. Making a brief return, with only one bloom is Clematis 'Evipo 031' (Bonanza).
It bloomed nearly all summer nonstop, but took a couple of weeks off before this swan song. Similarly, Heuchera 'Raspberry Ice' has had at least one plant which never went out of bloom, but has only a single flower stalk now.
Its companion, Campanula 'Sarastro' also never went out of bloom, but this second one (behind the Heuchera) just started blooming again. It usually carries on until frost, which can't be that far away, even if the temperature has been hovering near the 80F/26C mark. Also in bloom:Campanula persicifolia 'Alba'Consolida ambigua (Larkspur)Echinacea 'Twilight'Helleborus 'Pink Lady Strain' (it's very confused)Hosta plantagineaHylotelephium 'Black Jack'Hylotelephium spectabileLobelia syphiliticaLobularia maritime (Sweet Alyssum)Phlox 'Laura'mystery Symphyotrichum species What's blooming in your September garden? Got any "Asters"? To experience a world of September flowers, visit Carol of May Dreams Gardens for all the Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts.
