Celebrating September's Plenty

This is a lovely month for floral arranging! The days and nights are cooler, and the plants have had plenty of sun and rain. Today's vase includes annuals and perennials; pinks, blues, purples, greens, and a touch of white.



First, I included bell-shaped flowers from Hosta of the Equinox (H. aequinoctiiantha).



A few clusters of Sedum 'Autum Joy' (S. spectabile) called out for inclusion.



Mistflowers (Conoclinium coelestinum) in lavender and white had to be snipped. (The white version is very similar to White Snakeroot, but if you look closely, the flowers are different.)



Zinnias (Z. elegans) pleased the bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and gardener.



And foliage from Cosmos (C. bipinnatus) and Hydrangeas (H. macrophylla) added structure.

Not bad for late-season elements. I'm linking in with In a Vase on Monday, at Rambling in the Garden. Thanks to Cathy for hosting!

A Marriage of Mums and Mistflowers

I'm cheating this week with my arrangement (as I have with other vases recently) ... for various reasons. Long story short, I had way too many Mums and Blue Mistflowers, so I basically clipped, clipped, clipped and plopped them in a vase with some pebbles in the bottom for a bit of fall vibe.



It's a marriage of Daisy Mums (likely a Chrysanthemum x. morifolium hybrid) and Blue Mistflowers (Conoclinium coelestinum), and corresponding foliage.

Conoclinium coelestinum

Chrysanthemum x. morifolium

They're plentiful and fresh, so the vases continue! For more garden arrangements from around the world, head on over to Cathy's blog, Rambling in the Garden, to celebrate "In a Vase on Monday."

Magical September Flowers in a Vase on Monday

This may be the mildest and most beautiful September I've experienced. High pressure has dominated, so we've had clear blue skies, light breezes, and temps in the 70s and 80s (21-30C) all month. Some folks are eager for cooler fall days, but the conditions are perfect in my book.

Anyway, the garden is happy with a little help from the gardener with watering. And the flowers in the cutting garden continue to bloom with abandon.



The arrangement at the top includes various Zinnias (Z. elegans),



Foliage from Cosmos (C. bipinnatus) and Hydrangeas (H. macrophylla),



Blue Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum) blooms, which currently dominate the cutting garden, and

Cheerful Cosmos (C. bipinnatus) blossoms, which brighten any day.



The second arrangement is more typically summer "warm" in its appearance.



A few creamy white spikes of Mistflower add some sparks,



Along with more Zinnias that look like sunshine itself,



And a few sprigs of various Coleus (C. scutellarioides) foliage for more color and framing.

It's such a joy to have bright flowers and foliage from May through mid-October (or maybe longer this year?). And most of these were grown from seeds started indoors in March or tiny seedlings planted in the garden in early May. I will miss them.

Head on over to Cathy's blog, Rambling in the Garden, to celebrate "In a Vase on Monday."

Six Signs of Autumn

It's nearly the autumn equinox, and signs of seasonal change are increasing. While the overall view of most of the garden here is still green, color is creeping in. For example, the Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) foliage is beginning its dramatic display (above).



Crabapple leaves (Malus spp.) carpet the front garden.

Hosta of the Equinox (H. aequinoctiiantha) is blooming away, while most of the other Hosta species' blooms are long gone.



'Autumn Joy' Sedum (Hylotelephium spectabile) is in its resplendent, full glory.



Blue Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum), currently one of the prettiest blooms in the garden, is claiming center stage.

And it's only a matter of days until the Mums' (Chrysanthemum x morifolium) buds burst into bloom. Changes are evident all around, and while summer is my favorite season, early autumn in this part of the world is darn pleasant.

What's happening in your garden? Head on over to Garden Ruminations to learn about "Six on Saturday" highlights from around the world.

Wordless Memories of September Blooms

[All photos in this post were taken at the 2023 Garden Fling in Philadelphia, September 21-24. To learn more about past and future Flings, visit gardenfling.org.]

Just a Few Blooms Remain

It's the end of the growing season, and most of the plants are dormant. Though we've had several freezes and snows in this USDA zone 5A area of Southern Wisconsin, there are always a few blooms that hang on this time of year. Some are very hardy, others are near the house or rock walls or other warm structures, and still others can take some cold weather if it isn't brutal or extended.

This will be the last month of this growing season that I'll post about outdoor blooms, and as long as I had a few I thought I'd participate in Carol's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. The 'Ozawa' Alliums (Allium thunbergii) I posted about three weeks ago are still hanging on, although they're shriveling and forming seeds (see above). They're still pretty and holding their color, though.



The Oso Easy 'Double Pink' roses are near a rock wall. Unless the buds bloom in the next week, I think they've lost their chance. (The plants bloomed a couple of times already during the spring and summer, so it's OK.) If they start to open, maybe I can force them?



While this potted Fuchsia (F. triphylla 'Gartenmeister Bonstedt') has mostly passed on, a few of the stems and blooms near the warm house are still blooming.

Calamintha (C. nepeta) is a tough little bloomer, and I wouldn't be surprised to find blooms under the snow even into December.

That's it for now! Thanks to Carol for hosting Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!