The latest arrival to the party is this quiet but graceful character above ~ a scutelleria or skullcap, although exactly which one I don't know. The first frost has still to arrive so there are still a number of hardy perennials in flower, although some of them are past their best. The hardy geraniums are still holding forth including 'Buxton's Blue','Salome',' Pink Penny' and 'Dilys' as well as ones whose names have long gone out with the bathwater. Aconitums are flowering, a couple of astrantias are having a second flush, heucheras still froth and erysimum 'Bowles Mauve' continues to send out sporadic purple spikes. I am glad to say that erigeron mucronatus defies himself's spiteful attempts to erradicate it but dismayed to report that the dreaded 'Yellow Peril' defies my deliberate attempts to polish it off.
I have recently been making a deliberate attempt to introduce plants specifically for late colour so tempted last year by An Artist's Garden, I have been delighted with rudbeckia fulgida var. dreamii. I have also been pleased with the similar but subtly different rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii "Goldsturm". Although I am not a big fan of orange or yellow flowers I think that I am slowly being converted.
Flowering for a long spell right up to the first frosts is fuchsia magellenica 'Alba' which despite the name has a delicately pale pink flush to its flowers. Sadly its much smaller hardy fuchsia companion 'Genii' has not shown any sign of flowering this year. I thought that the plant had been decimated by the harsh winter but slowly and surely it came back to life but it is foliage only. Oh well that must mean a bigger and better show next year!
Flowering for a long spell right up to the first frosts is fuchsia magellenica 'Alba' which despite the name has a delicately pale pink flush to its flowers. Sadly its much smaller hardy fuchsia companion 'Genii' has not shown any sign of flowering this year. I thought that the plant had been decimated by the harsh winter but slowly and surely it came back to life but it is foliage only. Oh well that must mean a bigger and better show next year!
Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day is kindly hosted each month by Carol over at May Dreams Gardens. Paper and a pen are compulsory when you visit as your wish list will grow and grow and grow .............. !
Anna I love how you term lost label plants as those gone out with the bath water - I've plenty of those aswell.
ReplyDeleteI've never had a 2nd flush from the aconitums - you must have yours in a sunnier location than me.
That yellow thug must give you some colour in the garden at this time of year despite your attempts to thwart its spread. Rudbeckia is lovely at this time of year - mine really struggle with my soil conditions. I think even that Helianthus would struggle with my soil - but I am not offering to do a trial on that lol
I noticed aswell that astrantia's in my garden have had a good year along with the hardy geraniums. I bought a wonderful geranium this year -G. Rozanne which certainly seems to have a long flowering season in my northerly garden - is that on your wish list?
Thanks for your visit today :)
Love the lavender skull cap. I too plant for fall, but many of our plants blooms early this year. The caryopteris is mostly gone now.
ReplyDeleteI love scutelleria -- there are so many different species of it. I'm sad that one I brought back from Colorado last year didn't survive the past winter. We're the same cold hardiness zone, so it must have something to do with elevation (which we haven't and they have!) or humidity (which we have and they don't). Ah well.
ReplyDeleteThe late Geraniums are doing really well at the moment - I think it was all that rain we had. The plants are actually growing rather than dying back. I'm also impressed by Rudbeckias, having bought Gildsturm. I've tended to avoid daisy flowers but I think I am a convert.
ReplyDeleteEverything sounds wonderful in the garden. Pretty picture of your new addition. Take care and have a great gardening weekend.
ReplyDeleteThe Scutellaria is cute. There are other Rudbeckias that don't have as orangey a flower as 'Goldsturm.' 'Henry Eilers' is a great one, but it gets very tall.
ReplyDeleteDear Anna, I do so love the Fuchsia Magellanica 'Alba'. It has such a graceful habit and, as you say, its flowers of the palest pink are so elegant. It is such a wonderful addition to the garden for late season blooms.
ReplyDeletealoha,
ReplyDeletewhat a very nice flower - the true blue is amazing!
thanks for sharing that with us
Dear Anna, What a sweet little plant. Every bloom becomes more precious this time of the year and we appreciate them all the more! :)
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
I have quite a lot of late summer colour but its more reds and orange than yellow which I am really struggling with
ReplyDeleteI love fuchsia magellenica alba, such a delicate little flower blushed with pink. I also love rudbeckias, they work so hard to keep flowering, but I haven't grown any this year.
ReplyDeleteYes, my wish list grows each time I read another post for GBBD. I think the skullcap might have to go on it, too--lovely. Glad you're enjoying your Rudbeckias; I'm not a fan of yellows or oranges either, but the Susans have won me over.
ReplyDelete