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Garden, Plants

The autumn garden: Beautifully alive and definitely dead

October 19, 2018

verbena bonariensis withstands frost in fall.

We’ve had several frosts now (Indian Summer, where are you?) so the garden is a mishmosh of dead and alive right now. Some things are looking great and so much else is looking terrible.

I’ve been trying to take some mental notes for the future. I went heavier on the annuals this year than I would have liked, in part because I hadn’t decided what I wanted to plant in some areas, but the downside of that is that the garden looks really quite terrible right now. The annuals that are continuing to withstand the frosts are getting gold stars and mental notes for future years.

Verbena bonariensis, which I grew from seed, is still looking good (even with a little Halloween flare thanks to the cobwebs).

verbena bonariensis withstands frost in fall.

And good old Nicotiana alata ‘Lime Green’ is still doing its thing. As though I needed a reason to love that plant any more than I already do. 

Nicotina alata

Vermillionaire cuphea was so wonderful again this year (planted en masse to woo the hummingbirds, a mission that was quite successful), but it has pooped out with the cold. But Artemisia Makana Silver, a new plant from Terranova Nurseries that will be available next year, is just fine and, damn, it’s a looker.

Artemisia Makana Silver from Terranova Nurseries is still going strong after several frosts.

The coleus, of course, is absolutely pathetic. If I don’t find time to pull it out soon I might lose my mind.

Coleus is very sensitive to cold temperatures, unlike the Hakonechloa 'All Gold' behind it.

And the dahlias are so sad.

Dahlias after frost

Thank goodness for hydrangeas, the floral stars of fall.

Limelight bloom in autumn

Limelight was looking almost golden in the autumn sun.

Bobo hydrangea in its fall pink color

Most of the Bobo hydrangeas have taken on a brilliant pink hue.

But a few plants have both newer white flowers and blooms turning pink.

White and pink Bobo hydrangea blooms

The new Japanese maple (I made a video about planting it and redoing the bed it’s in that you can watch here or at the bottom of this post) hasn’t started changing color, but I was surprised to find a very cold monarch butterfly in it the other day. Poor guy was trying to warm his wings, but I fear he may be starting his journey to Mexico way too late.

Monarch in Japanese maple

And of course the monkshood is just starting to really get into its bloom now. It’s so beautiful but I don’t dare bring it inside because it’s highly poisonous and I don’t want to take any chances with the cat or dog.

Beautiful but poisonous acontifolium

Whenever the the garden looks a bit unsavory, I can always just look up for a dose of color.

Fall color

What’s the state of your garden these days?

Here’s that Japanese maple video:

annuals dahlias fall japanese maple
by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
12 Comments

About Erin @ The Impatient Gardener

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Comments

  1. Lisa at Greenbow says: October 20, 2018 at 8:07 am

    I liked this video. It seemed so real. Some videos I have watched, by other people, seem so robotic.

    Reply
    • Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says: October 22, 2018 at 12:43 am

      Thanks, Lisa!

      Reply
  2. Nanette says: October 20, 2018 at 8:24 am

    So nice to visit your fall garden. My garden is a bit overwhelmed by green leaves, as we have had a lot of wind storms with the rain. The rain has overwhelmed so many plants this year, even with my good draining soil. But my hydrangeas are beautiful…still with that blush of cold color and my little potted Acer is still holding on to his leaves that are beginning to turn to burgundy and some beautiful fiery reds. My Knock out roses are still erupting with red and pink bursts of flowers. Burgundy mums i planted last year grew into a cloud of color that is now beginning to pale…i need to move them, because i had no idea that they would get as big as they did in a small rock garden area! lol! Ah, and now i’m facing the clean-up. I liked your idea of the shredded leaves as my winter mulch. It worked out great last year. Do you make the leaf cages around your hydrangeas for winter/spring storm protection? Well, the sun is out this weekend so here I go…

    Reply
    • Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says: October 22, 2018 at 12:43 am

      Your hydrangeas sound beautiful! I used to make leaf cages around my ‘Nikko Blue’ hydrangea in an attempt to overwinter the flower buds, but it was only marginally successful so I stopped. Everything else manages fine on its own.

      Reply
  3. Kathy Menold says: October 20, 2018 at 8:37 am

    Still no frost here but this weekend may bring one. Got all my houseplants cleaned and brought inside. Need to put some big lots of Begonia Pegasus into our tiny green house? Cleanup will have to wait because I injured my knee and have limited mobility.?

    Reply
    • Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says: October 22, 2018 at 12:39 am

      Oh no! I’m sorry to hear about your knee. The good thing about fall cleanup is that almost all of it can wait until spring if it has to. Hope you’re back up and on the go soon.

      Reply
  4. Robin Ruff Leja says: October 20, 2018 at 8:33 pm

    We’ve had two frosts this week, so the garden is bedraggled. We pulled the veggies today, along with coleus, zinnias, and dahlias. Why didn’t I remember to make a bouquet before it hit?

    Reply
    • Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says: October 22, 2018 at 12:39 am

      I wish I would have cut more flowers before everything died too, but at least I grabbed several in recent weeks.

      Reply
  5. Kristin says: October 25, 2018 at 7:51 am

    Darn, now I want to get outside and move things around! Thanks for sharing videos like this. They are inspirational.

    Reply
  6. Linda from Each Little World says: October 25, 2018 at 10:45 pm

    I think I need you to come visit and teach me how to do videos. Loved it! And your garage looks so fabulous. ThoughI can’t believe you can dig in flip flops. My garden is looking so so. Took pix today to remember what looks good which Iwill post next week. Alas most of toad lilies and Anemonies froze before blooming.

    Reply
  7. Belinda says: October 30, 2018 at 9:51 am

    Thanks for your spring blog mention of Nicotiana Alata “Lime Green”. I ordered seeds upon your recommendation and the plants are still going…even after being pruned in summer and the frosty northern Indiana nights.

    Reply
  8. Andrea says: April 23, 2019 at 2:04 pm

    I tried growing Verbena bonariensis from seed this year (twice) and they never germinated. What is your process?

    Reply

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The Impatient Gardener

Do you love gardening? Me too! I'm Erin and I garden in Southeastern Wisconsin, zone 5. The Impatient Gardener is all about real-life gardening: the good parts, the bad bits and even the funny stuff. It's part information, part inspiration and a little bit commiseration. Thanks for visiting.

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Erin Schanen 🌿 The Impatient Gardener
Get your dahlia engines running. All the dahlia th Get your dahlia engines running. All the dahlia things are happening very soon. I actually started dividing my dahlias last weekend, about two weeks earlier than I usually do because the weather kept me cooped up inside. I’m glad I did it because I had some (not unexpected) losses that I’ll have to adjust some plans for. So stay tuned: we’ll be talking lots about dahlias soon. 😀
Want to give a gift to your future self? This fall Want to give a gift to your future self? This fall plant snowdrops and winter aconites and I guarantee you that it will bring you happiness the next spring. They are tiny blooms of joy.
A favorite groundcover and a favorite reseeder. Fi A favorite groundcover and a favorite reseeder. First off, you should know that I really love groundcovers. I would rather see a plant than bark mulch any time. Ajuga is a favorite because there are several forms (my favorites are ‘Black Scallop’, shown here, and ‘Chocolate Chip’) and because they can handle most conditions from sun to shade. Popping up next to it is Talinum paniculatum ‘Limon’ (Jewels of Opar). It reseeds around the garden and I just move it around where I want the chartreuse, succulent foliage. Tiny flowers in red and pink bobble on with stems, looking a bit like peppercorns. Then they drop their seed and come back the next year.
Make this the year that you grow a plant you know Make this the year that you grow a plant you know very little about. If you love your garden that’s all that matters. BUT I promise you’ll find even more joy it it when you broaden your horizons. I feel like I’m starting to see the same plants in gardens over and over again. By all means appreciate and love those plants, but also add something you have to learn about. There is great reward in getting to know new-to-you plants. 

Here are two good candidates you might consider: Athyrium niponicum (Japanese painted fern) ‘Crested Surf’ and Persicaria (or Bistorta, thanks to the taxonomists) amplexicaulis ‘Golden Arrow’.
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