Fall color

I love the fall garden. So much so, that I created a huge swath of new garden two years ago to accommodate more fall bloomers as well as a large iris patch.

One of my all time favorite fall bloomers is the 'sheffield' mum. This mum, pictured above, will bloom into the frost, and is one of those last flowers to be a nectar source for butterflies. It has larger flowers than the tightly budded mums you buy at nurseries come fall; and they are held on long wiry stems and make for fine bouquets. And, as I discovered last year, are fragrant. I had a bunch by my desk and they emitted a baby powder like scent.

These mums are described as a warm coral pink, or salmon, but their color alone isn't the reason I plant them. I use them to punch up fall foliage that has turned fiery burgundy, and the two look magical together. In particular, I have planted the mums near grasses that turn sunset shades, as well as the itea shrub that also has a fall blush.

They brighten up darker foliage, such as the leaves of a small Joe Pye Weed, the Eupatorium Rugosum, 'chocolate.' The flower of this plant is white - a great color in general to accent the warm tones of autumn.

Other fall favorites are flowering kale interspersed, sweet autumn clematis (blooming now) and 'autumn joy' sedum. Asters, grasses, liatris, goldenrod, and anemone, are also fine choices to infuse the ailing August garden beyond summer. One of my favorite asters is 'purple dome' which is a dwarf, doesn't need to be pinched back, and is a rich, royal purple. This dramatic aster is beautiful with 'autumn joy' and especially striking with flowering kale.

Continue to spray plants afflicted by powdery mildex, like phlox, lilac, and bee balm. And do be afraid to chop off powdery mildew (except lilacs, you don't want to lob off spring bloomers).

Annuals can extend your fall garden, as well. Snapdragons, pansies, bachelor's buttons, lobelia, petunias, and nasturiums all get a burst of energy in the cool weather.

With fall color in the outlaying shrubs that do a double duty as spring bloomers, like viburnum, itea, or even 'wine and roses' weigelia, and you have the bones already in place by the time fall arrives. Trees such as 'satomi' dogwoods also offer stunning displays of fall foliage, as well as spring flowers.

Also consider the colorful ruffles of heuchera for the fall - with a rainbow of colors, this foliage plant is a sure hit for all seasons. And the tiny bell shaped blooms do attract the hummmers!

Remember that perennial mums, true investments like the 'sheffield' mum are best planted in the spring. Mums are also divided well in the spring. But the time to enjoy them are now.

Caryopteris

It doesn't exactly trill off the tongue - caryopteris. In fact, it sounds like some sort of rapacious dinosaur. It's common name, blue mist shrub, or even bluebeard, fits this delightful fall bloomer much better.

Blooming now, the little powder-puff blue blossoms are brightening my ailing garden (it would look great next to the blue-green leaves of the iris, but I have to cut those into fan shapes to clip off the borer damage).

And the bees and butterflies are buzzing around this shrub, which is airy, small, with wiry-looking stems that branch out in a not-unattractive shape. The leaves are very tiny, and I believe aromatic.

It is a shrub that would benefit from something solid behind it, and punched up with complementary or contrasting color, such as yellow, or orange, making this shrub, which blooms into fall, a great little addition to any garden.

Some cultivars have deeper blue flowers that are a near striking purple, such as 'dark knight.' Depending on the cultivar, bloom time can vary, as well.

I have mine near itea shrubs, which ignite to provide that contrast, as well as the cheerful 'sheffield' mums of salmon pink. As a trio, they create a caravan of color and texture for fall excitement.

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons, and keeping the garden going until the last frost (hello snapdragons, etc.) can be a fulfilling hobby after retreating indoors during the blazing heat of summer. Now is the time to reclaim your garden!

Baptista, plant it and be content!

I had long admired the cobalt blue flowers of baptista, as well as their graceful, arching habit and handsome, grey-green leaves.

Then I planted three, and had planter's regret. While plant tags do warn you to give it room, it is difficult to imagine that this plant will truly spread, stand tall, and isn't really that showy, after all.

The flowers are pretty while in bloom, but they are tiny, aren't cut flowers, aren't fragrant, and aren't useful to wildlife or have a change of season with the leaves. All of the above traits are usually considered by me, but, blinded by some winter blues, in they went!

My mother had the same experience, and vowed to take hers out of her garden, as well. Over the long weekend, she stopped by to greet me, only to find me flushed, sweaty and annoyed.

"Good luck digging out the baptista," I said, not bothering with a greeting. When one gardener greets another in a garden, pleasantries are dispatched and the task at hand is evaluated.

In one hand I clutched a saw that folds into itself like a compact comb. It was an impulse buy at Job Lot, and is now a bit rusty, but it has been truly useful - especially when daunted by such a task as the one in front of me.

"You can't dig it out by the roots?" my mom asked. "No," I said, "I had to use this thing - it was like sawing off a molar of Kronos." She was dismayed.

But the empty cavities left me a place to pop in some white phlox to give the autumn blushes of my garden some punch, and I'm pleased I went through the aggravation.

Don't get me wrong, I still like baptista, but only if I had the right spot, a pathway that the plant could wend along - this is a plant that is a perfect perennial shrub.