Favorite Garden Combinations of 2010 (Part 8)

Mid-Fall

     October in Pennsylvania... and what a beautiful fall it was!  The frost held off the entire month, finally happening the first week of November, so we enjoyed our fill of beautiful fall leaves and the perennials still giving their best... 
                  roses, asters, mums and geraniums... to name a few.

     In the Woodland Garden, the mature maple trees were all in their glory.  Mostly yellows, with some red mixed in.  At moments like the one above, they were aglow with the low autumn sun. I am stretching the combinations definition to include much more foliage this month... which we all must do to properly enjoy the season.



   The kids could not get enough of jumping in the crunchy, dry leaves.  The girls introduced their brother to all the various ways to enjoy the fun.

   In the back of the garden but the fence we have planted an eastern redbud tree (Cercis canadensis) to stand as a focal point for another circle lawn.  It is only eight-foot so far, but seems to be growing quickly.  The girls love to find its heart-shaped leaves lying on the ground.
   It will make a screen for our backyard when the other large trees are long gone.  And we are waiting for its first glorious spring bloom... maybe in May 2011??

   Yellow and green leaves on the mature silver maple trees create a canopy in the backyard.  Having a "ceiling" like this one is important design element to lend a settled, cozy feeling in a garden, especially in an area that is to be used for relaxing and dining.

   The entrance to our backyard is flanked by the upper and lower Driveway Gardens.  They are still holding on to their interest... the grey of lavender, the red rose hips swelling, asters adding color.










    One of our favorites for color is the salmon perennial  mum called 'Sheffield Pink' (Dendranthema 'Sheffield Pink').  It is a joy to see it bloom rosy just as the rose hips are getting their russet color too (right). 



   Sheffield Pink makes a great combination here with Geranium 'Rozanne', artemisia and Sedum 'Acre' (below).

Just around the corner of the Driveway Garden from the Sheffield Pink, closer to the walk, is the beautifully full Aster hybrida 'Peter III' (below)...

   It is so perfect here because of its close proximity to the door that we use everyday, but more especially because it is the perfect companion for the bearded irises that live here and bloom in June.
   Irises are hard to make a succession planting with because they really do need the heat from the direct sun for their rhizomes, and time to let their leaves die inelegantly.

   Asters have been my answer to how to cover that mess up, but still leave them plenty of room. I cut my asters down by half in July to make sure they are good and bushy in the fall.  This delays bloom and makes more flower buds for the aster, while also giving the iris a little more sunshine.  A perfect solution!

    Here is 'Peter III' with our pumpkin and California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) still going strong (above). Lamium, still blooming, fills in the cracks.

       In Cherry Corner, the weeping cherry tree has turned its vivid yellow.  The rosy mums and Sedum 'Autumn Joy' add a little more color to compliment the variegated loosestrife (Lysimachia punctata 'Alexander') on the three corners of this garden.

          The best part about last October was that we still had roses!
On the Hill Garden at the front of our driveway, Rosa 'The Fairy' (the one that I am always talking about!) was still going quite strong.  The colors were so pretty with the autumnal foliage of the purple barberry. The lamb's ears are still looking nice too, which is a feat since they began in March, coming up with the grape hyacinths.  I spent some time spreading more creeping phlox (Phlox subulata) around under these rose bushes to cover the ground in early spring.

   And a surprise on the  
Shade Path for last: foxgloves! The perennial yellow foxgloves (Digitalis grandiflora) are rewarding me for the care I took trimming their spent flowers stalks earlier in July. They really look pretty with the yellowing foliage of the hostas and the native flat-topped aster (Doellingeria unbellata). Even a few white impatients are hanging on til frost (below).

   A couple more pretties just for good measure: Aster hybrida 'Peter III' with lamium and a fallen nasturtium bloom (Tropaeolum) (left); aster and lavender bouquet over a fall mosaic on our kitchen table (right).























If you would like to start at the beginning of the series, go here to Early Spring (Part 1)

Part 9: Late Fall