Monday, October 15, 2012

Gardening in Pennsylvania ~ October GBBD 2012

Perennial mum Dendranthema 'Sheffield Pink' and double purple Aster hybrida 'Peter III'.
Perennial mum Dendranthema 'Sheffield Pink' and double purple Aster hybrida 'Peter III'.

Welcome to October at Gilmore Gardens in Pennsylvania! 

Everywhere in our area we are seeing the colors of autumn. The trees are in the middle of their foliage change - the earlier ones having dropped most of their leaves and the later ones still holding on to their green. The asters are out in full force, the milkweeds pods are just about ripe and the first nips of frost have just come this past weekend. Some of the annual flowers did not take kindly to the cold, but others have survived to bloom a bit longer. Hope you enjoy your look around our tiny town garden!

Asters and pumpkins add color to the sunny Driveway Garden this fall.
Asters and pumpkins add color to the sunny Driveway Garden this fall.


Geranium 'Rozanne' still blooming along here with double purple Aster hybrida 'Peter III', one of my favorite asters.
Geranium 'Rozanne' still blooming along here with double purple Aster hybrida 'Peter III', one of my favorite asters.
Dwarf Miscanthus sinensis 'Dixieland' flowering at the corner of the Driveway Garden.
Dwarf Miscanthus sinensis 'Dixieland' flowering at the corner of the Driveway Garden.
A few roses are still coming on our old pink rose bush, one of the few flowers that came with our garden when we moved in. Evergreen moss phlox (or creeping phlox), Phlox subulata, is beginning to show its strength as most other foliage withers this fall.
A few roses are still coming on our old pink rose bush, one of the few flowers that came with our garden when we moved in. Evergreen moss phlox (or creeping phlox), Phlox subulata, is beginning to show its strength as most other foliage withers this fall.
A new addition to our gardens this week: false spirea (Sorbaria sorbifolia). Its compound leaves have turned a rich red color, which is a pretty contrast to the purple asters (Aster hybrida 'Peter III') in the Driveway Garden.
A new addition to our gardens this week: false spirea (Sorbaria sorbifolia). Its compound leaves have turned a rich red color, which is a pretty contrast to the purple asters (Aster hybrida 'Peter III') in the Driveway Garden.
Flowering heads of Miscanthus sinensis 'Dixieland' in the autumn sunset.
Flowering heads of Miscanthus sinensis 'Dixieland' in the autumn sunset.
The inner side of the Driveway Garden is all in bloom with a small pink hedge of Sedum 'Autumn Joy' and the white native flat-topped aster, Doellingeria umbellata. (For more raving about this aster, see my last post, The Shade Path Garden in Early October.) The blue grass, Fescue 'Elijah Blue', is at this bottom of this photo, Sedum 'Acre' fills in the low ground and the seed heads of Echinacea purpurea add some punctuation to the scene.
The inner side of the Driveway Garden is all in bloom with a small pink hedge of Sedum 'Autumn Joy' and the white native flat-topped aster, Doellingeria umbellata. (For more raving about this aster, see my last post, The Shade Path Garden in Early October.) The blue grass, Fescue 'Elijah Blue', is at this bottom of this photo, Sedum 'Acre' fills in the low ground and the seed heads of Echinacea purpurea add some punctuation to the scene.
Up on the Hill Garden, Rosa 'The Fairy' is still blooming, even though it has suffered much from black spot this year. (Perhaps its was the drought conditions?) Sedum 'Autumn Joy' fills in the middle ground and Echinacea seeds stands on top.
Up on the Hill Garden, Rosa 'The Fairy' is still blooming, even though it has suffered much from black spot this year. (Perhaps its was the drought conditions?) Sedum 'Autumn Joy' fills in the middle ground and Echinacea seeds stands on top.
Rosa 'The Fairy'
Rosa 'The Fairy'
Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus 'Royal Bride') has weathered the frost well on the Hill.
Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus 'Royal Bride') has weathered the frost well on the Hill.
Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost', dwarf pink begonias and purple angelonia have survived in pockets as well.
Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost', dwarf pink begonias and purple angelonia have survived in pockets as well.
View of the front steps and Hill Garden just before the frost on Saturday night. The Colocasia are mostly mushy today.
View of the front steps and Hill Garden just before the frost on Saturday night. The Colocasia are mostly mushy today.
A few Japanese Anemones still blooming on the Front Walk.
A few Japanese Anemones still blooming on the Front Walk.
The last of the Dahila buds fin the Front Walk (photo taken Friday). False spirea, Sorbaria sorbifolia, surrounding the flower and seen in front of a proper spirea, Spirea 'Goldflame'.
The last of the Dahila buds in the Front Walk (photo taken Friday). False spirea, Sorbaria sorbifolia, surrounding the flower and seen in front of a proper spirea, Spirea 'Goldflame'.
Another annual photo taken just pre-frost on Friday.... New Guinea Impatiens and seed heads of Heuchera 'Palace Purple' in Cherry Corner looking toward the Curb Strip planting with Nepeta 'Walker's Low' still blooming.
Another annual photo taken just pre-frost on Friday.... New Guinea Impatiens and seed heads of Heuchera 'Palace Purple' in Cherry Corner looking toward the Curb Strip planting with Nepeta 'Walker's Low' still blooming.
The Circle Lawn with more Sedum 'Autumn Joy' (the price is right after all).
The Circle Lawn with more Sedum 'Autumn Joy' (the price is right after all).
Sedum 'Autumn Joy'
Sedum 'Autumn Joy'
The mandevilla in the center as survived the frost so far, though the white ones have fallen.
The mandevilla in the center as survived the frost so far, though the white ones have fallen.
Northern sea oats, Chasmanthium latifolium
Northern sea oats, Chasmanthium latifolium
Sedum 'Frosty Morn'  and Doellingeria umbellata still blooming away in the Shade Path Garden for three weeks.
Sedum 'Frosty Morn'  and Doellingeria umbellata still blooming away in the Shade Path Garden for three weeks.
Yellow perennial foxgloves, Digitalis grandiflora, reblooming this fall.
Yellow perennial foxgloves, Digitalis grandiflora, reblooming this fall.
The classic green hosta has its yellow fall coloring to offer, although it is much less flashy than the newer variegated varieties the rest of the year. Here it is with a few blue Campanula bells, Brunnera 'Jack Frost', and a few remaining pink annual begonias.
The classic green hosta has its yellow fall coloring to offer, although it is much less flashy than the newer variegated varieties the rest of the year. Here it is with a few blue Campanula bells, Brunnera 'Jack Frost', and a few remaining pink annual begonias.
View to the front of the property along the Shade Path.
View to the front of the property along the Shade Path.
Hydrangea 'Limelight' turns pink in the fall.
Hydrangea 'Limelight' turns pink in the fall.
Our small dogwood tree (Cornus florida) at the corner of the fence looking toward the Cherry Corner and the brilliant yellow maple in the Front Woodland (another curb strip planting).
Our small dogwood tree (Cornus florida) at the corner of the fence looking toward the Cherry Corner and the brilliant yellow maple in the Front Woodland (another curb strip planting).
Thanks for looking around! It has been a beautiful fall already. I am looking forward to sharing some more autumn foliage with you all soon.

Be sure to stop in at May Dreams for all the pretty gardens for Garden Blogger's Bloom Day!

16 comments:

  1. That was a beautiful tour of your fall garden. I love the fallen leaves littering the garden...I can just imagine the fun of kicking through them!

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    1. Thanks Cat! The leaves are definitely everywhere... and especially when my kids really get to playing with them! They just revel in tossing them, jumping in them, etc.
      ~Julie

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  2. Stunning tour! I like how you nestled the pumpkins in your beds and I love the curving lines of your garden along your walk. You inspired me to plant Japanese Anemones and it was doing wonderfully until the rabbits ate it down yesterday! I will have to wrap it better with wire so I can enjoy it next year! Happy fall!

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    1. Nicole,
      Sorry about your anemone! Give it a good watering and it still might be ok... the leaves die off after a frost (or a bunny nibbling in this case), but the roots will keep growing all winter long. Wire would be a good idea to keep them from eating it again.
      Thanks for reading!
      ~Julie

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  3. I loved visiting your garden, but mine closed down last week. Alas.

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  4. Lots of very beautiful blooms in your garden, Julie and as always beautifully put together. What really caught my eye wasn't even a flower it was the foliage of Sorbaria sorbifolia, something I don't remember seeing before. I hope the hard frosts stay away a little longer for you. Christina

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    1. Christina,
      Thank you for the encouragement! Sorbaria is my favorite plant purchase of the week. It has large white plumes in the springtime... rather like Aruncus dioicus, but its foliage is much more like a sumac, Rhus typhina.
      ~Julie

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    2. Make that "plumes in July", not spring. :)

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  5. Lovely welcome to your garden with your pumkins. You have such a lot still flowering, its wonderful. I bought Sorbaria sorbifolia many years ago, does yours move around? Mine started at one side of a border but has gradually worked its way over to the other side at least 12 ft away, lovely foliage but I have never noticed such lovely autumn colours on mine!

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    Replies
    1. Pauline,
      It has moved around quite a bit as I have seen that it looks good just about anywhere! (I just got it last week.) It does have such nice foliage right now. I will keep in mind that it is a sprawler, or a mover, as you say. Thanks!
      ~Julie

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  6. The picture of the Miscanthus seedheads is really striking. I also have a flowering dogwood I planted this spring - keeping my fingers crossed it doesn't get anthracnose. Is yours fairly young?

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    1. Jason,
      Our dogwoods are four years old I believe. Dogwood trees grow pretty slowly, so it still looks tiny. If you see signs of anthracnose, I recommend treating it just like you would black spot on roses: try to pick off the infected leaves, remove infected leaves from the ground and apply an organic fungicide spray. I treated two trees this way when they started to show symptoms and they are still healthy now, without additional spraying, three years later.
      ~Julie

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  7. Julie, it's a very fall garden, with sedums, nice blue geraniums and bright orange pumpkins. Did you have frost? My dahlias were dark after frost.

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  8. Just gorgeous. Your garden look like it is welcoming in fall beautifully all the different colors and textures. Although the frost hit you and must have hurt some of your garden, it certainly doesn't look it. Your garden is always a pleasure to visit, even a virtual visit. I can only imagine how glorious it must be in person.

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  9. Julie your fall garden is lovely as it puts on its fall show...mine is a bit ahead...I love the sedum against the trellis...

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  10. That's the prettiest Mum/Aster photo I've ever seen! You have some Sea Oats--I need to add those to my garden. Your fairy Roses are lovely!

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