Strange to be putting garden to bed as it's 80 degrees (flowers, growing)
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It's seems like August here this weekend but I know that Fall garden chores still need to get done. Bulbs for tulips and hyacinths go in tomorrow. Hanging pots came down and emptied and stored. Pumpkins on the front steps. The frost a few nights ago nipped my moonflower.. It looked so pretty the other day when it had climbed all the way to my light on the back door. I should have covered it with a piece of cheese cloth right when I heard a possibility of frost. Oh well - I'll know better next year. One thing in a container on the open front porch that is still thriving and pretty is a purple bacopa. It is one "thirsty" plant. I guess because of the abundance of tiny leaves.
Newdawn,
I know how you feel. Sad, in a way.
I have a white bacoppa, I just love it. I have it in a hanging basket
out back, hanging from an arbor. THey come back here so I know I
will have it again next year.
Have you ever bought an annual and forgot what the name was?
Then you can't find it again the following spring or summer?
I planted this annual in the ground out front and it had the greenest
tight leaves all summer in full sun with small little purple cone flower shaped
flowers, don't know the name of it. Hope it comes back, I bought it at Walmart.
I do love the nice cool breezes though, it was a long hot summer.
Fall is my favorite time of year.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Here in the pacific northwest we had a late and very short summer, but it's yet to drop below 48 at night. I brought in my tropical bonsai last week, but the tomatoes are still in the ground producing, and other non-hardy plants like geraniums, impatiens and coleus are still doing great. I'm keeping a close eye on the forecast, though. The last week or so it's been in the 60s and low 70s at the highest.
If that purple cone flower is truly an annual it will not come back. You can let the flowers go to seed and collect them to plant next year.
We've had 2 or 3 nights of a light frost in my area and it nipped my moonflower. I wish I had covered it with some cheese cloth. So far but Sunday hit a record of 85 at mid day. Time to put in my tulips and hyacinths. I put a garden mum in the ground this spring which my son had given me in a small pot. It is about ready to bloom. Today feels a bit more like fall at a little under 60. Think I'll ride my bike this afternoon as there won't be too many more days to do that when it's comfortable.
It's seems like August here this weekend but I know that Fall garden chores still need to get done. Bulbs for tulips and hyacinths go in tomorrow. Hanging pots came down and emptied and stored. Pumpkins on the front steps. The frost a few nights ago nipped my moonflower.. It looked so pretty the other day when it had climbed all the way to my light on the back door. I should have covered it with a piece of cheese cloth right when I heard a possibility of frost. Oh well - I'll know better next year. One thing in a container on the open front porch that is still thriving and pretty is a purple bacopa. It is one "thirsty" plant. I guess because of the abundance of tiny leaves.
Crazy, isn't it? Even though it is mid-October in RI, I felt so guilty pulling up my bell pepper plants this weekend and then going to the beach. There were still green peppers on some of them that didn't have a chance to get red. Still have to plant my garlic though. At least today is in the high 60's.
This is a sad time of the yr. I hate to see the garden go and awaiting the long winter. The pumpkins look nice and the fall colors but we can have snow as eaely as Halloween. Don't want to wish my life away but can't wait for next spring.
This is a sad time of the yr. I hate to see the garden go and awaiting the long winter. The pumpkins look nice and the fall colors but we can have snow as eaely as Halloween. Don't want to wish my life away but can't wait for next spring.
Yes, I get forlorn this time of year, ..........but, the seed catalogs will be coming out in November and December...I am really looking forward to receiving them. Planning for spring and planting seeds keeps me going through winter.
Newdawn,
I know how you feel. Sad, in a way.
I have a white bacoppa, I just love it. I have it in a hanging basket
out back, hanging from an arbor. THey come back here so I know I
will have it again next year.
Have you ever bought an annual and forgot what the name was?
Then you can't find it again the following spring or summer?
I planted this annual in the ground out front and it had the greenest
tight leaves all summer in full sun with small little purple cone flower shaped
flowers, don't know the name of it. Hope it comes back, I bought it at Walmart.
I do love the nice cool breezes though, it was a long hot summer.
Fall is my favorite time of year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hemlock140
Here in the pacific northwest we had a late and very short summer, but it's yet to drop below 48 at night. I brought in my tropical bonsai last week, but the tomatoes are still in the ground producing, and other non-hardy plants like geraniums, impatiens and coleus are still doing great. I'm keeping a close eye on the forecast, though. The last week or so it's been in the 60s and low 70s at the highest.
If that purple cone flower is truly an annual it will not come back. You can let the flowers go to seed and collect them to plant next year.
I'm not sad yet so I didn't want to add to the sadness... my garden is still in bloom and I'm still watering and weeding. I will be feeling the pain in another few weeks I'm sure.
I hi-lighted what I am responding to in red. Plants are sometimes called annuals when they are actually a perennial in their native habitat. I grow plants in my garden now (zone 7) as perennials that were annuals in my zone 5 garden. In SC there is a good chance that kind of plant will come back. The only way you can be sure is to ID it while you can. Take a picture and post it. Your description is not ringing any bells for me. If you have a ruler use it in the picture for a size reference. Take a closeup of a leaf and of a flower as well as one of the whole plant. There are several people that post here that will probably know what it is.
Some plants seed readily and others are sterile or difficult to get seed from but I agree with Hemlock, let some of the flowers go to seed and try growing them from the seed indoors starting in February or March. The Box Stores don't always carry the same plants in the following year and you may not find what you want, even if you know what it is.
I took the repotted cactus, tropical plumeria and the citrus plants into the basement for the winter. They'll sit by the window down there. The garden is still doing okay although now the chrysanthemums have taken over. I saw a hummingbird checking out the remaining red salvia just now. I moved a feeder up to the front of the house in case they don't see it in the back of the house where it was. The one smallish sugar pumpkin we got is ripening so we'll get one for Thanksgiving pie. There's a tiny one the size of a grapefruit that is ripening too.
Tonight is supposed to be our first freeze here in Denver. My elephant ears will be dead in the morning! Looks like this weekend will be a pruning/pulling out weekend. I did fill one bed with orange pansies, so at least those will keep going with color until December. I also filled flower boxes with black and orange pansies. By using pansies in Fall/Spring, I have flowers blooming for a solid 9 months... pretty good for Denver.
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