Category: Annuals/Biennials and Perennials

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day November 2008 – More Blooms Than I Ever Expected

julia erickson4 Comments

Well, I still thankfully have yet to experience my first frost of the season, so my zone 6b garden has more blooms than I would normally expect for this time of year. Given my prior bloom days posts for September featuring dahlias and October featuring roses, I’m going to focus on other blooms–annuals, perennials and one flowering tree–though both dahlias and roses are also continuing to bloom. Check out what is blooming in other bloggers‘ gardens over at May Dreams Gardens.
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One of my favorite clematis, ‘Venusa Violacea‘ in the Cutting Garden.

Nicotiana in the entrance to the Bird Garden.
Autumn Cherry in the Walled Garden (more pictures and information here).

Petunia in a container in the Bird Garden.

Brown Eyed Susans continue to bloom from August until the frost in the Front Border. As a cut flower, it lasts for over a week in a vase.

Japanese Anemone in the Front Border. The white was so bright it took me several attempts to get this picture.
Self seeding Cleome or Spider Flower are all over the garden. This one is in the Walled Garden.
Mexican Sunflower in the Children’s Garden.

Verbena bonariensis in the raised vegetable beds in the Children’s Garden.

Globe Thistle on Lilac Hill.

Mexican Bush Sage – Salvia leucantha outside the Children’s Garden.

Chrysanthemum on the edge of the Rose Garden.

Nasturtium trailing from a container on the deck.

Petunia in a container on the deck.

Salvia elegans in a large pot on the deck.

Asclepias curassavica–annual Butterfly Weed–at the entrance to the Bird Garden.

Salvia farinacea outside the Bird Garden.

Geranium ‘Roxanne’ is everywhere in the garden. It’s one of the most useful edging plants I know. This one is in the Long Border.
Salvia guaranitica grows in many places. It acts like a screen in the Egg Garden and elsewhere it’s a wonderful hummingbird attractant. This one is in the Children’s Garden.

Amaranthus ‘Hopi Red Dye’ self seeds itself in the Cutting Garden.

Zinnia in the Cutting Garden.

Silver Leaf Sunflowers is one of two sunflowers still blooming. The other is Italian White.

Great Cutting Flowers: Annual Zinnias

julia erickson5 Comments

These annual zinnias are some of my children’s favorite flowers in the garden. As you can see, they come in a wide array of bright, happy colors and are great for cutting. They produce flowers for months. At this time of year, they are great for mixed bouquets with dahlias and sunflowers. In my garden, I grow them primarily in the Cutting Garden to keep them away from the groundhog.





Heirloom Pairing for Heirloom Roses: Picture of a Pretty Pink Perennial Sweet Pea in the Cutting Garden

julia erickson3 Comments

As a follow-up to my June 5, 2008 post on Roses Blooming, here is a picture of the perennial sweet pea that I noted. It has pretty little flowers that bloom for me from late July to late August, but no fragrance. I purchased it from Perennial Pleasures Nursery which specializes in heirloom plants. In my Cutting Garden, it grows in full sun, but can also grow in part shade. It is a natural pairing for roses given that–as part of the legume family–it fixes nitrogen in the soil. It requires no maintenance. After the frost, simply cut it to the ground. You can compost the cuttings or simply bury them in your beds.