A Stunner…
This past summer, I got a few new dahlia bulbs at the farmers market. I’m not sure of the name of this beauty, I forgot to look at the tag and I can’t seem to find the photo of when I purchased it (I always take photos of new plants with their tags to keep track).
It’s a short plant, which I really like, not growing over two feet. So many of the dahlias I’ve grown in the past blow over in my very windy garden. This one is perfect because of its short stature. My dahlias suffered from the drought and heat this year, they haven’t been as pretty as they have been in the past. In fact, two of mine haven’t even bloomed yet and I’m not sure if they will before frost.
What flowers are you particularly loving this summer?
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Falling for Verbena Bonariensis
I remember the first time I noticed verbena bonariensis, it was in the Nearing garden at The Good Life Center in Maine. It was stunning in the late October garden.
I bought seeds and tried growing in my Ohio garden, which it didn’t really like it. Then I remembered this beautiful and beneficial plant a few years ago. I started seed and it grew beautifully, providing a much needed late food source for pollinators.
I no longer have to start seed, seedlings pop up around the main garden in June. These are transplanted all around the garden, every year I grow more and more. At the moment, the monarchs are loving them. Next year I’m thinking of doing a mass planting of this beauty surrounded by lamb’s ears. The two colors and textures should work beautifully together.
What flowers are you loving right now?
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Fresh Raspberries in October
This past weekend I harvested my first berries from the ‘Caroline’ canes I got from Nourse Farms last year. Caroline is described by Nourse as “this raspberry has a larger berry than Heritage and is more productive, with a rich, full, and intense raspberry flavor. It is a very vigorous variety, with more tolerance for root rot than Heritage. The farther south you grow it, the earlier it will ripen. Caroline is widely adapted, growing everywhere from the East Coast to the West Coast. This variety does not tolerate high heat and drought.”
The deer browsed them heavily this past winter and we had a hot, dry summer, so I was worried I wouldn’t get any berries at all. It looks as if we will get a decent little harvest this fall. I really wanted a raspberry that produced in the fall so it was ripe when the rest of the garden was waning. These are perfect and are coming on just as the summer garden bounty is drawing to a close. We’ve enjoyed every single berry and look forward to harvests for years to come.
Do you grow raspberries in your garden? Any favorite varieties to recommend?
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Purple Annuals
When it comes to flower colors, purple and lime green are my favorites. This spring, I purchased a lovely purple alyssum and this other lovely purple flower (I’m blanking on the name of it right now).
Both of these beauties have been blooming profusely since mid-June, well worth the few dollars each I paid for them. The only thing I’m not super pleased with is that believe neither produce any kind of nectar or pollen for the pollinators. Typically alyssum does, but it seems this variety may not. While I do enjoy them, I may look for something next summer that will not only look beautiful, but also produce food for the local pollinators.
Have you tried any new annuals this year? Have you discovered any new favorites?
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Back up and Running
My computer died two weeks ago, which prompted the ordering of a new one. That took 10 days or so to arrive, which meant I was working with a skeleton crew for a few weeks. My new computer arrived last Friday and Mr Chiots got it all set up and running. I’m once again able to download photos and do all my work. Here’s a look at what happened in my garden over the weekend.
With temperatures hitting the mid-thirties on some evenings, it’s time to clear all the peppers and tomatoes. The lettuces and fall brassicas are doing great, it will be a race to see if my fall broccoli head up or not. Fall crops are always a gamble, they usually do well, but some years winter comes extra early and there is not much of a harvest.
How’s your garden coming along?
