Changing With the Seasons
Late Summer Bloom
The late summer and early fall perennials took over the landscape after a month of white and fragrant plantain lilies.
The flush of bloom at the end of summer is not as impressive as the exuberance of June, but it is charming and wholesome, dressed in earth hues that echo the colors of harvest.
The ruby sedums, the yellow goldenrods, the orange-browns of sneezeweed and mums, the coppery glimmer of grass plumes, are counterpointed by the intense blues of plumbago, veronicas and salvias, the pastels of asters, and the delicate bridal veils of sweet autumn clematis.
Cool season bright color annuals like snapdragons, calendulas, larkspur, and nasturtiums keep them company until very late into the fall, even past a frost or two.
There is a subtle but substantive change in the light quality, and the plants picked up on immediately and slowed down for the end of the season.
It's already cool at night, a lot sooner in the season than expected.
Copper and Gold
September is known for its reliable weather patterns, bringing cooler, but sunny and dry days which give the landscape a copper and gold patina, softening the bright greens of early summer.
As fall arrives, the garden takes on a mature appearance, enriched by the honey fragrance of ripeness.
The scent of cinnamon and allspice fills the stores, which are already stocked with gourds and pumpkins.
For the dedicated gardener the end of summer is the time for planting a second crop of cold weather vegetables, and for sorting out the over abundance of harvest into bottles and jars.
Sun-dried tomatoes and peppers preserve the heat of summer through the cold season, and the orchards are filled with sweet-smelling fruit.
Roses in the Fall
The Fragrant Cloud rose is back in bloom now that the weather started to cool down. I thought it would be more comfortable with the summer heat, since it is adapted to a warmer climate zone than the one we're in, but it wasn't.
Roses are not fond of sweltering temperatures, which favor all sorts of pests and diseases, but they start blooming again into the fall, and keep going until the first frost.