October 4, 2016
The trees have begun to turn in earnest, all the way to the sumac at the river you see through the window in the forest. The blue-violet, heart-leaved asters (Symphyotrichum cordifolium), have flopped a bit from the drizzly rain we had over the weekend, but they are still going strong.
The cleome (C. hassleriana) are fizzling out in the cooler temperatures, but the white, dark and light pink cosmos (C. bipinnatus ‘Sensation Mix’), continue on, along with the orange and yellow calendulas. The few zinnias (Z. elegans ‘County Fair Mix’) in the patch with the dahlias are still sending up new blooms.
I need to start chopping things back, but the weather has not been conducive to garden work.
In the foreground of this photo, the globe thistle (Echinops ritro) that I cut to the ground after blooming, has regenerated with new flower buds, but I wonder if they will have a chance to bloom before the deep cold sets in? Time will tell. Behind it, sandwiched between the aster, is the beautiful red foliage of sundrops (Oenothera fruticosa).
The coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) seed heads are being visited by birds, mostly finches and sparrows. In front of them, the blood grass (Imperata cylindrica ‘Red Baron’), which was not noticeable all summer, now is blazing. Directly behind it, in the far back almost into the woods, a purple New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) can be seen (best in the third photo). It was too tall for the border, so I banished it to the wood edge where it seems quite happy.
The astilbe seed heads are rusty brown and the white flowering tobacco (Nicotiana alata) bloom along the front with the mound of silvery lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantina).
I’m linking with Cathy at Words and Herbs, joining participants taking weekly photos of the same garden over the course of the growing season to note its evolution.
Below are some of the previous views for comparison:
April 1, 2016
June 28, 2016
July 26, 2016
August 2, 2016
September 6, 2016
September 13, 2016
Eliza Waters 
We’ve had bees and hummingbirds targeting out late flowering scarlet runner beans and tomatoes. I know nothing will come of the flowers, so the little critters can have all they want. 😀
I’m sure they appreciate your buffet before they make their long journey south. 🙂
Your garden is still truly lovely, Eliza. I wish I could grow that blood grass.
Thank you, Kris. BG is such a plain Jane through the summer, then when it cools off -wow, she shines!
Amazing changes of growth 🌸
Nature always amazes me. 🙂
I like that new dark aster at the back Eliza. And the paler heart-leaved asters shine out still. It is also enjoyable to watch the trees behind your flower bed as they take on their autumn colour. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Cathy. Not too many weeks left. 🙂
Before the end of the season I’d love to see an image of the same view taken from one end in the way one usually views an herbaceous border; I think it would look amazing – not that it doesn’t look great from the front!
Not sure what you mean? Like from the middle, side, back?
From one end looking along the length of the bed rather than looking straight on.
Oh, I see! I’ll see what I can come up with. 🙂
Thank you.
Our trees have scarcely started to turn at all here, the biggest difference is we just don’t have any flowers, or at least hardly any, despite a couple of evenings of rain which has seen the grass turn a little greener everything is so dry.
I just love seeing the evolution of your amazing flower bed. Wonderful and definite autumnal feel now:)
Thank you so much!
This is so fun, watching your garden progress. I love the fall garden. I am in love with Switch Grass blooms and helianthus microcephalus. I still have some phlox blooming. I love the dewy mornings. Your garden is beautiful – a perfect mix of perennial and annual.
Thank you, Kathy. I love seeing the trail of stalwart flowers that continue into fall. They contribute to the romance of autumn. 🙂
Love the blood grass.
Thank you, it really has a grand finale!
Somehow, fall gardens still manage to be lovely, even though the exuberance of summer is gone.
So true. Each season has its beauty. Thanks, Laurie!
I’m routing for the globe thistle😏
🙂
My comment was sent before I could add, still lovely.
Thank you, Belinda!
It’s still looking good, Eliza. I guess once winter comes, it’ll be rather bare for a few months, but then that just makes the following spring all the more special. 🙂
Thank you, Bun. Yes, time does pass more quickly the older I get 😉 and while I feel our winters are a tad long, spring does come round in good order.
I like to leave my globe thistles up for the birds. But one enormous fellow grow so huge and floppy I cut it back to find a nice second batch blooming underneath. Here’s hoping yours make it to bloom!
Thank you, Brenda. I usually have a second bloom in Sept. when I cut them back. I think the cool spring set the cycle back a month. We might make it, but it will be close.
You are surrounded by beauty. So lovely.
Thank you, Gigi. It is a must for me. Like oxygen, I can’t live without daily immersion in nature. I grew up near here, moved to different ‘burbs for 19 years before returning to the area. When I did, my soul heaved a great sigh.
That bed is a wonderful study in gentle decline now, especially against the colour changes in the trees for autumn. I wouldn’t rush to chop anything.
Thanks for that, Allison. I generally let things die down naturally and leave the clean-up for spring. Although I’ve begun to have vole problems overwinter, so I wonder if I should clean up in fall. The exception is removing diseased foliage and seed heads that overwhelm the garden with volunteers. However, I think the astilbe are staying!
I really like the variety of colors in trees that make the forest wall. It sort of echoes the colors in your flower garden.
Thank you, M. These past few days, the fall colors have really begun to show after several cold nights and warm days. Peak is this week – I need to get out with my camera.
I’m envious. Looking forward to the show.
It rained most of the day today, so hopefully tomorrow we’ll get a good walk in.
I don’t know what to do, I suck at multitasking and I don’t know whether to read the excellently written narrative or gaze upon the lovely garden pictures. I tried doing both activities at the same time, I failed miserably. So first, I read the beautiful article and then I looked at the gorgeous flowers.
Thank you for such a lovely post. Cannot wait to read more of your blogs. 🙂 ❤
Thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed a stroll through my garden. I miss it, lying dormant beneath the snow. Soon enough, it will awaken in spring. 🙂
My pleasure.
I can’t wait to read all the awesome spring blogs by you.
Best of luck! 🙂
Thank you!