Last updated on December 2nd, 2011
It’s early autumn, and my garden looks it, too. Still, a number of troopers (like the chrysanthemums above) continue to sing beautiful solos amid a choir of fading perennials and aging annuals. Follow me, and I’ll give you a closer look at these stalwart plants that dare the garden to die:
Cranesbill geranium ‘Roseanne’
The ‘Fairy’ rose welcomes autumn with a fine — and final — flush of flowers
Beautiful blossoms in spring, and edible, ripening fruit in autumn…these are the two reasons I love Flowering Quince.
Here, autumn clematis perfumes the air as it climbs a fence
Who likes Buddlejah davidii best — me, the butterflies, or the bumblebees? I think it’s a toss-up.
Non-trailing petunias, as fresh in autumn as they were in July
Malus ‘Sargeant’ provides fruit for my feathered friends
These common zonal geraniums, Pelargonium ‘Puritan,’ truly dare the garden to die! They will continue to bloom until daytime temperatures dip below 40 degrees.
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Justin says
Thanks for sharing these gorgeous photos of your garden, Kevin.
Holly says
Very beautiful. I need to plant white petunias, purple cranesbill geranium and buddlejah next year. At the moment, my fall garden is a depressing scene of faded coneflowers, tattered daylilies, and a few roses that have given up the ghost.
Eric says
I'm not a big fan of chrysanthemums, but seeing them in your garden, as a hedge, I can understand their autumnal value. Do they come back every year?
Sally says
Do you ever conduct tours of your gardens? The photos are irrestible. I live in north west Connecticut. Please let me know if any tours are scheduled.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Eric – Chrysanthemums do come back every year. And, just one plant will become several if it is divided in the spring. Rooted sections grow to the size of the parent by summer's end. What a plant!
Sally – There have been several garden tours here. These were arranged not by me, but by outside organizations, such as garden clubs.