Hi GPODers!
Today weâre getting an update from Jane Watkins in upstate New York. Jane has shared her garden a few years in the past (check out those submissions: A Colorful Perennial Garden, Finding Plants That Work, and Spring After a Hard Winter), but today weâre getting a glimpse of her garden as it transitions to autumn and the many pinks and purples of the season are on display.
My name is Jane and I garden in central upstate New York, near the Finger Lakes in zone 5b. Iâve been gardening in this location nearly 40 years. I am a Master Gardener through Cornell Cooperative Extension and enjoy working with my fellow gardeners as well as in my own gardens. My challenges are heavy clay soil full of rocks (although they make great stone garden walls) and a voracious deer population. I protect some plants, like hardy hibiscus, with deer netting and plan to move them next spring to a more protected semi-fenced location in my back yard. I also drape deer netting over my clematis. I try not to use too much of this because I donât want birds or chipmunks getting tangled in the netting. For other deer snacks, like phlox and Asiatic lilies, I âhideâ them behind minty monarda or short grasses. I store the dahlia tubers in coolers filled with wood shavings. The Grandpa Otts morning glories were started decades ago and self-sow everywhere. I start the zinnias indoors under grow lights. Everything else is a hardy perennial.
In late summer, Janeâs garden is an explosion of color with bursts of coneflowers and black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta, Zones 3â9). While pink often isnât the first color we think of when scenes of autumn come to mind, it is a color that pairs so well with the other colors of the season like yellow, orange and even red.
A close up of those beautiful purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea, Zones 4â9) with a red switchgrass behind, creating another sensational combination.
The âGrandpa Ottsâ morning glories (Ipomoea purpurea âGrandpa Ottâ, annual) Jane mentioned above. As she also mentioned, these beauties can self-sow very easily and can often take over a garden if left to its own devices. There is hot debate whether morning glories like this are simply invasive or just aggressive. Either way, if you decide to add one to your garden, be cautious where you plant and try to remove most seed pods before they have the chance to travel across your neighborhood.
Another pink beauty with a tendency to get weedy in some areas, Japanese anemone (Anemone hupehensis var. japonica, Zones 5â7) always surprises me with how delicate a late-blooming flower can be. If I didnât know better, I would absolutely guess this is a picture from a spring garden.
Another pink bloom that brings an early-spring vibe to the late-season garden. Creeping phlox (Phlox subulata, Zones 2â8) are a tried-and-true sign of spring, while many other phlox varieties like this gorgeous garden phlox (Phlox paniculata, Zones 4â8) keep the bright blooms going all summer and sometimes into the fall.
Of course, we canât talk about floral starts of the late summer/early fall garden without talking about dahlias (Dahlia spp. and cvs., Zones 8â11). Jane has a fabulous mix going on here. I believe the large pink variety towering above the rest is âOttoâs Thrillâ, the smaller peach/pink: âLindaâs Babyâ, and the deep magenta could be âLe Baronâ.
And itâs not fall without foliage, but this Northern Exposure⢠heuchera is channeling the vibes of Halloween rather than Thanksgiving. Jane had it labeled as the Silver variety of this series (Heuchera x âTNHEUNESâ, Zones 3â10), though itâs looking more like the purple to me (Heuchera x âTNHEUNEPâ, Zones 3â10). Lighting can have a huge impact on how colors and even texture looks in an image, so forgive me if you ever spot a mislabeled plant!
These spires of lovely lavendar/pink blooms were new to me! Obedience plant (Physostegia virginiana, Zones 3â9) gets its name from those snapdragon-esque flowers (though the plant is actually a part of the mint family), which will âobedientlyâ stay in whatever position you point them in.
While a sensational staple of summer, many hardy hibiscus are long blooming and will carry right on to the end of the season. SummerificÂŽ âBerry Awesomeâ hibiscus (Hibiscus âBerry Awesomeâ, Zones 4â9) packs a big punch with those beautiful, bright pink blooms, but does double-duty with its equally interesting and moody foliage.
Another beauty that will take you from the heat of summer right through to cool fall days. New England asters (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, Zones 4â8) is the fillier cousin to New York aster, and itâs paired with a pink accent of sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus, annual).
If there ever was a combination that proves pink and purple belong in your fall color palette, itâs this one. Professor Kippenberg New York asters (Symphyotrichum novi-belgii âProfessor Kippenbergâ, Zones 4â8) create a drift of periwinkle-blue blooms, while Little LimeÂŽ panicle hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata âJaneâ, Zones 3â8) are showing off their rusty-pink fall color, and burning bush (Euonymus alatus, Zones 4â9) is bringing the heat with bright red foliage.
Janeâs final late-season stunner is this silver Beacon lamium (Lamium maculatum âBeacon Silverâ , Zones 4â8). One of several examples Jane has in her garden that showcase how flowers are fabulous but foliage should never be forgotten.
Thank you for showcasing all of these incredible plants, Jane! Your garden seems to be doing everything but slowing down.
If your garden is showing off some fabulous fall color now (even if itâs everything but the traditional color palette), we would love to see it. Follow the directions below to submit your photos.
Â
Have a garden youâd like to share?
Have photos to share? Weâd love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. Weâd love to hear where you are located, how long youâve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!
Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here.
Fine Gardening Recommended Products
Hunter Industries MP-1000-90 Hunter Nozzle
– 8′ to 15′ radius with an adjustable arc of 90° to 210°, radius can be reduced by up to 25% to fit landscape needs
– Double-pop technology flushes the nozzle during start-up and shutdown to prevent clogging
– Wind-resistant, multi-directional streams provide even coverage
DeWalt Variable-Speed Cordless Reciprocating Saw
You can fit a variety of blades to this saw to cut fallen branches or prune larger limbs from trees in a pinch. Itâs fast, tough, easy to use, and extremely versatile.
– 18.31 x 6.13 x 4 inches
– 1-1/8-inch stroke length
– Variable speed trigger with 0-3000 spm
RAINPOINT Sprinkler Timer with Brass Swivel
– Pure brass water inlet and metal thread can withstand up to 116psi.
– Built-in metal filter gaskets can prevent sediment and other larger particles
– Through the Sprinkler Timer program, you can set the start time, watering duration, and watering frequency