Clematis Rooguchi... petite and refined... hummingbirds love it and so do I...a Clematis integrifolia x durandii hybrid out of Japan that is possibly one of the longest blooming cultivars available... this one started to bloom in May and is still going strong!
The changing light of fall is now evident both in the morning and the evening... harsh contrasts abound in the gardens as the days grow progressively shorter...
The Brugsmansias are having one last hurrah as the temperatures drop to the low 40's overnight... more fragrant than ever, they almost cry out for me to leave them as they are for just a few more days... and all the while I'm thinking that I don't want to be digging them after the ten o'clock news and weather report saying 'Freeze Warning'! Been there... done that... way too many times...
The promise of fall color is questionable this year as we haven't experienced a frost yet and may not for a couple weeks. Some trees have changed, such as this Autumn Purple Ash and the color is different that last season. The ash did start out with the traditional purples and chartreuse hues, but in the morning sun, it has now become a flaming vision of reddish orange...
The cupboard is well stocked for our feathered friends... the red fruits of the sargentii cultivars and the orange of Malus 'Louisa' are particularly abundant this season. As a side note, I have never seen as much fruit on he magnolias as there is this year and I expect little magnolias will be popping up all about the gardens. If I had the space it would be fun to row them out and see what they do bloom-wise.
Another of the three Seven Sons trees has colored up with the calyxes of rose shown in my last post. These trees are really performing as they take on some maturity.
I have to say that I am impressed with the 'Snow Crystals' alyssum... alyssum love cool weather and our very cool nights have brought it to perfection....
I put together a small vignette yesterday after Sarah removed loads of asters from this spot... it looks a bit haggard just now as many of the plants are past their prime and the mulch is extremely fresh, needing to settle in and age a bit.
The grouping involves a Juniper procumbens 'Nana' trained in an upright form, a Pinus strobis 'Mini Twists' which is a dwarf selection similar to the full sized 'Torulosa' or contorted white pine... this one will eventually make a three to four foot ball and can be contained as is the case with all pines, by pinching back the new candles each spring. The highlight for me is the sugar maple Monumentale that I mentioned a couple posts back. There appear to be a couple of cultivars that use this name. One is 'Newton's Sentry' and the second is 'Temple's Upright'. The former breaks into vertical branches at chest height while the latter maintains a leader. I will have to wait and see what I have, although both remain extremely narrow... fall color is already proving to be decent on this little tree and it is a slow enough grower that it's width may never be a great concern for me. I am looking for height and narrowness... a giant exclamation point as it were!
I separted a dozen tree peonies that have been growing from seed I planted three years ago. Five have been planted around the base of the spruce tree below (see stakes). I was very pleased with how large the roots had become and most of them have at least three buds for next season. These are from the hybridizing program of a man who's named varieties sell for $150 or more each. Many of his tree peonies grow to seven feet in height by ten feet in width. Blossoms are as big as dinner plates. He keeps excellent records of the plants he crosses, almost assuring a bloom of quality based on his past experiences. I can't complain as my $30 seed investment and a little patience will hopefully pay off in a big way.
Until next time, Larry
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