Late-Season Perennials Still Blooming in the Gardens
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, we're still enjoying pretty colorful blooms.
While the calendar says fall, the weather in this area has remained quite warm with temperatures in the mid to high 70s. Most of the flowers around the farm have gone, but there are still a few perennials showing off their late-summer color - Russian sage, Japanese anemones, nasturtiums, Montauk daisies, ageratum, monkshood, and of course, the autumn crocus.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Even in mid-October, there is still a lot to appreciate in the gardens. Often called Montauk Daisy, the Nippon Daisy is prized for its late-in-the-season explosion of perky, white flowers. This easy-care plant grows 24 to 36 inches tall, and thrives in full sun and well-drained soil.
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- Both the leaves and flowers of the Nippon daisy are frost tolerant and will retain their color right up until a hard freeze. The nectar-rich blooms will also lure colorful butterflies and is deer-resistant.
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- I have many roses at my farm. Here is a creamy yellow rose growing in my flower cutting garden. In the last few years, I’ve added to my collection – David Austin roses and various varieties from Northland Rosarium. A rose is a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus Rosa, in the family Rosaceae. There are more than a hundred species and thousands of cultivars.
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- And here is a soft pink rose. Roses come in many different colors, such as pink, peach, white, red, magenta, yellow, copper, vermilion, purple, and apricot.
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- The anemones are also holding strong. Anemone is a genus of flowering plants in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. Most anemone flowers have a simple, daisy-like shape and lobed foliage that sway in the lightest breezes.
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- Depending on the species, anemones can bloom from the earliest days of spring into the fall months.
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- This is Aconitum, also known as aconite, monkshood, wolf’s-bane, leopard’s bane, mousebane, women’s bane, devil’s helmet, queen of poisons, or blue rocket. Aconitum is a genus of over 250 species of flowering plants belonging to the family Ranunculaceae. The plant gets its name from the shape of the posterior sepal of the flowers, which resembles the cowls worn by monks.
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- This is a Nasturtium. Nasturtium plants, Tropaeolum, are loved for their rich, saturated, jewel-toned colors. Planted in the spring after the threat of frost has passed, they are fast and easy to grow. Nasturtium is a genus of about 80 species of annual and perennial herbaceous flowering plants. It was named by Carl Linnaeus in his book Species Plantarum, and is the only genus in the family Tropaeolaceae.
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- These flowers can vary in shade, but the most popular versions are orange, yellow, pink, red, or mahogany. There are also varieties in subdued shades of butter yellow and cream.
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- Here’s a closer look at the interesting leaves of Nasturtium. The leaves are circular, shield-shaped and grow on a trailing plant. They are fragrant, with a mustard-like scent.
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- Ageratum houstonianum, a native of Mexico, is among the most commonly planted ageratum variety. Ageratums have soft, round, fluffy flowers in various shades of blue, pink or white – with blue being most common. The ageratum flower blooms from spring until fall and is so beautiful when grown in clumps in the garden.
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- ‘Waterlily’ autumn crocus feature fully double, rosy lilac flowers resembling the blooms of a waterlily. This variety bears big blooms with more than 20-petals each.
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- Beneath the bald cypress trees near my Basket House are glistening pure-white crocus flowers sparked with yellow anthers – these catch everyone’s attention.
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- And look – growing on another bald cypress tree is this interesting clematis. Clematis is a genus of about 300-species within the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. The name Clematis comes from the Greek word “klematis,” meaning vine. Most species are called clematis, but it has also been called traveller’s joy, virgin’s bower, leather flower, or vase vine.
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- Across the carriage road in my pergola garden is Perovskia atriplicifolia, commonly called Russian sage. It shows tall, airy, spike-like clusters that create a lavender-blue cloud of color above the finely textured, aromatic foliage. It is vigorous, hardy, heat-loving, drought-tolerant, and deer resistant.
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- When in bloom, phlox are covered with groups of small, sweet-smelling, star-shaped flowers from clean white to pale pastel, including pink, red, lavender, and purple.
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- Tricyrtis hirta, the toad lily or hairy toad lily, is a Japanese species of hardy herbaceous perennial plant in the lily family Liliaceae. Toad lilies are hardy perennials native to ravines and woodland edges in India, China, Japan, and other parts of Asia. Toad lily flowers bloom in a range of spotted colors in the axels of the plant.
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- Sedum is a large genus of flowering plants, also known as stonecrops. Sedums are members of the succulent family. They have fleshy, water-storing leaves and are drought tolerant. I have sedum growing in the steps around my Winter House terrace.
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- Hydrangeas are popular ornamental plants, grown for their large flower heads, which are excellent in cut arrangements and for drying. I have lots of hydrangeas growing in a border located across from my vegetable garden and chicken coops. I also have hydrangeas blooming on one side of my tennis court – the flowers are so big, they can be seen from the carriage road.
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- These hydrangeas have a tinge of pink. Many hydrangeas bloom from late spring to early summer, but the blooms stay on the plant until winter’s chill topples them.
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- And do you know what this is? Look closely and see the vivid crimson-colored stigmas of that dear spice called saffron. We’re growing it right here at my farm – more and more are blooming every day. I’ll tell you all about it in an upcoming blog. Stay tuned.
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