The morning of October 15 the roofs were frosted, the grass crunchy underfoot. First frost.
Near a small park where I take Hannah and Billie for their “running game,” a neighbor grows assorted dahlias and zinnias, and I always check their progress. A few days ago I gasped when I saw what this pumpkin-colored zinnia and Tiger Eye Sumac were cooking up in October and reached for my camera phone, something I rarely think to do. The neighbor and I had talked about the zinnias in early summer. His first batch from seed failed when planted out, and he had to buy some more plants local, so the zinnias were late getting started. We have all internalized a make-or-break schedule for when to get summer annual seeds sown, etc, but there is mercifully some wiggle room, as shown by this splendid display (and a second batch of cosmos in bloom now, which I sowed late July.)
Some final notes before heading south. The dark foliage belongs to Penstemon digitalis ‘Dark. Towers,’ so good throughout the growing seasons, from leaf to seedpod, that I’m trialing another cultivar ‘Blackbeard’ with Schizachyrium ‘Little Red Fox’ (where Stipa gigantea grew before removal and replacement by Stipa gigantea ‘Little Giant.’)
Sweet peas on the Oregon coast are an entirely different growing proposition than I’m used to in zone 10. They are summer-long garden contenders, with leaves that don’t mildew and flowers that don’t stop.
I took a flier on Cosmos atrosanguineus ‘Cherry Chocolate,’ a new variety without the velour petals of the familiar one. I couldn’t detect much cocoa scent either. But the flowers are larger and it did produce more of them, and on upright stems for cut flowers. A novelty I’ll probably not protect for winter.
I’ll be dreaming all winter on what the garden has up its sleeve for next spring.
Take care, AGO
Your garden is still exuberant, frost or no frost! I love that Polygonum orientale. It’s got to be hard to leave your Oregon garden behind even though I’m sure you’ll rejoice in the opportunity to get into your SoCal garden again. Hopefully, we can make a point of a get-together at some point when you’re down this way.
Nothing like the cooler temperatures in the Fall to make colours more vibrant. The zinnia and sumac combo is stunning. Hard to leave but it will be fun to resume gardening with a whole new cast of characters in California. It’s the best of both worlds.
Wow, I can see why you grabbed your camera – that’s some fabulous orange.
It must be so exciting living with 2 gardens. Although your coastal garden is looking so rich, it must be hard to go? I hope there’s no Thunderdome winter, I overplanted a bit yesterday thinking along those lines – may the stronger prevail! Can’t wait to see what’s going on in your CA garden, happy trails!
Our neighbors a few miles away had frost, though I don’t think we have yet. Everything still seems to be thudding along, though definitely slowing down. I ran into a very, surprisingly thick spider web the other day and thought of you and your experience with spider webs. It wasn’t very pleasant and there were a few moments of creepy crawlies wondering if it was crawling around on me somewhere. What an unpleasant feeling! It will be interesting to see what is happening down CA way.
I will be pulling the Zinnias tomorrow-may be a month or more til first frost but the sun is disappearing from the back garden as it continues to track low and the Zinnas pout. Time to replace them with broccoli. Every time I see E. pandanifolium I have to fight off serious plant jealousy. I’ve convinced myself that I don’t have the right spot and assuming I could find one it would stretch and flop. It always seems so bizarre to see sweetpeas in the garden after May-garden life on the NW coast !
@Kris, yes let’s do that, the last meetup was so much fun.
@Elaine, there’s been no more frosts, just wind and rain. A beautiful autumn.
@Tracy, it’s always hard to close up either garden for the season. One day I’ll have to choose, so I’m just enjoying both while I can.
@Jerry, down Calif way a couple days ago it was 97F — ugh!
@Kathy, I’ve been stickiing by that E. padanifolium for a long time now. It is a beast but I’ve found that even with thinning the strappy spiky leaves ruthlessly in spring it still blooms, so it gets another reprieve
I sometimes feel that the most intense colors in the garden are saved for autumn. Maybe it’s the rain that washed off summer’s dust, or just the last best effort of plants before they are gone for the season. Either way, the colors of your fall garden are wonderful (that cosmos!!).
And yes,”the herbaceous v. evergreen ratio” consideration, our gardens are a moving target, always shifting, never (thankfully!) ‘done’.