This page contains both September and October - scroll down for October
September 2011
September 9 - overview
September 17 - This is Closed or Bottle Gentian (Gentiana clausa). The flowers stay closed like this. It likes moist shade and does fine against my garage where it never gets direct sun.
The Helianthus is going full steam in mid-September. Great for cutting.
A September bouquet.
A Common Buckeye butterfly on White Snakeroot. (A better picture of the Snakeroot is below). It fluttered around the Snakeroot for more than an hour. This isn't actually a very common butterfly in PA, but it seems to be a good year for them.
The Viburnum berries are turning pink, which will become blue when fully ripe - if they last long enough. This year, the squirrels and birds seem to be eating them off without waiting for the blue stage.
September 24. Asters are a fall specialty. This is New York Aster (Aster novi-belgii 'Wood's Blue').
This one is New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae 'September Ruby').
White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra 'Black Ace') is a different species from the Pink Turtlehead shown last month. Mine always blooms later than the pink, but that may be because it's in a much shadier area. It does ok there but might like more sun.
Goldenrods are another fall specialty. This is Bluestem Goldenrod (Solidago caesia), one that tolerates shade. It stays short (about 1-2 feet), too, which is handy.
The Bluestem Goldenrod and Closed Gentian make a nice combination.
This is a much taller Goldenrod (Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks') that likes sun. It's nice in cut flower bunches.
The pink Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana 'Vivid') started earlier this month and lasts for ages - it blooms into November. Obedient Plant can be invasive but there are cultivars that are not. This one has spread fairly slowly.
Here's the White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima or Eupatorium rugosum). It re-seeds prolifically and you can end up with tons of it. Deadheading before the seeds disperse helps. I like some for cutting, so I let a few plants stay each year. And now that I know the Buckeye likes it, I'm a bigger fan.
The pond, September 24.
And the view from the rear.
September 29. I'm not sure exactly what this little white aster is - it appeared on its own. I hope it's native. It looks nice against the pond rocks and doesn't seem invasive, so I let it stay.
The Winterberry Holly berries are ripe now.
Gaura (Gaura lindheeimeri 'Walgaupf'). There should be lots of flowers on arching stems, but mine aren't really producing this year. Might need more sun, or maybe it's because I sheared them back earlier hoping to make them more compact.
The Winterberry Hollies full of berries. Usually the berries last into the winter and look great against the snow, but this year they are going fast, like the Viburnum berries. Maybe there is a shortage of some other food type this year.
October 5 - view from above.
Bluebird Aster (Aster laevis) - really great color, and lasts a long time.
The Trumpet Honeysuckle that gets more sun is stil blooming on October 7, and there are lots of berries where earlier flowers were. (December update - there were still a few new flowers on warm days in mid-December!)
Calico Aster (Aster lateriflorus 'Prince' or 'Lady in Black' - I had both and not sure which survived). You can't tell from the picture, but the flowers are very tiny.
October 10 - the Sugar Maples (Acer saccharum) out front are turning color. I was lucky that someone planted them long ago instead of the invasive, non-native Norway maples that line the rest of my street.
The American Holly berries are ripe now. As I commented before, berries seem to be disappearing early this year. Besides a Mockingbird, Robins, and squirrels that have been going at them, a Hermit Thrush hung around this tree for a week eating its berries every day. Fueling up for migration, presumably.
The Serviceberry had nice orange and yellow fall color. This isn't a very good picture, but snow took all the leaves down before I could get another shot.
This blurry shot is a winter-plumaged Goldfinch eating American Arborvitae seeds out of the cones. I took it through my kitchen window.
The season opened with snow on April 1, and now it closes with snow on October 29. Only five more months til spring.
I don't plan to repeat this garden log next year, but I may add an occasional update to the existing pages.