Drumstick Alliums
The weather has cooled off especially in comparison to our scorching hot summer, but is still warm enough that most plants seem to be a bit confused. Fall is like a second spring in the garden with the cooler temperatures and abundance of rain. I have bulb foliage emerging in some of the garden beds at the moment. The Drumstick Alliums which are pictured above bloomed earlier this summer and then turned brown & dried up. I cut them back in July and now I got new green strappy foliage They are planted with Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’, Russian Sage ’Blue Spire’ and the Daylily ‘Colorful Summer’.
Dahlia
My Dahlia suffered from the drought this summer causing the foliage to shrivel up and turn yellow. Since I forgot to give supplemental water it produced a few buds that never opened. Therefore I cut it back to the ground in July. However since September it has put out new lush green foliage. With the cooler mornings & evenings right now I don’t expect to see any blooms this season. I don’t know the name of this Dahlia anymore, but it has been coming up in this bed for years. The flower is a burnt orange color and has an informal decorative shape.
Dutch Iris?
I also noticed some new spiky foliage emerging from the soil in the raised bed recently. Based on the location I’m almost positive this is the white Dutch Iris that I planted here last fall. Some bulb foliage like Muscari for example does come up in the fall and lasts until next spring after it blooms.
Skullcap Hyssop
This little beauty was relocated this fall to underneath the ‘Limelight’ Hydrangea. At the time the foliage was worn out so I gave it somewhat of a trim up and now it has fresh new fronds. I purchased it last fall along with my Baptisia at the Native Plant Sale. I’ve misplaced the tag, but I’m pretty sure this is a Skullcap Hyssop. It has pretty little lavender-blue hood like flowers in the spring. The foliage is quite pretty too, with a fern like quality. It seems to prefer cooler & moister weather. Have you noticed any strange behavior or confused plants in your garden this year?
