Of course it’s late, and of course I’ve left this to the last minute, but I’d really like to join in with Cathy at Words and Herbs and get my Tuesday view up on time. I can’t be a day late with everything 🙂
The last Tuesday view of September
Cathy’s view has hints of autumn this week and I believe the same is happening here. The last two nights have been into the chilly zone, and friends North of here have had their first frosts. In the mountains, the maples are beginning to show color this week and if I can hope for anything it’s that there will be for another two or three weeks before the first frost hits here. It’s been a good run though, and I really can’t complain.
My little Canna x ehemanii surprised me with a bloom this summer, hopefully I can overwinter it and have twice as big a plant next year.
Color is at a peak this week and most everything is doing its best to flower and seed out before the final axe of winter falls. It’s a tropical garden after all, and there’s no long kiss goodnight. The first frost means it’s over.
My unknown peachy dahlia with ‘Black Forest’ rose, ‘fireworks’ gomphrena, and peach colored salvia splendens. Even though the light wasn’t too good for this photo the colors still just explode.
So I’ll just keep my fingers crossed and enjoy each day. Winter is too long to not soak up every last minute of summer (and this borrowed summer) while we still can. Have a great week!
sorta like suburbia 
Such exuberant color – I love the cactus dahlias, especially!
The cactus dahlias are my favorites as well. Plus any bloom damage isn’t as obvious on them, which is good since the grasshoppers like to settle down and munch the flowers here and there!
True. I have earwigs and slugs, too. Argh, it’s war!
I can’t really believe how big everything is given your short growing season, but truly it couldn’t be better. I agree with Eliza about the peachy Dahlia, it’s a winner.
This summer’s heat really helped things move along, plus steady watering took it through the dry spell we had. The dahlia is a tropical looking thing, I’ve had it for a number of years and it always does well.
Those colours are just amazing still, and it looks so lush and full of life. I do hope your frosts hold off a while. So you are getting a warm September too – it has been much warmer than I could hope for, and I wonder what October will bring. Didn’t this month just fly by! Thanks for sharing!
September was nice and warm but it looks like October will have a cool start. After just a few cool nights the trees have all lost that lushness and tinges of color are beginning. Even the tropical bed will start to fade now…. hopefully with grace!
It really is looking spectacular. Cannas are definitely on my list for next year.
It’s such a mess of color isn’t it? The variegated cannas are my favorites but I’m sure they wouldn’t pass muster for good taste.
It looks wonderful. And makes me wish (again) I lived somewhere without frost 😦
Yes, here the heat will likely go on in the next few days and I’m also admiring those in warmer climates. I wouldn’t mind at all if my tropical garden could become my winter garden 🙂
Hope the frost holds off for a good long time. Are you zone 5?
I think the new map has put us into zone 6a after years in the warm end of zone 5.
Same here, actually. Though I feel I am a zone 5 gardener at heart.
“A day late and a dollar short” seems to have been my mantra this whole summer! I like the colors in that Dahlia, but not fond of the fuzziness. But then, a variety of texture in the garden is a good thing, right? Still can’t get over the height of those Cannas! Wow! Happy to report no frost here yet, though one of my students claimed there was frost on his car’s windshield Monday morning (I know where he lives, and I’m skeptical!). Looks like we should be safe for at least the next week–just soggy!
Yes, other than a lot of rain and overcast the next week still looks fine. This is perfect transplanting weather now that the soil is wet and maybe I can finally move a few of those things which I’ve been meaning to get at. Fall has been so dry the last few years.
Cactus dahlias are not for everyone, that’s for sure! I think they might be my favorites, but you might prefer the neat little ball flowers I also have. They’re so perfectly round and the petals are so orderly it’s such a neat look.
That frosted windshield might be a possibility, some early mornings I’ll need to give the windshield a quick scrape even though not a single thing in the garden is damaged and there were no frost warnings.
Just awesome, Frank, I can only congratulate to this display. Thirsty lot, I suppose, so your regular summer rain must have been bliss for them. The weather caused mildew in some of my dahlias too…well, there’s always another year, hopefully 😉
I love this part of the garden right now, having the cannas towering overhead is quite the experience 🙂
So far the verbena is the only one showing mildew, but with our rain and cooler nights I’m sure everything else will soon follow. Things are starting to shut down.
alas, it was my first year with mildew on verbena bonariensis but only where they stood in front of a wall, too hot I suppose