Fall is in full force here in Northeastern Pa. In the mountains it’s already past prime but as the cooler nights have spread into the valleys there’s no escaping the season for too long. The cool weather is a relief. This weekend was fantastic fall gardening weather, with plenty of sun to bask in when the mood hit, and plenty of cool breezes to keep the gardener from breaking a sweat when the motivation to work hit. I did some cleanup and finished a few non-gardening projects and may have even gotten a touch of sunburn due to the nice weather and perhaps a bit too much pastiness from sitting inside more than I’d like.
A spot on top of the berm has become a favorite resting spot… even when the rest isn’t earned… and if you look away to the side away from the industrial park the autumn view is wonderful.
There’s fall color everywhere, somewhat dull for the drought and heat, but also somewhat bright due to the recent stretch of cooler nights, so I guess that evens out to average? The maples are brilliant as usual and there’s also a few other interesting things around to make this slow decent into death and dormancy a little more bearable.
For a couple days the bigleaf magnolia (M. macrophylla) goes all buttery yellow before full brown, and even then the curious gray underside makes for an interesting (and still huge) leaf.
The fall and winter interest here seems to make a decent amount of progress each year and the focus lately has been on evergreens, berries, and the latest (or earliest?) bloomers possible.
Maybe not an autumn berry, but the blueberry bushes are always an October show.
After years of talk, a winterberry (Ilex verticillata) has finally been purchased, and I hope it won’t mind a real late planting since throughout those years the gardener didn’t bother to settle on a location for it. They’re fairly common around here in the boggier parts of the woods, so I expect it will do just fine, and I’m already imagining a mound of bright red color next year on this native deciduous holly.
Not the native version, but the asian beautyberry (Callicarpa ‘Pearl Glam’) has similar purple berries which are interesting but maybe not as showy or long lasting as I’d like. Perhaps it’s the location, it’s terrible soil, and probably much drier than the beautybush would prefer.
The new winterberry will have to rely on the local population of male hollies for pollination, and I hope there are some within range during its bloom since I’d rather not devote more space to a non-berrying version if I don’t have to. As with almost any gardener, my ambition is always larger than the space I have.
I am feeling chrysanthemum deprived this autumn. The mildest winters ever were somehow the cause of death for a few of my favorites and I miss them, so maybe I can get a few seeds from this one growing for next year.
Besides berries it’s just chrysanthemums and asters rounding out the bloom category. I’d like to add some more chrysanthemums but it’s so hard to convince yourself in May that $10 for what’s likely a rooted cutting is a good deal for something which sells in perfect bloom for $5.99 all over the place in October. Most people know the answer to that and just pick up the $5.99, but some silly gardeners think that the $10 mum cutting might be so so so much cooler. Bluestone perennials has some extremely tempting options. Maybe it’s time I bite the bullet and bring a few favorites back to this garden, because honestly the little round dollops of mum do little for me while the lanky, too big blooms, too tall stems version with crazy flower forms are a much better way to enjoy October.
Lingering roses can be awesome. This one was developed with scent in mind and I love the fragrance of roses wafting in the October breeze, pulling you in for a closer sniff. Brindabella ‘Purple Prince’ has also been a good grower with healthy foliage, and who could complain about that?
Did someone ask about the pumpkin patch? Not that I heard, but here’s the summary anyway. The early July plantings ripened just in time although there was still a touch of green on a few of the larger ones. More September rains would have helped I’m sure, but considering how little effort I put into their care, and how entertaining they were to watch grow, I suspect there will be a pumpkin patch again next year as well as a hopefully more diverse gourd planting 🙂
The pumpkin patch harvest accidentally spilled and people raved about the display. The pumpkins were moved to decorate the porch and the review was lukewarm… -sorry, but I needed the wheelbarrow for other things!
So that’s an autumn update. Fall color and it’s dry, and the best thing about that is no slugs to decimate the first of this winter’s snowdrops! Yes, the fall-blooming snowdrops are waking up and of course I’m excited.
The first to appear this fall is ‘Tilebarn Jamie’, a Galanthus reginae-olgae hybrid which still looks a little awkward and unsure but at least not slug-nibbled. Please ignore the greasy look of the soil and the blackened birch and nearby blackened foliage. The lanternflies are still out peeing on everything and fertilizing the black mold, even if it lands on such a treasure as the first snowdrop.
Have a great week. The cool weather has me thinking about tulips and daffodils, and as of now I’m unmotivated to replant, so perhaps I’ll talk tulips next to get in the mood… and give the snowdrops a little time to sprout 😉
sorta like suburbia 
I think there was an online place that you used to get mums from. Last time I looked, they were either out of business or no longer shipping. So now Bluestone Perennials is the best bet? I like the hardy ones that don’t even start blooming until October, like Sheffield Pink (which is actually apricot).
Yes, as far as I know they stopped retail sales and it’s just local or wholesale… so from what I’ve been told ‘King’s Mums’ has always been the go-to for real exotic stuff, and bluestone is the place for perennial types which are a bit out of the ordinary. A friend pointed out a few smaller sites like 3 porch farm and Halden… Halden sounds tempting, but the reviews for quality are on the weak side.
Your Fall colour is something we find amazing – at a distance, of course – and it is something I would love to see one day. With our climate difference – not the same summer heat here in southeast Ireland – we never get the intensity of colour they you enjoy and it is far more fleeting here, too quickly turning to browns. Callicarpa is in full berry here though the foliage is already gone. Chrysanthemums are not so popular as garden plants and are seen more as something for the house. We grew no pumpkins this year, a pity, as we enjoy pumpkin soup very much. There have been lots and lots of large pumpkins on sale locally but those are purely for display/decoration, something which always strikes me as wasteful. Enjoy the rest of the season and the emerging snowdrops. G. ‘Tilebarn Jamie’ and ‘Cambridge’ are in flower in the glasshouse here. They don’t do well in the open garden as conditions are too wet and not hot enough in summer. Nothing else at the moment.
I have a few asters blooming. They sort of looked thin this year of drought. I am pleased that they decided to bloom anyway.
The one big rain we had this summer brought out an army of snails and slugs at one point. Luckily the attack didn’t last too long before they all dried up.
The color in the trees and shrubs is meeting its peak here now. I didn’t think anything would show color but that shows what I know.
I don’t have any fall snowdrops. I will be content to see your collection as they come to bloom.
Your perch up on the berm does look colorful at this time. It looks to be a lovely spot to enjoy the surrounding colors.
I think of mums almost like cut flowers. I buy a few to stick in the garden for some color but they are sold so early that they are brown by now. They don’t last like they used to. I have read that all that forcing and their shallow roots are to blame for such short lives. In another garden about 40+years ago I had some that lived for years. Things do change.
Cheers and have a good week.
I like the ‘selected’ berm view. You can pretend you’re vacationing in the Appalachians. 😉
Having recently visited a garden planted with some Bluestone mums, I can vouch for their beauty and superiority to the road stand varieties offered. I just might order a few next spring myself.
Enjoy your week, watch out for the ghoulies!
Purple Prince is lovely! Such a different shade of purple than I’ve seen. I like the toppled wheelbarrow and pumpkins, but of course you can’t be without the wheelbarrow.
Is your first snowdrop on time? It seems so early to me! Love that view from the berm. Beautiful autumn colours. I didn’t know some Magnolia have lovely foliage in autumn too. I would love some larger Chrysanthemums like yours, but they just don’t seem to get through our winters. Maybe it’s the cold, but I suspect it is just the damp. I saw some huge spidery orange Chrysanths on sale today for Halloween… ridiculously expensive though! Happy autumn Frank!