You are currently browsing the monthly archive for October 2009.
Sweet autumn clematis (Clematis paniculata) blooms every October, reminding me why I grow the rather piggy, lackluster, sprawling vine that threatens to blanket everything in the west border.
An old school snowball viburnum, viburnum macrocephalem, adds warmth to west border in autumn. Viburnums are agreeable, easy to grow, and come in a vast variety of useful shapes and sizes. Some have exquisite perfume, some glossy evergreen leaves, and some have wonderful fall color. Every section of the garden has at least one member of this shrub family.
My favorite Japanese maple looks good every day of the year, but it comes into full glory in the fall, setting fire to the front border even on wet, cold, gray days.
Cape Cod asters spilling on to the front lawn. White flowers are one of my biggest weaknesses. By and large they’re divas, weaker, and more demanding than their more colorful counter parts. But, they are lovely. Or maybe, I’m just a sucker for high-maintenance beauties. 
As white flowers go, Cape Cod is pretty carefree they show up every autumn, gracing the garden with their delicate charms. After the first hard frost, I cut them back. Next spring they’ll slowly emerge as modest low growing green clumps that are all but invisible in the border until fall.
