gems in an autumn garden

 It is just 16 Celcius out there to day on this September 16th, and although it's sunny, there is a definite tang in the air.  Beach weather it is not.  Our skies on the east coast are being clouded over by the smoke from the wildfires burning all the way across the continent on the west coast.  We also suffer from a lack of rain, but compared to the west, we have nothing to complain about.

Some beautiful late flowers are still bringing me joy:

Black-eyed susans (Rudbeckia) are looking particularly glorious.  They have reseeded in many places around the yard, and the bees love them.

The red oaks, PEI's provincial tree, are loaded with acorns.  Our squirrels are pretty delighted. 

The first oak I planted 24 years ago is now 30 feet tall and almost as wide.  

Wild apples are blushing with colour.

One tree that came from a seed buried in compost was growing very close to the house foundations.  We had already cut it down twice, but was again as tall as the house.  Broke my heart to cut it down again.  It blooms beautifully and produced 10 transparent apples.

Hardy hibiscus has flowers 9 inches across.  Last year the buds dried up before they opened.  Then I figured out it might want some water during dry spells.  So this year I dragged the hose to the bed a few times and gave it a good soaking.  Success!

Here is a cluster of hibiscus blooms before they open.  Love those dark red leaves.

After the leaves fall off, the strong, woody 3-foot stems stand up all winter.  In spring, I cut them to the ground and mark where they are, because they wait until late June to put out new leaves.

Plant in full sun, mulch around the roots, and water deeply every two weeks if there is drought.  That is all the care they get!

These wild asters have seeded themselves throughout my garden.  They make a big impression in a garden that is saying goodby, and the bees love the flowers.

I spent way too much ($60) on a few dozen gladious bulbs, and the drought meant the blossoms were rare and fleeting.  This is a hardy variety, so I will leave the corms in the ground over the winter and hope to see them bloom better next year.

Bee Balm (Monarda) is like a star burst.

Chinese lanterns established themselves very slowly in my garden, and then suddenly took off.  Now their underground roots have invaded. I followed and yanked out their white lines, so now their numbers are more manageable.  Such a burst of colour through!

Summersweet (Clethra) is an unremarkable deciduous shrub that puts out very remarkable flowers this time of year.

Apple mint has fuzzy leaves and pale flowers that the bees love.

Sedum Autumn Joy flowers look like broccoli until they turn red in the fall.  Bees love them.

This is a great plant for dry sunny areas, and can easily be divided with a sharp spade to make more.

Coral Bells (Heuchera) come in many varieties and leaf colours, from bright acid green to orange to almost black.  The flower spikes are held aloft on thin stalks.

This spring, I moved my holly from the south-facing, dry front of the house to the shade of the back.  It's really happy now, and has put out lots of berries.

Jack in the pulpit has turned brown and crisp, but has left bright scarlet berries behind.

More red berries on the native mountain ash trees.