Friday, November 9, 2007

'Lady in Red' and Other Things


It was a blustery day today. The sun came out for awhile, then went back into hiding, so the brisk wind was chilling. But the autumn color was red hot. I looked around and it was everywhere. . .







Certainly in the red miniature roses (Rosa sp.) . . .










The Washington Hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum) berries remain towards the bottom of the trees - the birds have eaten those from the upper half of them . . .




Showy Stonecrop
(Sedum 'Autumn Fire')














Sedum spurium 'Dragon's Blood'








The Sweet Autumn Clematis (Clematis terniflora) is sporting red seedheads . . .














Dwarf Fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii) is showing some autumn color . . .












Spiraea 'Goldmound' is gorgeous, as is the smaller Spiraea 'Walbuma' (not shown)





Euphorbia
'Efanthia', which has fabulous shades of color in summer, just gets better and better as autumn wears on. 'Chameleon' looks much the same, only less compact in form.









The Scotch Heather
(Calluna vulgaris 'Robert Chapman') nearly glows. I definitely want more of this next year. It's pretty in the summer, too.





The sedums are vigorous summer growers, but it's in the fall that they really come to the forefront with their deepening colors. This October Daphne (Sedum sieboldii) is one of my favorites.



The south side of the house is going to get a facelift next spring. I'm not sure what we're going to do there, but something. This bed has sort of been pushed by the wayside for a very long time, but it's time it gets some attention. The burning bush (Euonymus alata) that we've trimmed into a small tree shape will stay though. There's another one at the far corner of the house you can see in the shadow. I don't know if it's because it doesn't get as much sun as the 'tree' one, or if it's a different cultivar, but it's a different shade of red - more burgundy. I love them both.

See the small green/orange plant near Boo? That's an azalea I bought in Florida in March of 2006. I planted it there that summer and was too lazy to dig it up and bring it in to winter over. I was sure that any azalea I bought in Florida was not going to survive our winter. I mulched it very well and that thing had green leaves well into January! It lived and while it didn't grow much over the summer, nor did it bloom in the spring, it seems to be quite healthy. It will stay another winter where it is, then next spring I'll find a location where it fits in better.


When Mom and I went to Garden Fair at Winterthur, Delaware in September 2006, I purchased a couple of bonsai specimens, including this Amur maple (Acer ginnala). I planted it temporarily in the ground to winter over, then this spring I put it in a hypertufa planter with some other things. About a month ago, I put it back in the ground for the winter and it's showing wonderful red color. We have two full-sized Amur maples in the yard that we've had for several years.




Behind the Amur maple, at the foot of the honeysuckle trellis are several cultivars of Epimediums. One of them has some red leaves on it, so I think that one might be the Epimedium x rubrum that I bought a couple of years ago, although right now it's not showing the red edges it usually does.









Two summers ago, this red birdhouse had morning glories climbing all over it and can you believe I don't have any pictures of that? It was just one of those things that I was going to do and never got around to it.






'Lady in Red' Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) didn't bloom a whole lot this year (it's second in our garden), but it did grow quite a bit. It's looking a bit red right now though, as is the viburnum behind it. Grandma gave this to us and I don't know what one it is, just that it's a viburnum.






Geranium pratense 'Victor Reiter, Jr.' is normally a dark greenish burgundy through the summer, but turns a definite burgundy with some red highlights in fall.



Several of the Heucheras show red coloring in the fall, including 'Harvest Burgundy', 'Peach Flambe', and even 'Harvest Silver.'













The strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa 'Honeoye') plants are even getting in on the act. Perhaps a foretelling of things to come next June?







This was the second year for growing Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla 'Bright Lights') in our vegetable garden. Last year, I grew it from seed. This year I found young plants at a local nursery and bought one red, one pink, and one yellow. We don't eat it; we just think it looks cool and it always gets comments from garden visitors. It survives light frosts, too.





Whether this rose (Rosa 'Memorial Day') will actually bloom before it gets frozen remains to be seen, but this is definitely not its normal color. The colder temperatures have turned a normally light pink rose into a deep rosy one.









The Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa) is a gorgeous antique red color and I love the veining in its leaves. If you look closely you can see the buds already formed for next year.


This cotoneaster is one of the original landscape plantings that was here when we bought the house in 1977. It looked great when we moved in, then a few years later had a disease problem, so we cut it back to the ground and let it start over. It's been fine ever since. I keep it thinned out and I love its airy, freestyle look that way. In the summer, I plant caladiums all through them and I love their burst of color and the contrast of their giant sized leaves through the tiny green ones of the cotoneaster.


And finally, the Gaillardia is still blooming like crazy. This one - 'Tokajer' - is a little more red than the other ones I've got.


There. Just a little red to brighten up your day.


11 comments:

Anonymous said...

This was really a "hot color" post, Kylee!! So many plants in red...the right color for grey, wintery days...as we have them here at the moment. We even had the first snow this morning. Well, I just have to look at your lovely red rose and all the other still blooming plants in your garden and the day will be ok...;-) !! Enjoy your weekend!
Barbara

verobirdie said...

This visit in red is a delight! Thanks for it.
Wonder what will be the next news about White Kitty...

Rosie's Whimsy said...

WOW! Thanks for sharing those pictures. They are beautiful. What a lot of color you still have left in your garden. I'm afraid my garden in NE PA is just brown and wilty. Next warmish day will be the major clean-up before the snow comes....so sad.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

All this lovely red makes me all fired up to get out in my garden and see if there is much redness going on.

Carol Michel said...

It is interesting how the garden shows different colors at different times. I've got a lot of reds and oranges from my Fothergilla, but this morning everything is covered with a thick hoar frost, which mutes the colors temporarily.

Have a good one...
Carol at May Dreams Gardens

Muum said...

I love your 'red' tour. I will have to get some scotch heather, I have seen it elsewhere and really like it.

Jessica said...

I love the color theme!! All of your plants are beautiful! I'm really interested in the Washington Hawthorn--I've been trying to find bird-friendly, winter-interest plants suitable for Ohio...I might have to investigate a little more:)

Connie said...

What a wonderful variety of red hues you have in your garden!
I LOVE your double decker red birdhouse....it must have been gorgeous with the morning glory climbing it.

Kylee Baumle said...

Barbara ~ No snow yet here, although they said there were flurries the other day. I didn't see them. But yes, the gray cloudy days have begun and that just makes the reds and yellows show up all the more!

verobirdie ~ We haven't seen White Kitty for several days now. I wonder if she's had kittens. I don't even know if she's a she or if she's pregnant, but I rather strongly suspect so. I'll report back if there's any news!

rosie ~ Oh there's a lot of brown here, too. Rather depressing to drive around and see the dirt fields and brown trees, many of them bare of leaves already (thanks to a couple of very windy days). The winter wheat is coming up though and the green looks almost out of place!

Lisa ~ I'm willing to bet you've got lots of red, too!

Carol ~ Hoar frost is so beautiful. I've yet to see a good one this fall.

muum ~ This Scotch heather has just been wonderful and I want to say to it, "Where have you been all my life?" LOL

Jessica ~ Washington Hawthorn grows wonderfully here in Ohio, in fact, it's native. You should have no problems finding some to plant! We love ours.

Connie ~ You won't believe what little I paid for that birdhouse at Hobby Lobby - $10! They were half price and with red being my favorite color, I had to have it!

Bob said...

What stunning pictures of fall splendor. Thank you for the wonderful pictures. You have some of my favourite plants pictured.

Lady in red is a great plant.

Unknown said...

Wow! Eyepopping colour indeed, and just the thing I need this Remembrance Day morning...when suddenly we are covered in snow! I love the colour in your perennials-a lot of ours haven't bothered with changing colour because it's been mild. They'll be mush after this too....oh well, I have your garden to savour...:-)

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