We are continuing to have an amazing weather year. Watch – I’ll jinx it now. We have had a bit more rain in September but the lows have been above normal. Plus several nice crisp blue fall days. Yesterday was one and I had a chance to look around the front garden. It has took a beating from the heat. We really do not water it a lot so many of the plants show a bit of stress and early dormancy from the drought. But there were several things of interest.

Some nice color from the oak leaf hydrangea, peony and the Hedgerow Gold’s dogwood in the back. Nicely offset by the chartreuse of the banana

Phyllis Fancy Salvia – always a winner in late September

Pineapple lilies slowly going down

Island bed with red banana, Red Banana and melianthus major, a couple of grasses and california fuschia

We’ll dig the banana in a couple of weeks but leave the Melianthus – it made it through the winter last year.

Calamagrostis “Karl Foerster”

Rudbeckia “Herbstsonne”

Miscanthus

The Asclepias (milkweeds) have such interesting and dramatic pods – this one is Asclepias tuberosa

And this one is Asclepias purpurascens. This one is really wild.

Large plumes of Cortaderia richardii

Our banana. It didn’t get as big as last year and no fruit. I think it is starting to be shadowed by the plants in the front so it doesn’t get a good start.

Fall cyclamen – Cyclamen hederifolium

Mahonia eurybracteata “Soft Caress” – Several of our Mahonias including ‘Charity’ are now in bloom. Seems a little early but the hummingbirds are enjoying them.

A couple of different California Fuschias (Epilobium canum). This one is “Chaparral Silver”. It has some great light gray silvery foliage

California Fuschia “Calistoga”. This one has greener foliage but large tubular flowers.

Some pricklies – Agave parryi pups. These made it through the winter last year

Opuntia humifusa – a friend brought it to us from Missouri and we have had it for over 20 years.

Coral Bean – Erythrina bidwillii along with Echivarias. I don’t know if the plans are to leave these out. We do have lots of Echivarias in the greenhouse so maybe we’ll see how these do.

The old window boxes now painted and temporarily installed in front of our windows. We filled them with small bulbs to enjoy in the spring and then we’ll take out the boxes.