Foggy morning

Autumn colors

Heuchera villosa

I bought it some years ago in the Mocsáry Perennial Nursery. It was early summer, I could only see its leaves, but I immediately fell in love with it. Its leaves are large as a palm of the hand, as if it belonged to the undergrowth of a rain forest. I took away nine at once. Towards the end of the saison I saw that it did not impress others this much, as more or less these nine pieces were missing from the stock.

However, it has continued to attract me. Its leaves are beautiful all over the year. In the autumn, if it has a mood, it turns into red – unfortunately it does not always have the mood. And it does not require any extra care besides some watering, but it also suffers dryness pretty much. They recommend to plant it under sun or part shade, but here in our continental climate with very hot summers I would only put it in part shade. But it is extremely frost resistant (Z3). A perfect choice for cold, shadowy gardens.

And if it feels as well as at us, it delights you with so beautiful flowers from late summer until the first frosts.

American plants - Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania

Coreopsis tripteris. A coreopsis which suffers part shade and grows 150-180 centimeters high. It has just arrived from Staudengärtnerei Gaissmayer.

As usual, I have re-checked its characteristics on the web. It was then that I ran across the site of Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania.

I have already found a number of American pages focusing on local plants and their use in gardening, but this one was especially interesting. Some of their plants are also known here in Hungary, but their majority is absolutely unknown at us.

One turns out well… another not…

Aster novae-angliae 'Herbstschnee'. In early summer I was hesitant whether to keep it, because I have read somewhere that the withered flowers remain on it in an ugly way. First it happened so, but then it recovered and for the last month it is beautiful again. So it will remain.

Anemone 'Honorine Jobert'. Very nice, but aggressively spreading. I do not know what to do with it so far.

Aster novi-belgii Royal Ruby. I’ve already decided to dig it out. Even if I find it beautiful, especially here on the side of this Pennisetum. But I planted it in June, and by early September it has spread twenty centimeters. This means that I will have to dig it out and plant it again in every year – and I cannot keep plants that require so much extra work. I’m awfully sorry.

Stipa brachytricha. One of my favorites. This is the only one in the garden. As it grew larger, I wanted to divide it and plant to somewhere else too, but there was no more place for it. Now finally there is. In the autumn I will divide and plant it to two more focal points of the garden. I hope there it will be as beautiful as it is here.

After rain

Anemone Rotkäpchen

Translated to English: Little Red Riding-Hood. If you like warm pinks, then you will love this charming anemone.

Although it is usually considered of small stature, at us it grows about 80 cm high. It is important to know that it is invasive, like every anemone.

In our garden (Z5) it resists winter with no problem. It prefers part-shade, but it also tolerates rather much shadow, and if it gets enough water, it also grows on a somewhat sunnier place. However, you must not put it on open sun and dry places.

I think it can be best joined with purple, warm pink, apricot, pale yellow, butter-colored flowers, but nice combinations can be made with blue and white as well.

At us it is certainly sold by Hegede Kertészet, and perhaps by others as well.

Chef d'oeuvre

Some – like me – have to struggle for those light, floating compositions that enchant so much one’s heart.

Others create perfect things by instinct.

Just a picture

The Echinops composition – in the autumn. The second bloom of Echinops is much shorter than the first one. If there will be a long and warm autumn, it will have a third bloom, too. The Eupatorium and Phlox acquitted themselves well. The first bloom of the Persicaria polymorpha behind them was cut back a bit too late, and thus now it has only a few flowers. Instead of the Berberis and Hosta undulata I would like something more attractive. Perhaps in this autumn I will replace them with Aconitum and Geranium.