Bloom Day North - September

Thanks to regular contributor, Sandy, we have a good selection of photos to illustrate September's Bloom Day North. The bright blue and red hydrangeas below seem to refute an earlier suggestion that autumn's blooms were dominated by hues of yellow and orange.

One of the surprise blooms at this time of year comes with the R. Ramapo below. This small-leaf rhododendron usually blooms in the spring or early summer, so blossoms at this time of year are a bonus.

Veering back toward autumn's golden shades, this Yarrow Achillea millefolium below makes a striking feature in Sandy's garden.

And, following a similar colour palette, but in a more delicate shade, we have a late-blooming gladiolus.

During these warm September days, as we take inventory of the jobs to be done this fall, we also start making mental notes for improving next year's garden. One of the tried and true methods of introducing new plants into a garden is to share or exchange plant material with friends. That is how your blogger came to have the Bouncing Bet [ Saponaria officinialis] seen below, that adds a fresh accent to several corners of her garden.

Also known as Doublepink soapwort, this perennial grows to a height of  45 to 60 cms and is not fussy about the type of soil or the amount of sun it receives. It comes by the name "soapwort" because its crushed leaves and roots have been used as a sort of soap substitute since the Renaissance. As for its other moniker, "Bouncing Bet", the legend is that barmaids (known as Betsys in old England's pubs) used to thrust the whole plant in and out of beer bottles to clean them.

Another plant that came from a slip out of a friend's garden is the Obedient plant [Physostegia virginianna] shown in the photo below. The spikes of lavender coloured flowers can be bent and placed into a position that will be held by the plant. 

On September 19, following the ceremony of the plaque dedication in the Cove garden, Garden Club members will have a great opportunity to pick up plants like these from other members' gardens at bargain prices.

Continuing the debate about fall colours, we present another popular fall bloomer - the sedum Autumn Joy - which certainly presents a rosy touch to the landsccape.

 And in the surprise department, a mature Clematis [Nelly Mosher] has produced several new blooms this week.

But for the last word on  autumn colours, the Gaillardia below gives us both yellow and red as it beams like a bright ray of sunshine in the fall garden.