The Fall Garden

I missed updating the blog in September, but when I went out this morning and there was a light dusting of snow on the garden I thought it was time to get the Fall update done! September is the month where I just let the garden go.






The nasturiums are growing into the paths blocking passage, the parsley and lovage are growing tall with abandon, the calendula and borage are trailing into paths everywhere and I just let the plants be happy for their last few weeks.

And the angelica has just not stopped growing this year. I have never seen one so large although it didn't flower. Angelica is a biennial, so this is theoretically its last year but I'm hoping it will come back and flower next year as I have heard that some do not flower until the 3rd year. With the size of this plant the flowers will be spectacular if it does return.

I also enjoy the fall blooming of the toad lily and turtlehead.

Toad lily (Tricyrtis hirta) blooms in late September to October and is well suited to a shady area. Its an attractive perennial that gives some Fall color. Also blooming in September is Turtlehead (Chelone lyonii), whose flowers really do like like pink turtle heads. It is a perennial that grows in part shade, spreads easily but slowly and is no fuss at all. And when those pink flowers show up at the end of the summer it is quite a treat.

September and October are also busy garden months. Harvesting is finished, pickles are made (the cucumbers were so prolific I made 3 batches), herbs are dried and frozen and annuals are pulled up. The scented geraniums have all been dug and potted and are ready for overwintering inside, along with the rosemary, bay, and stevia. I grew ashwaganda in a pot this year and will see if that overwinters. The garlic has been planted, and I'll write a separate post on how to grow garlic. It is so easy every garden should have some!

Some things I don't try to overwinter and use them up and say goodbye. I enjoyed a wonderful cup of tulsi (holy basil) tea the other night as the cool weather will kill the plant soon. It has such a beautiful fragrance in the garden however I like to keep some of the plant growing as long as possible.

The pumpkins were harvested and are shown here in a Fall display. I hate to use them they look so pretty, but I think with the cool weather recently it's time for some pumpkin soup.

So the first snow has fallen and the garden is saying goodbye. It is always bittersweet. But I'm taking my notes and already starting my plans for next season.