91 Seaside Growers Nursery
October 6, 2023
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November 17, 2023
Fall Flowers, 2023
I f the seasons didn’t change, would you get bored with the look of your garden? Probably. We need change! I do my share of digging up and relocating, switching up container plants, hunting for new plants to freshen up a garden’s look. But no gardener comes close to the makeover that nature gives a garden every season. Good gardeners plan their gardens to take advantage of the change in seasons. To do that you have to know your plants, and if my blog tells you anything, it’s that every plant is an adventure all its own.
Fall has come to stay at my place so here are few of my 2023 Fall Flower adventures.
Behind these red salvia flowers is a Calico Aster I bought for its dark burgundy stems…
Symphyotrichum lateriflorum ‘Lady in Black’ (Calico Aster)
I knew it would grow up to 5-feet tall if left to it’s own devices so I crammed it in among neighboring plants where it would co-mingle and create some height where needed.
If you don’t like the wispiness of this plant, feel free to prune it down by a quarter—or even half—in mid-summer and it will stand up straight-ish in the Fall.
The only downside to this plant? I need my reading glasses to see the beauty of those itty-bitty flowers!
The salvia in front is the Salvia coccinea (Scarlet Sage), planted in a container that’s hidden by foliage, which is the way I like because that container is gawd awful ugly.
The sage once shared its space with a Boltonia, but over the years it took over and choked out the Boltonia.
Another thing, even though the location gives afternoon shade to the sage, it dries out fast. So it’s time for me to dig the damn thing out, divide it into pots for next year’s Master Gardener’s Spring Plant Sale and replant it. Do the chores never end?!
These absolutely breathtaking plants are in the Perennial Garden at the Sherwood Demonstration Garden (SDG)…
Helianthus salicifolius ‘Low Down’ (Willowleaf Sunflower) & Clematis ligusticifolia (Western White Clematis)
The Helianthus is very very VERY difficult to propagate. I’ve tried every available method and my success rate is about 5%. The only thing that works for me is to dig it up and divide, which I did here because I have the mother plant. Ugh! Worst task ever because who wants to dig a hole twice? Not me, so I did stem-cutting this week hoping for the umpteenth time they will take. Keep you posted.
The Clematis was originally in a 3 by 3-foot container in my garden. It sat on a redwood deck, which annoyed my husband to no end. He thought the constant irrigating of the plant would eventually rot the deck out. Well I took his complaining for quite a few years. Then finally—to keep the peace—I transplanted it to the Perennial Garden at the SDG because I had no spot in full sun at my place for a climbing vine, and I relocated the container.
These yellow beauties border my driveway every fall…
Helianthus with Yucca desmetiana ‘Blue Boy’
They frame the Blue Boy just nicely, don’t you think?
Now here’s a plant that can grow up to 5-feet tall wide…
Lepechinia hastata (Fragrant Pitcher Sage)
Firstly, that sage is too big for the container I put it in. Secondly, like most other sages, it doesn’t do much for me. Maybe these species don’t have enough character. Yes I know it’s a good pollinator plant, blah blah blah. But I have other plants in the garden that just do that and are much more attractive. So bye-bye. Out it goes to pollinate the SDG’s Perennial Garden. Whatever reason, if a plant refuses to fit in at my place, the demo garden can have it. Let the public decide if it might fit their gardens.
Now I said sages don’t do much for me, but that doesn’t mean I won’t buy them to propagate. Especially if it’s a species I’ve never seen. Like this one…
Salvia leucantha ‘White Mischief’
I had to take a client plant shopping the other day—yes, lol, rough life I have—and I came upon White Mischief. Of course I wanted it because the common Mexican Sage is purple, and this one’s a rare white. You know how I am with rare!
I also came upon this lovely new plant…
Chitalpa ‘NCXC1′ (El Nino Desert Orchid)
It’s a cross between the Desert Willow and Catalpa. I’ve seen it before—don’t remember where or why I didn’t buy it—but I did buy it this time. It will grow to 8-feet high and 5-feet wide. I took a few stem cuttings this week. Cross your fingers!
Here’s one of my top-5 plants of all time…
Yucca gloriosa var. recurvifolia ‘Walbristar’ (Bright Star Yucca), bud
Bright Star Yucca, flower
Bright Star Yucca, leaves
You know Bright Star is one of my top plants—I have 8 of them scattered around my gardens.
Nurseries have featured yuccas many times over the years but they disappeared for a time during COVID. Thousands of stuck-at-home, bored-to-death homeowners went plant shopping because it was outdoors and—other than the grocery store—where else could they go? Well this plant became so popular all of its inventory got bought out. It has taken almost 2 years for a new crop to arrive in the nurseries and, while they’re certainly not as big or in 5-gallon pots as they once were, who cares! They’re available.
Look. It’s PINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!…
Cortaderia selloana ‘Rosea’ (Pink Pampas Grass)
I blogged about this damn plant, complaining that the plumes were not in fact pink and why on earth would I buy a regular ole’ pampas grass?! But a month ago when the plumes emerged from their cocoons, can you believe it? They were PINK!
After a few weeks they slowly faded to a boring beige. But at least I got excited for a moment.
I took this at sunrise…
Stunning!
What are you waking up to this Fall?
