Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day: September 2016

The daylight hours are shortening, and here in my NW Ohio Zone 6a/6b garden, things are starting to wind down in preparation for autumn.

This chrysanthemum hasn’t been happy or healthy for the past couple of years. Two years ago, she was full of blooms; this year, she put out a scant few while trying to battle whatever disease or insect is skeletonizing her leaves.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: Sept 2016

The Nikko Blue hydrangeas (I found a Nikko Blue tag in the dirt, so I’m guessing most if not all of my mophead hydrangeas are Nikko Blues) are reblooming in the cooler weather.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: Sept 2016

I’ve been regularly deadheading the butterfly bush, and it’s been responding with fresh blooms. I managed to photograph it on a rare day where it didn’t have any visitors — no big fuzzy bumblebees, tiny bees, butterflies, flies, hummingbirds, or other pollinators.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: Sept 2016

Every year I photograph the yarrow and comment that I should really move it to where it will be more easily appreciated. Well, this spring, I finally did it! The transplanted yarrow is now in bloom and seems to be quite happy in its new home in the front garden.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: Sept 2016

Cosmos are a new annual for me, and I think I like them. Purity Sensation only just started blooming in the past week or so — much taller than Xanthos, the pale yellow variety I planted.

Cosmos Purity Sensation

I tried to deadhead Xanthos before I took this photo, but the bumblebee I startled didn’t think that was a good idea. So this is what the planting looks like before deadheading: Xanthos in the foreground, maypop vine climbing an obelisk in the center of the bed, and Purity Sensation towering in the background.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: Sept 2016

I also sowed both varieties along the front fence, to fill in some gaps. I may move some of my roses here come spring — we’ll see…

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: Sept 2016

Also along the front fence, I cut back the ragged remains of the bee balm to let the sedum properly show its colors. The pollinators must have been busy elsewhere on Thursday, when I took all these photos, because usually there’s at least one giant bee on the sedum.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: Sept 2016

The hydrangea paniculata in the back yard never ceases to impress me. She’s not blooming in bright white anymore, but not quite to her autumn rose shade yet, either.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: Sept 2016

The Japanese anemone (aka windflower) is probably related to ‘September Charm’ — possibly it self-sowed over the years, since it doesn’t look exactly like the photos I’ve found online. No matter what exact cultivar it might be, I still look forward to it every fall.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: Sept 2016

The lamium by my front door is once again in bloom and attracting pollinators.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: Sept 2016

Oh, here’s the fuzzy bumblebee I was expecting to see: buzzing around the goldenrod I failed to pull up this summer. The goldenrod used to take over this entire border, but I’ve tried to keep in in check for the past couple of years. It grows in amongst a dwarf flowering almond, which has very similar leaves, so sometimes I don’t spot the goldenrod right away. Come September and October, though, I don’t mind having that splash of color.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: Sept 2016

As always, many thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day on the 15th of each month!

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