joe pye weed

Joe Pye Weed is just about the last of the flowers to come into bloom in the garden.  By the time the flowers open the leaves have lost nearly all of their purple color from earlier in the year — the purple color is seen only in this variety which is called Chocolate Joe Pye Weed.  Leaf color is the primary reason I grow this flower; the blossoms themselves are unspectacular.

It might be appropriate that I end this blog on the last flowers of the season.  I’ve recently bought an old (c.1858) house in Maeystown, IL and will be spending the winter refurbishing that.  I’ve already begun dividing some of the plants from this garden as I’ll be starting from a blank slate at the new place.   Maybe I’ll begin blogging again when I have something to show there.  In the meantime, thanks for visiting my garden and best of luck with yours.

sedum

The sedums are beginning to bloom, a true indicator that the season for new blossoms is nearly over.  Sedum is such an easy-to-grow plant every garden should have at least a few.  To the left is Autumn Joy, identified by its red stems.  Below are the common (“Live-Forever”) and white-blooming, variegated leaf varieties.

Sedums can be grown in sun or shade, form 18″-24″ inch clumps, and are easy to propagate — just bury the bottom 3″-4″ of a cut stem and keep the soil moist.

Sedums come in a variety of color combinations, including a deep purple-leafed variety.  Except for the white variegated sedum, most flower in similar clumps of pink, star-shaped blossoms.

obedient plant – physostegia

A late season bloomer, obedient plant is showing the effects of some very hot, dry weather recently.  The usual pattern of rows of four blossoms surrounding each stalk is interrupted by some that withered when temperatures reached 100 F.  Still nice to see color this late in the summer, though.