Daylilies work well for me because I start to lose interest in the garden later in the season. I love that glorious burst of growth in the spring, the dazzling flowers of summer. By the end of August, I’m ready to move on to other activities.
I’m content to stroll about the garden and not lift a finger on its behalf. I never trim back my plants until spring. Many of them provide winter interest, with interesting seed pods or twisty stems.
I can further justify my autumnal laziness with the fact that the seeds and leaf litter the garden offers will feed and protect a host of insects and birds over the freezing months ahead.
There are still a few flowers to be seen, such as a late-blooming head of masterwort (Astrantia major ‘Sunningdale Variegated‘), above.
And here is a bouquet of Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) tucked in amongst the lowest branches of the corkscrew hazel.
The chocolate Joe Pye (Eupatorium rugosum ‘Chocolate’) is just wrapping up its blooming season for the year.
A few heads of phlox are contributing a bit of colour. This is Phlox paniculata ‘Sherbet Cocktail’.
The last, the very last flower to bloom in my garden every year is this monkshood (Aconitum carmichaelii ‘Barker’s Variety’). The flowers are set off nicely by the new green coat that the house received this summer.
The bright berries of the aptly named American Winterberry (Ilex verticillata ) brighten a shady corner and make a contribution to the garden’s offerings for wildlife.
The grasses are the mainstay of the fall garden. This little cutie is Piglet Fountain Grass (Pennisetum Alopecuroides ‘Piglet’).
The plumes of this unnamed miscanthus species look fabulous when backlit by the sun. This is one of the tallest grasses in the garden, but two others surpass it. Both are new this year, and are only just opening their plumed heads now. Hopefully, next year they will fill out more and reach maturity a bit earlier in the season. You can make out Giant Maidengrass (Miscanthus gigantus) in the photo below, standing to the left of the sunlit plumes. Behind it is the tallest of the three, the native Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii).
Willow House Chronicles 
Beautiful garden…I’ve said it before, and it’s true, every season. Love that masterwort – is it a native plant?
Beeeyootiful! I haven’t seen masterwort before. I love it!
Thanks, Ellen. The garden does always seem to have something interesting to look at. I think masterwort is a European native.
Natalie, this is the first year I’ve had masterwort in the garden. It has been a well-behaved, tidy plant…a keeper!
I just found your site through a little blog-hopping. I love it! I always wanted to live on a farm, but my work requires that I live in the city. I can now vicariously live in the country through you! I love your pictures. I haven’t had time to read through many previous posts. Have you told everyone what you are using for a camera and what your camera experience is?
Hi Della, Thanks for your compiment. I’m glad to be able to share my little slice of country life with you.
I don’t have a fancy camera. My current model is a Kodak EASYSHARE Z981 with 14 mp and a 26x optical zoom. I just got it at Staples. Previously, I had the same camera with a lower zoom range. These have worked well for me.
I leave any really demanding photographic work to my zoologist daughter over at ‘The Marvellous in Nature’!
I am taking a little break from blogging this month, but there are nearly 3 years of archived entries you can enjoy! Thanks for dropping by.