It’s been a busy month and today is blustery. We’ve had s bit of hail already and are expecting a lot of rain this afternoon – here are a quick Six in between chores.
After the hot and dry summer it feels almost sacrilegious to empty the rain barrels….but it’s an autumn chore that needs to be done if I don’t want to damage the barrel (with ice) or flood the house (with spring roof run off). But here it is, the lead off to this week’s SOS.
Aside from a large patch of snapdragons in the kitchen garden most flowers are done for the year. BUT there are still some unexpected (and welcome) splashes of colour here and there, like the pansy planted beside the patio in May, and quite a few scattered blanket flowers still trying to attract pollinators.
The rest of the colour in the yard is supplied by the fall foliage of shrubs and trees.
I planted this Fothergilla almost two weeks ago… hoping the leaves are this attractive every year.
I planted this Shasta Viburnum a few years ago; it’s finally coming into its own.
Finally, I’m really fond of perennials that have foliage that can stay upright even as colour drains away. My favourites are Solomon Seal and this Hosta ‘Frances Williams.’ (6a & 6b)
Now…back to the yard. I’m hoping to mow/mulch a large part of the back field before the rain starts!
County Gardening 
It’s nice to see you planted a Fothergilla. Mine needed time to settle down and grow very slowly but now it’s competing with a Japanese maple to get the most light. I think keeping them together, as good friends who like the same acid soil.
Interesting also to see that you empty your barrels for winter. Here the cold is not so hard so I just clean the leaves fallen in.
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If i didn’t empty the rain barrels I’d have giant ice cubes!😁 I’m pretty sure my soil isn’t acidic enough for the Fothergilla….time will tell….
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Add some acidic soil ?( I did it the first years- 10-15L at the bottom because I have a heavy clay soil )
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You’re right about those autumn leaves. Whilst not as colourful as flowers, they have plenty of interest.
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I admire anyone who can get either Soloman’s Seal or hosta through the season w/o them being eaten by their various nemeses. That you’ve kept both nearly whole, you must be a wizard of the most exceptional kind.
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LOL!!! You’re too kind…we don’t have the Solomon Seal nemesis here…yet…thank goodness because i have loads of it. And i think we have too many frogs, snakes and toads for slugs to be too much of a nuisance. Yet…
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That rain barrel looks like it just got mugged and left on the sidewalk.
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😅😅😅
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‘Shasta’ viburnum sounds nice. Viburnums are rare here, and those that I work with are not very appealing. (They naturalized, so we keep them if they happen to appear where they are an asset.) I saw a viburnum that looks like the description of ‘Shasta’ viburnum in Eugene. I really do not know much about them, or who is who. They do not conform to our California style of landscaping.
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They are, generally, not terribly drought tolerant although some, like the native nannyberry (Viburnum lentago) are fine in our dry summers once established. Good for wildlife.
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Nannyberry? If I grew that in my garden, I would need to come up with another name because I would be too embarrassed to tell my friends that I am growing ‘nannyberry’. There are certainly several very nice viburnums. We just happen to grow those that are not so appealing. I have not seen a snowball bush in many years.
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that vibernum has beautiful leaves – I’d like a vibernum in our garden but it’s finding the right one. Don’t need to empty our water butts here in manchester in the UK – I use them to water the plants in the porch overwintering… fingers crossed 🙂 I’ve got urban trees and flowers in my six this weekend.
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