Carol Lee Daniel in Pittsburgh, PA is thankful for the asters, who redeemed her challenging garden this year!
"After a spring so wet things rotted and a summer so hot and dry that I spent days watering just to keep things alive, it seemed the garden was done. Then the asters bloomed."
Have a garden you'd like to share? Please email your photos (and stories) to [email protected]! Whether you've never shared before or you've been featured multiple times, we want to see your garden! You don't have to be a professional garden photographer – check out our garden photography tips!
Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here!
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google
Privacy Policy and
Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
Comments
Hi Carol Lee, You have a lot of my favorite perennials. That Golden Fleece Solidago has performed for me for years. I love sedums too. Are your asters as promiscuous as mine? I started off with a purple and a pink and now have 5 different shades of asters that self sow. I never know just what colors will be where.
My favorite photo is the first one with the gravel walk leading to the statue focal point. Beautiful.
It's educational to see who your gutsy autumn performers are after the challenging spring and summer they endured. Are the purple flowers in the last picture also asters? They are quite a delightful cloud of color
I also love your gravel walks and stone borders. It's so wonderful to have plants self sow and make new colors of their own. It brightened my rainy day to see all those beautiful asters!
Carol!!
We had a similar season here. This year's Spring seemed to be measured in days instead of weeks and then BOOM: Here's Summer with all it's heat and dryness. Didn't take long at all to dry out the overly generous rains of the earlier seasons. "Challenging" is a term which doesn't even begin to describe our gardening efforts! But still, we persevere!! (Keep Calm and keep weeding!)
I'll echo Meander's sentiment and amazement at that aster (?) in the last (for this batch) Photo. That looks more like a Summer Phlox in it's glory!! Yow-Za!!!!
Are your Monarch's enjoying your Sedums, Asters, and Goldenrods or have they started their Southern Migration from there, already?
So many gardeners around the country felt your pain this growing season, Carol. I, for one, am smiling as I put my gardens and containers to bed for the year! For some strange reason, I only have one aster in my gardens, but that's definitely going to change next year...they are such perky, colorful plants that apparently are very tolerant! Enjoy your late season burst of colors!
Your asters are lovely Carol. They certainly are a good standby for this time of year. I have sedums mixed with mine and they work well.
Need me some asters. I have lovely soft pink mums threatening to burst open. I love the fall flower garden. Rain did a number on my lamb ears- Totally dead. Hate when that happens- They are so out of favor- you can never find them for sale.
The weather & for me pin oaks and pecan trees with their subsequent evils, (voles and tent worms, tassels and penchant to sap every nutrient out of the soil within 450 ft of them ) makes the garden you designed in your head not particularly translate to reality. Oh well- There's always next year !!!!!
Pretty funny second paragraph, Cenepk10, that many of us can identify with. For the first time in many a year, my garden is under assault by voles/field mice. They seem to be ravenous and have a particular appetite for hosta and peony roots. I am horrified at the damage that is being revealed. I think it has gotten out of control this year because our hunting barn cat passed away in the spring. He had been slowing during his last couple of years down but I guess I never fully appreciated what a good and effective garden protector he was. Local animal rescue organizations don't like to let a cat be adopted if they are not going to a house cat. Trust me, our guy Bucky had a great life...cat food always available, shelter, affection, medical care.
We have walnut trees that are also a magnets for evil things like your pecan trees are so I "feel your pain".
Yeah- I got a cat last year - & he eats his fill & is s terrific hunter. Always heard the females are the better hunter. My voles usally ONLY eat the expensive plants. They love oak leaf hydrangeas, they ate balloon flower. They ate a Japanese maple tree. Lost count of all the casualties. Get you another cat !!!!!
Here is Mr Kitty with a late afternoon snack. There was nothing left of him a few minutes later. :)
Oh, my gosh, your Mr. Kitty looks so much like our passed away Bucky. The only difference is that one of Bucky's ears looked like a crumpled cornflake. He loved to lay in this sea of zinnias his last year. Seeing how young, alert and vibrant (plus what an obviously good hunter he is) your cat looks really makes me want another one.
Oh !!! Loved the pics of your garden !!!!!!!
The purple asters in the last photo look like the ones I bought as "Hella Lacy". They sometimes get a fungus (?) on the lower leaves, but usually bloom profusely. They used to be covered with Monarch butterflies when blooming, but the last few years not so much. Lots of bees, though!
It's nice to finally be getting rain. Maybe you'll get a second round of some earlier plants, Carol, and can send us more pictures.
So pretty. Particularly in front of the stone wall.
All the shades of pink aster look so cheerful and pretty. In the past this is a plant I've had no luck with, but will keep trying - maybe the pink will be better for my garden. Hope, hope!
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
Sign up Log in