Today we’re visiting the garden of Lillian O’Rourke from Waterloo, Ontario. She’s taking us back in time a little to enjoy her garden as it transitioned from summer into fall:
I love the transition from summer to fall. I pretty much plant things in summer that take that transition very well, and the only thing I add is a few mums. I’ve been gardening for most of my life, my grandfather being a master gardener back in the 1950s. My garden in fall consists of nasturtiums, morning glories, and a crabapple tree, which puts on a real show with its little decorative apples for the birds to enjoy in winter.
Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus, annual) blooms all summer, but like so many annuals, they reach peak flowering at the end of summer. A small garden helper seems to be enjoying these flowers as well.
A sweet little informal bouquet of nasturtium flowers. You can see that the leaves of this variety are variegated, splashed irregularly with white. Several variegated varieties of nasturtium have this trait, which can add a lot of interest to an already beautiful plant.
A tangle of bright blue morning glories (Ipomoea tricolor ‘Heavenly Blue’, annual). Some people think morning glories are a bit too aggressive, but who can say no to that shade of blue?
I mean really—that color is just perfect.
Brilliant orange crabapples (Malus sp.) make a great display at the end of summer, and birds love them. These lucky birds have a house and a feast all in one spot.
The crabapples make a bold splash of color across the green garden.
What is the end of summer and the beginning of fall without some mums? I love the way these different colors are mingling together.
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Comments
i love blue morning glories,my Grandpa always had them ,now me too
I love those nasturtiums. I am really too far south for them but as a child my mom managed to get them to grow & bloom one time before it got too hot.
Hi, Lillian. Your vase/Nasturtium pairing is delightful...they seem made for each other. I don't think I've ever before fully appreciated just how Wowza a crabapple can be in late summer. And, to think...every crabapple represents a bloom so it must have been magical in the spring as well. Love your 4 legged garden companion...such a cutie.
Lovely - and your little spaniel is the perfect garden ornament!
What a smile-inducing garden! Are those mums in the ground? Great grouping!
Just delightful. I so enjoyed viewing your autumn garden. The Nasturtium is the only plant I can count on growing from seed, and aren’t they fantastic. Your dog in the photo was great. Fellow Ontario gardener.
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