

| There has been a first frost at Stonecrop and although the damage was light, it is interesting to note which tender plants were affected and which were not. Of course those that were affected may have been the plants that are more tender--or they may have simply have been in the more exposed locations. And those that were not affected may have been less tender--or they may have been in the less exposed locations. All we know for sure is the results. And it was not just the leaves on the trees that were turning brilliant colors--the leaves of several perennials were also putting on quite a show.. Continue. |
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In the bed near the back deck of the main house, this bloooming Fuchsia 'Mrs. Popple' and the shiny variegated foliage of Silybum marianum show no signs at all of the recent frost--possibly due to a more sheltered location.
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| Except for the tree leaf fallen from a tree above, there is no sign of Autumn here. | ||||
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No frost here either in the fairly sheltered Black Garden as this Ricinus reaches its Autumn glory.
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| A close-up of the fruit covered with soft prickles. For a charming essay on the Ricinus, see Jamaica Kincaid's My Favorite Plant. | ||||
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Although this Abutilon has nearly stopped flowering, I would have expected that being this tall it would have been at least frosted at the top like some of the Cannas had been--but the foliage is as perfect as it was in the height of the summer.
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| No, it is October. Look at how the tiny Lettuces shown on September 14 have grown. | ||||
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Across the water is the weeping Cercidiphyllum japonicum f. pendulum and just to the right of it is the Weeping Willow with the amazingly curly leaves shown on the right.
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| A close-up of the incredibly curly leaves of the amazing Willow--Salix babylonica 'Crispa.' | ||||
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The magenta stars surrounding the blueberry-like seeds of the Clerodendrum trichotomum continue to be as lively as ever.
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| Many plants have seed pods that are fascinating--but generally they are not brightly colored. I do not know of any plant that is as colorful after blooming as it is in bloom. Have I missed the others? | ||||
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Callicarpa--from "kallos" meaning beauty and "karpos" meaning fruit. A well named plant, 'Profusion' was loaded with purple berries that really were the color you see--almost a perfect match of the Tricyrtis seen in the next row of photos.
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| It was not just the leaves on some of the trees that were in their Autumn splendor--the brilliantly golden leaves of this Hosta in the lower Woodland seemed to be glowing. | ||||
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The soft plumes of Miscanthus sinensis catch the late afternoon light.
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| A late blooming Tricyrtis stolonifera--Toad Lily. See also the Tricyrtis latifolia shown on July 5. |