Winding Down

Okay, the weather changed two days ago. It is definitely fall now, although they are promising a few more warm days but the nights are cool. Sometimes it is even only 2 degrees above freezing.

I decided to plant the second Virginia creeper next to the first one, so they can climb up the lattice on the ramp to the back deck. I drove around town checking out other plantings of this vine and I don't think we get the kind of growth that warrants regarding this as an invasive plant. One person had it scrambling up his brick house in a glorious show of red leaves. Another had it planted over a low fence and it seemed quite under control. And a neighbour down the street has it on her garden shed and it doesn't seem to be taking over the entire garden (yet).

So I will take my chances with this and look forward to seeing it cover the lattice here and then turn a brilliant red next fall.

Next summer, I would like to have a large bed of petunias here in front of the creeper.  Hot pink petunias.

Then I planted a single heuchera in the front bed that gets no direct sunlight. As soon as I had planted it, I thought how silly that was and drove off to the grocery store to buy the last two remaining heucheras that they had for sale. I am not even sure that I really like this plant because I am not sold on foliage that isn't green, but this is a plant that does well in true shade and I wanted something in here this fall.

It definitely looks better with three plants than with just one. I will put some bulbs in this bed as well, some hyacinths which should be arriving soon from Vesey's nursery.

I have ordered a large quantity of spring flowering bulbs and that will be the major planting session in October.