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Garden in September |
Check out new developments in the garden at the bottom of the page
September is a glorious month in the garden. This year, it began with a good rain and cooler temperatures. The plants responded by taking on new life. Many bushes have a second flowering period now. These include: Polygala myrtifolia var. grandiflora, and Callistemon citrinus, the Crimson Bottlebrush which grows to 3-4 meters.
The
Pomergranate (Punica granatum) is now heavily laden with its
leather skinned fruits which are first red and then slowly turn yellowish-brown
as they ripen. This tall deciduous shrub reaches a height of 2-4 meters
and can be trained as a tree . In late spring and early
summer it is full of bright red flowers. Most of them fall to the ground
but those which become pollinated slowly form the fruits. It is an undemanding
tree requiring alkaline soil, good drainage, and full sun.
A second tree which adds interest to the
garden this month is Lagerstroemia indica, the deciduous Crape
Myrtle which reaches a height of 3-4 meters and can also be grown as a large shrub. The color of its crinkly rose-hued flowers is
picked up by the Cuphea hyssopifolia growing at the base of its trunk.
Also known as False heather, Cuphea is a dainty
mounding shrublet
originating in
Mexico and Guatemala. It has 1.5 cm evergreen leaves which are crowded
upon arching stems. The tiny tubular flowers range from pink to purple to
white. It blooms continuously from early spring until late fall when it is cut
back. It is an easy plant to grow enjoying full sun and weekly
watering during the summer months.
The
Firethorn,
Pyrancantha, which I have
growing across a narrow arch along with the Bougainvillea, is now showing off its orange berries. Every
spring while I am pruning it, I plan to remove the plant from the garden because
of its prickly thorns but every fall I am grateful for its grand display of berries
which contrast nicely with its dark evergreen leaves. It is drought tolerant and
can also be trained as a shrub or small tree.
The first bulb to bloom in my garden
after the summer heat is
Amaryllis belladonna. The cluster of silvery-pink, faintly scented
trumpet flowers appear at the top of a tall stalk arising from a leafless bulb.
After flowering when the leaves appear the plant should be fed and watered.
It will produce better flowers if the bulbs are allowed multiply and
become crowded. The poisonous bulbs should be planted with the neck
at ground level and thrive on winter rain and full sun.
To gain some instant color I have planted the Madagascar Periwinkle
(Catharantus
roseus or Vinca roseus) and Pansies in the flower boxes around
the house. Last year the dwarf chrysanthemums I planted proved to be a
disappointment and I removed them.
Needless to say color is still coming from the old standby's: bougainvillea, plumbago, lantana, pelargoniums, salvia farinaceous, and buddleia. All in all, September is a satisfying month for the garden. The weeds are still under control and maintenance consists mainly of pruning vigorous growth.
Changes in the garden
Since summer ended so abruptly with cooler temperatures and first rains coming at the beginning of the month, there was no reason to wait any longer to implement long over alterations to the garden. The major change has to do with removing the perennial plantings in the large raised center bed and replace them with low to medium evergreen shrubs. The perennial flower bed looked good from May to July and after that was in a sorry state. The new idea is to have a permanent evergreen background which will be 'enlivened' every season with bulbs and some perennial standby's.
Many of the shrubs that are being planted have come from other parts in the garden where they did not seem to thrive and would benefit from a richer soil and better drainage. These shrubs include:
Cuphea hyssopifolia
Osmanthus ilicifolius 'Variegatus' (Variegated False Holly)
Raphiolepis ovata (Round Leaf Raphiolepsis)
Teucrium chamaedrys (Dwarf Germander)
New additions include:
Abelia grandiflora (Glassy Abelia)
Buxus japonica (Japanese Boxwood)
Eyonymus japonica
Hebe 'Co-ed'
Next month I will go into more detail about this shrub border.
To view the other months click on the hyperlinks below.