Fall Flowers

Swamp sunflowers (Helianthemum angustifolium) by the house.

 

As my birthday comes around once more, the season is marked by some of my favorite fall flowers. First to bloom are the swamp sunflowers, with their cheerful, airy scapes, then the chrysanthemums and the asters. The smooth blue aster (Symphyotrichum laeve) blooms earlier--the flower spikes tend to be tall and slender, but this year, mine were eaten back by deer, and thus pruned, they barely peek out from under the Amsonia behind them.

 

Symphyotrichum laeve with yellowing leaves of Amsonia hubrichtii.

Colchicum 'Waterlily'

The Colchicum 'Waterlily' flowers were spectacular, if short-lived--three gorgeous flowers emerged on leafless stalks. The leaves will sprout in the spring, grow, and then disappear. No signs of the saffron I planted in a wire cage in the back bed this year--Herb caught sight of a squirrel digging up the bulbs I had planted in pots and despite covering those with wire cloches, there's yet a flower to appear. Maybe the squirrels have already eaten all the blooming-size bulbs.

 

Red  'Double Knockout' rose

After a very wet September, the roses are re-blooming. The red 'Double knockout' roses in front look particularly lovely with the amber foliage of the dogwood. My Chrysanthemums were mostly a disaster this year--the plants burned so much during the summer drought, that very few buds were left intact, and the foliage all browned out. To console myself I bought a new pink mum at a garden center, and an ornamental kale. The two complement each other perfectly!

Pink mum with ornamental kale.

The aromatic asters (Symphyotrichum oblongiflolium) usually open a couple of weeks after the swamp sunflowers and last until well into November. In the two weeks since I started writing this post, the asters have opened just as the sunflowers begin to fade.

 

Aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium)

Close-up of the aromatic asters

October dawns on the front garden.

Despite the warm days, in the past two weeks the dogwood tree in front has gone from amber to burnished red, and most of the potted plants that I grow outside are beginning to die back. The cherry tree is turning gold. My pot-grown red Dahlia finally produced a few blooms--well worth the wait!

 

Red Dahlia

 

The weather has been so warm recently, and many of the summer-flowering plants I put in this year didn't start blooming until recently. The Calendula 'Neon', eaten back by the deer until I protected it, didn't produce many blooms until a few weeks ago; the perennial red Salvia planted this year is only now covered with blooming spikes. A shame that these will soon be cut down by the first frost, just as they're looking their best!

 

Calendula 'Neon' grown from seed.

Beautyberry 'Early Amethyst' (Callicarpa dichotoma)

 

Today the air is crisp and much cooler, it feels like the first really autumnal day. The frosts will arrive soon, and usher in the closing chapter of another season in my garden.

A Giant Falls

The remains of a giant oak after the storm.

 

I'm reminded of the old philosophical question,"If a tree falls in the forest and there's no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?" The top of one of the four old oaks in our back yard snapped off yesterday during a horrific thunderstorm. I was so busy closing windows and mopping up the water that was coming in, that I never noticed the moment when the tree fell, or if it made any noise! With the sound of the howling storm, neither did Herb. After more than an inch of rain falling horizontally and our aluminum garden bench sliding again from one side of the deck to the other, hail began to fall--pea shooter size and up, pelted everything until the deck was white with hailstones.

It wasn't until after the storm had passed and I went out on the deck to pick up the potted plants that had been knocked and scattered around that I looked up and saw the tree trunk--what a sight!

 

The oak tree last fall

 

This was the tallest of the four oak trees in the strip of woods at the back of our property. The birds loved to perch on it, woodpeckers and perhaps owls nested in the cavities in the trunk. To see the trunk sheared off like that was quite a shock! I had expected the tree to eventually lose its top, but more gradually, big branch by branch. We had several large branches come down from another of the oaks back there last winter, and it was shocking to see that tree lose about fifteen feet of its top branches in one fell swoop. Having this one lose the entire top in one storm was mind-boggling!

 

Top half of the oak tree.

Even more amazing was that fortunately, it fell towards the back slope instead of into my garden. This morning I went out to survey the damage, and found the top half of the oak tree just a few feet from the remaining trunk. You can clearly see how the wind twisted and sheared the trunk where it had been hollowed out. As it fell, it must have struck the dead hickory tree that had been there for several years and brought it down too.

Fallen oak trunk and dead hickory trunk.

Perhaps it was the dead hickory that checked the descent of the oak, helping both massive trunks to stay within this area. I was afraid that the trees might be blocking the drainage ditch at the back, but again fortunately, the trunks seem to have fallen at such an angle that they didn't block the drainage.

Upper part of the oak tree.

The drainage ditch.

I'm so grateful that the damage wasn't worse, and that we won't have to pay someone to cut and clear out a big tree from our yard. Back there, the dead trunks can rot in place undisturbed without causing any problems for us or the neighborhood. As the wood rots, it will feed fungi and other organisms to enrich the soil.

Strangely shaped puff ball fungi.

Speaking of fungi, I came across this strange vase-shaped fungi that I think is a puffball fungus while I was poking about in the woods. There are so many different species of puffball fungi that I can't venture a guess as to which it might be. I also came across some reindeer moss flourishing back there and some lovely wood asters (now Symphyotrichum genus).

Reindeer moss (Cladonia rangiferina)

Wood asters (Symphyotrichum cordifolium)

With the big oak gone, there will be a lot more sunshine in that part of the woods, and there are several other smaller trees that will eventually fill in the space. Nature is ever-evolving, but it will take me some time to get used to the change of backdrop to my garden.

Fall 2021 Art at the Mill

Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia), watercolor on paper, 10"h x 14" w.

 

This Fall's Art at the Mill is opening this weekend, and I'm looking forward to seeing the entire show. I have five painting on display, and am hoping to sell at least one, perhaps more if I'm lucky. The waterccolor above is one of the paintings I did at the Red House Residency that will be on display at the Burwell-Morgan Mill.

 

Blandy Farm View, watercolor on paper, 9.5"h x 13.5" w.

 

The other four paintings I have in this show are botanicals, and have been featured on this blog previously, except this one above. I painted this one as a demo during one of my plein aire watercolor classes in 2019, and it turned out so nice that I decided to frame it for this show. This landscape was rather complicated, but I managed to simplify it enough to compose well, and the clarity and range of colors gives the feeling of that pleasant afternoon. It was painted in late September, right about the same time of the year as at present--one of those lovely early fall days when the weather is perfect and the sunshine delineates the shadows to highlight the forms.

I hope my readers will stop by and take in the show, which will take place for the next three weekends ending on Oct. 17. There's always something for everyone's taste at Art at the Mill. go see it!

Turning of the Season

The front yard in mid-September.

 

Despite the recent unseasonable heat, now that the days are becoming shorter, the quality of the light begins to change. In the evenings, during "the golden hour," the light becomes like liquid gold that washes over my garden, drawing me in to admire the turning of the season.

 

Hardy Begonias

 

The hardy begonias in the front garden are putting forth their blooms, while the red and white impatiens around my potted Camellia have grown out to cover the bed where the Narcissus bloomed last spring. The roses  are starting to re-bloom now that the temperatures have turned down somewhat. The dogwood's leaves are starting to turn bronze, setting off their charming red seeds.

Unlike our usual Septembers, rain has been plentiful: the month kicked off with over three inches from the remains of hurricane Ida, and several other big thunderstorms have brought a total of more then seven inches thus far. It's raining again today, so I wonder how much more we'll get.

Zinnias in the rose bed.

My zinnias are still looking good--I'm hoping they will re-seed themselves next year, but if they don't, I can always buy more. A walk around to the west side of the house reveals that my shrubs and trees are making progress, despite the damage from the seventeen-year locusts this past spring. These locusts lay their eggs in the young twigs of trees and shrubs by piercing long slits in the bark, and once weakened, the branches break off easily, setting back the growth of several years. Thank heaven they only surface once every seventeen years!

The back yard from the west.

The aisle between Herb's bed and the Little Indians.

Herb's bed is looking great with the 'Autumn Joy' Sedum flowers coloring pink, echoed by the sedums in the Little Indians bed. The feathery seed heads of the Muhly grass are just starting to emerge-- the yellow and orange Chrysanthemums add splashes of color as the Amsonia hubrichtii's feathery foliage begins to turn yellow.

 

Autumn asters (Symphyotrichum laevis) and Amsonia hubrichtii

My veggie patch

 

My veggie patch is currently producing a nice crop of wax beans. When these die back I'll plant some garlic cloves from this season's crop. As soon as the asparagus roots I ordered arrive, they'll go in where the dying flowering peas are now. The flowering peas were a disappointment--I must to face the fact that our hot and dry Virginia summers are not a suitable climate for these old-fashioned, scented climbers.

I'll be expanding the enclosure to include the asparagus. Deer generally don't eat asparagus, at least that was the case in my previous garden, but here, who knows? Better not take any chances. I love the way the wild goldenrod and woodland asters left to grow around the enclosure decorate it--they may be weeds, but much more interesting than plain grass.

 

The Badlands

The rear bed which we call "The Badlands" continues to improve despite the depredations of the deer. The Purple de Oro daylilies managed to display a few flowers despite being frequently devoured, but the Shasta daisies don't appear to have many flower buds this year--the hot and dry summer was not to their liking. I was hoping that the aromatic asters (Symphyotrichum  oblongiflolium) behind them would grow tall enough to be seen behind the Shastas, but for some inexplicable reason, this one plant stays short in this bed, whereas the one I have next to the house is at least 36-40" high with a similar spread. These will soon begin to flower along with the swamp sumflowers.

 

Black cotton (Gossypium herbaceum 'Nigrum')

I grew several black cotton plants from last year's seeds but only two of them have grown to blooming size. The deer invaded my front yard several times earlier in the summer, and ate some of these back as well as other potted plants. After moving the pots onto the deck, late in the season this one plant decided to unfurl several flowers at the same time.

 

Butterfly bush (Buddleja Lindleyana) with red-hot poker flower (Kniphofia)

Buddleja lindleyana

The new Buddleja planted last fall is growing well despite being attacked by deer--it's classified as deer resistant, but only a garlic oil clip on it kept the deer from chewing it down to stubs. It finally started to bloom in late August, and hopefully as it gets taller the deer will do less damage. The hummingbirds loved the flowers!

 

Colchicum 'Waterlily'  bud

Close-up of Colchicum bud

I was surprised to spot this lovely pink bud coming up out of the bare earth, until I remembered that I'd planted an autumn crocus, Colchicum 'Waterlily,' there. A little earlier than expected--the autumn equinox is taking place today. I hope the Colchicum will produce a few more flowers than last year, and begin to multiply.

Herb was looking out from the deck while I was out take these photos, and I couldn't resist including him in the last photo. We finally had the stairs sealed this past summer and the deck got another coat of sealant.

Herb overlooking the back yard.

Soon I'll be going into my fall planting frenzy once again. Fall is a wonderful time to plant in our area!

New Painting Explorations

Pink-striped Oakworm Moths, watercolor on paper, 11"h x 7.5"w.

 

This is the result of another of my experiments with the Stonehenge black paper. I used Daniel Smith Interference watercolors for the moths with washes of other watercolor paints over them. For the leaf, I used a layer of Titanium White watercolor paint, let it set overnight, and then applied watercolor paints on top. I really like the effect of the watercolors over the Titanium White paint, but I'm having doubts about the Interference colors--these are very hard to paint over and modify afterwards.

I also wish I'd used a slightly larger piece of paper--the composition could have used a bit more of the oak leaf form at the bottom and the right side. The next time I'll try the Titanium white under everything, paint over that, and them apply the Interference colors last. Hopefully, this will allow me to model the forms better overall. There's so many new materials that I want to try!

New Critters in My Garden

Box turtle browsing on woolly thyme.

 

Box Turtle in front yard.

Lately I've been finding new creatures in my garden. A few days ago it was a box turtle in our front yard. Herb had told me that several days before, he'd seen a box turtle in the middle of the street, just around the corner from our house, and fearing that the turtle would get run over by a car, he stopped and very carefully picked it up to move it to one side, depositing it on the lawn in front of a neighbor's house.

Now, we few days later, a box turtle shows up in our yard, right by the front walk. We'd seen another box turtle in our front yard perhaps two weeks ago, just before one of our recent evening thunderstorms. I didn't get a chance to photograph it before the turtle disappeared into the shrubbery. Could this be the same turtle? It appears to be a female, since the claws of the rear paws are very long, so we've nicknamed her Myrtle the Turtle.

 

Salvia 'Black and Blue' with pink miniature rose.

 

Yesterday we got three and a quarter inches of rain--the aftermath of hurricane Ida's passing through this part of the country. This morning I went out to look at my garden. My 'Black and Blue' Salvia is huge this year! I'm surprised that this zone 7 plant has survived two winters outdoors in our zone 6, but it seems that burying the pot in the soil and mulching heavily may be the key to keeping some of these potted plants alive through the winter.

 My plants all seemed to have benefited from the rain, the weeds especially. I was about to pull that little bit of crabgrass in the photo below when I saw something move--at first I thought it might be a small snake, we seem to have quite a few around here. Imagine my surprise when I looked closer to find one of the biggest lizards I've ever seen!

 

Skink in a flower bed.

Skink.

I've observed fence lizards since we moved to this house, but this is the first reptile of its sort I've seen here--good thing I had my phone with me to take photos! I presume the creature wandered into my garden from the woods in back, perhaps driven by the incredible rainfall, to seek higher ground or food. Looking up to see what sort of animal this was, I couldn't figure out which description best fit the one I saw, so I contacted the Virginia Herpetological Society and sent them my photos. They gave me two possibilities: it could be either a Common Five-lined Skink (Plestiodon fasciatus), or a Broad-headed Skink (Plestiodon laticeps).

Herb's bed.

Seed pods of the Southern Slender Ladies' Tresses orchid.

 

 We haven't mowed the area where I'd found the Southern Slender Ladies' Tresses orchids so it's looking a bit weedy back there by Herb's bed--the Autumn Joy Sedum there is starting to show some color and soon the Muhly grass will develop its feathery pink flower heads. The orchids are almost done now, and setting seed; Herb will resume mowing next week after the orchids have had a chance to scatter their seeds--more orchids for next year!

Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia syphillitica)

 

The Great Blue Lobelias are still blooming--the bees and humming birds really flock to them. The Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) I planted in the same bed didn't bloom this year, but it's still alive, so I may get some flowers next year. The ones I've seen at Blandy Farm are so lush and lovely, I'm envious. I wonder if mine will eventually spread as well as the blue ones have?

Crape myrtle 'Natchez' with zinnias.

The 'Natchez' crape myrtle didn't gain a lot of height this year, but it's blooming well. The colorful zinnias in front, which are still going strong, look great with it. I'm looking forward to the fall flowers, and all my fall planting. I wonder if we'll have a colorful fall?

Drawing the Ladies' Tresses Orchid

Southern slender ladies' tresses orchid, colored pencil drawing, 11"h x 7" w

 

After seeing a presentation by one of our very accomplished botanical artists from the Botanical Artists Society of the National Capital Region (BASNCR) group, I decided to experiment with black Stonehenge paper for drawing. I've never used a black background for any of my botanical pieces before, but I thought that it could add an element of mystery that might be appropriate to depict the tiny and intricate native orchid I found in my back yard last week. 

First I sketched the entire orchid blooming spike in pencil in my sketchbook, just for practice, I then repeated the exercise drawing on the black paper using a white color pencil. The spiraling blooms are so tiny that even with a bit of enlargement, it was rather unprepossessing.

I really wanted to be able to see the details of the tiny blossoms--even using a magnifying glass, they were nearly impossible to see! But using my phone to enlarge the blossoms and taking a photo, although the photo wasn't as sharp as I would have liked, I was able to see the basic form of the individual blossoms with the characteristic green spot on the labellum (the larger lower petal or lip). The flowers are so lovely, they really deserve the extra attention, so I decided to include a section of the enlarged flowers on the right. This made the composition a bit of a challenge, as the enlarged flowers are almost touching or "kissing" the smaller flower spike, but somehow, it works. I'll probably try this again, perhaps separating the two elements with a bit more space in between.

I want to try this again on the same black paper using pastel pencils, which may give me more brilliant whites against the background. The effect of the white pencil is interesting, but it doesn't give as brilliant a white as the pastel pencils would.  I will definitely try the same composition as a conventional watercolor with a white background, just to see how the different backgrounds affect the atmosphere of the piece.

Backyard Native Orchid Discovery

Southern slender ladies tresses orchid (Spiranthes lacera var. gracilis)

 

Yesterday I was puttering in my garden deadheading spent flowers, taking stock of the damage the deer and the seventeen-year locusts have wrought this year, when my eye was caught by a small spike of white flowers springing from the lawn behind my fenced veggie plot. I went over to take a closer look, and to my great surprise, saw the tiny flowers were arranged in a familiar spiral pattern--could it be a ladies tresses orchid? It sure looked like it!

 

Native orchid in the lawn.

I grabbed my phone to take some photos. The spike was no taller than about 8 to 10 inches, with the spirals closely wound, and no visible basal leaves. The more I looked, the more certain I became that it was indeed a native orchid, it had to be one of the ladies tressses species that blooms at this time of the year. How incredible to find one in our lawn!

 

I Emailed a photo of it to Sally, one of my botanist friends from the Virginia Native Plant Society (VNPS) to confirm my suspicions and see if she could help me identify the particular species. She confirmed that it was a southern lady's tresses, Spiranthes lacera var. gracilis. Apparently the southern species variety is hairless and the leaves aren't present when it blooms, whereas the northern variety of the species, Spiranthes lacera var. lacera, is hairy and the leaves are present at blooming time. The green spot on the labellum is another clue to the southern variety.

Since this is the first time I've seen the orchid in my lawn, I wondered how it could have sprouted there. This native orchid is common in disturbed areas in my region (including lawns), and it's possible that it has been growing there for some time, but was mowed in other years, and so I never noticed it, or it could be the orchid's first year producing bloom. Who knows? We'll have to make sure it doesn't get mowed, so that perhaps it can set seed and begin to multiply. How lovely it would be to have a colony of these delicate native orchids in my yard!