Cimicifuga ramosa ‘Pink Spike’

Aside from all we are doing to collect and preserve the harvest these days, our tasks also include fall plantings, seed collecting, dividing, and enriching the soil in the display beds.

It’s a nice time to be in the gardens, the flurry of the season has past, the weeds seem to have tempered their growth, and there are still some great plants to enjoy.

Following are some examples of real showstoppers…at least we think so, and right now they are taking center stage.

Cimicifuga ramosa ‘Pink Spike’- now classified as Actea, the Cimicifugas offer many species that bloom at different times of the year. The later blooming simplex and ramosa species are very dramatic, fragrant, and really stand out in the garden having fewer other blooming plants to compete with for attention. With heights up to 5 and 6 feet they are usually very visible from many points in the garden.

Robustissima

Anemone vitifolia ‘Robustisima’- a very long blooming variety that is very showy in bud as well as bloom. The silvery buds open to pink flowers with a yellow eye, and it’s not fussy about placement in the garden other than deep shade. It does need room as it will spread.

Actea Pachypoda

Actea pachypoda- Doll’s Eyes are a great addition to any shade or woodland garden.They form fairly large clumps with white flowers in the spring and then these beautiful white berries on a red stalk, late summer into fall. This particular plant is a seedling of ours that has much darker foliage and semms more resistant to leaf spot.

Clematis viorna

Clematis viorna-A great vining native clematis that actually starts blooming in the summer and continues into fall. While the urn shaped flowers are very attractive,so are the seed heads that form afterward and persist as the plant continues to bloom.

Persicaria ‘Firetail’

Persicaria ‘Firetail’- another long-blooming perennial that is showy for months. Starting mid-summer well into fall,the bright red flowers just keep coming until a hard frost takes them down. It looks great when paired with blue or yellow foliaged plants.

So while many people think the season is over, you can see that there’s still plenty to enjoy in the garden!