September Blooms: Gaillardia ‘Oranges and Lemons’

Showstopper! September blooms with bang:





Gaillardia ‘Oranges and Lemons’ zones 4-9

Gaillardia has many varieties. This long blooming, cheerful, AND deer resistant perennial has wide-faced, daisy-like blooms, and it’s tough as nails. It can tolerate full, hot sun and bad soil. With flowers from June until October, this Gaillardia will become one of your favorites!

September Blooms: 'Lemon Drop' Dwarf Golden Rod

September blooms are golden:




'Lemon Drop' Dwarf Golden Rod zones 5-8

I know what your thinking.

Goldenrod?

Yes Golden Rod! With it’s sturdy yellow plumes of late summer and fall flowers, Golden Rod can be a dazzling addition to a large planting, especially a meadow planting or a wildflower garden.

Allergy suffers are rolling their eyes, but unless you put your nose right into the Golden Rod blooms, most likely you won't be affected by its pollen. Golden Rod has heavy, almost sticky pollen, which needs to be carried by bees, butterflies and other pollinators.

What you are probably allergic to is Rag Weed, which blooms at the same time. Rag Weed has a green flower and very light pollen that is carried far and wide by the wind.

September Blooms: Viburnum 'Summer Snowflake'

A wall of white blooms in September:





Viburnum ‘Summer Snowflake’ zones 5-9

This shrub grows quite tall 10’ tall by 6’ wide and will provide a wall of white blooms all summer long. Yes! All summer long! When the flowers finally fade, they are replaces by bright red berries.

Very low maintenance! Deer resistant and an amazing performer from May to September.

September blooms: Buddleia (Butterfly Bush)

September blooms couldn't be easier:



Buddleia (Butterfly Bush) zones 5-9

Most of you are familiar with this butterfly beacon. It comes in many colors, grows 5 to 10 feet tall, and reseeds itself when happily situated. If you deadhead the past blooms, the buddleia will continue to provide color for your garden and nectar to your butterflies through the fall!

Buddleia is a deer resistant, full sun staple. Because so many people have them, we get lots of questions regarding when and how and how much to cut the shrubs back.

You basically have three options: You can leave it be in the fall and cut it back in the spring as leaves emerge. At that point, trim back the parts that don't leaf-out.

Or you can cut the shrub in half during your fall clean-up, but most likely you will still need to trim it up a bit again in the spring as it leafs-out.

Or you can completely neglect your butterfly bush, leaving the buddleia alone for years at a time until at some point it looks like it needs attention. (They are pretty and pretty easy, which is why they are so popular!)

September Blooms: Geranium ‘Rozanne’

Our feature on plants that actually flower in September continues:



Geranium ‘Rozanne’ zones 3-9

A perennial geranium that belongs in everyone’s garden. Why? Because it produces a profusion of purple flowers from May until October! Super low maintenance. Absolutely the most bloom for your buck!

September Blooms: Calamintha nepeta (Mountain Mint)

September blooms:



Calamintha nepeta (Mountain Mint) zones 5-9

Airy plumes bloom from June to October on this lovely herbaceous perennial. Blooms and leaves can be used fresh or dried to make mint tea with a rich spearmint flavor.

Like all plants in the mint family, Mountain mint is deer resistant and in general is a cold-hardy, tough perennial. For such a tough plant, we love the cloud-like softness this perennial can add to a garden.

September Blooms: Caryopteris 'Blue Mist'

Continuing our spotlight on fall flowering plants:





Caryopteris ‘Blue Mist’ Zone 6-9

(Although we have had great result with this shrub in zone 5.) Compact shrub with berry-like buds that open into clusters of blue fragrant flowers in late summer and hold their color through the fall.

You can see from the top photo that 'Blue Mist' came by its name honestly. From afar it offers a hazy swath of light blue color, and up close its architectural, star-like flowers are literally buzzing with activity. Bees and butterflies vie for spots on the multi-leveled branches.

September Blooms: Gentiana 'True Blue'

We think September has a bad reputation because of back-to-school drudgery. It is the ultimate buzz kill month. It marks the end of summer. The end of fun and freedom. And those associations die hard even for those of us decades out of school. But the gardening season is far from over!

September in the garden can be a lush, colorful, and full of exuberant blooms - with the right plants. All this month we will be featuring plants that offer not just color in the fall (fall foliage, ornamental seed heads, etc.), but truly bonafide blooms.




Gentiana “True Blue’ Zone 4-7

A ‘True Blue’ bloomer, Gentiana produces deep indigo flowers from midsummer to early fall. Gentiana grows 24” to 30” inches and is deer resistant too!

We are so impressed with these lovely late bloomers. Deep blue buds are just as attractive as the fully opened bloom.

Great Shade Perennial Combo

Most shade plants bloom in the spring, but you can still give even the darkest corners of your garden great color all summer. Pick plants with colorful foliage and contrasting textures. This combination is Trifolium 'Dark Dancer', Heuchera 'Midnight Rose' (Coral Bell), and Athyrium 'Ghost' (Ghost fern). Dark purples of the Heuchera and Trifolium contrast with the light green of the Ghost fern, plus the distinct textures of the leaves create a rich garden tapestry.



You can of course add flowering plants to the mix. This Aquilegia 'Swan Burgundy and White' is a perfect color match to the combo.

Trifolium and Athryium are both deer-resistant, but the Heuchera and the Aquilegia are not. A deer resistant substitution for the Heuchera could be Black Mondo grass.