Fertilizer Friday - October 2

I haven't participated in a Fertilizer Friday for quite some time so I thought I'd join this week and show you what's happening in my yard. Please visit our host Tootsie at her blog Tootsie Time and check out some other fabulous gardening blogs from around the world.

Things change quickly in our New England autumn landscape so although the leaves on the trees are just starting to turn within another week or so things will really be peaking and the perennial beds will just about be done. To add some bursts of fall color I visited some quaint plant stands in our area to pick up some mums for my front walkway and back porch.

Here are 2 of my favorites in the area.


Here's what my front steps look like. Most of the mums in the container are still buds but they should pop any day now. I'm not quite done yet with this area. I want to add a fall garland to frame the door. As you can see it's a challenge to take a picture this time of year with the sun sitting so low in the sky which seems to wash everything out.

Here's a close up of my front door wreath. I made this by getting a plain grape vine wreath and adding some silk sunflowers and leaves.

I love the blooms of montauk daisies and they make great cut flowers too.
I have 3 of them in my yard and they are HUGE! The are really like bushes in the perennial bed for most of the growing season. I cut them back significantly each fall after they have finished blooming. The only problem I have with them is that the foliage looks really bad just as the flowers start blooming. Does any one else have this problem with the foliage turning brown and yellow? You can't see it in this picture, but the foliage doesn't look the best. I'm wondering if they are just too big and need to be divided. Any advice would be much appreciated.

The rudbeckia is just about done for the year. As you can see below there are few blooms left. The birds love the seeds this time of year so I don't cut them back yet.
Amazingly the garden phlox is still going strong... at least until the first hard frost which will be coming soon.
The delphinium is doing good as well.
I love the way astible looks right now. I'll harvest the flower heads and bring them in the house for my autumn displays.

Who can resist the black cone flower pods. The finches love them and they add a spooky flare to a Halloween arrangement. I will harvest these as well and use them in the house.

I'm not sure what variety these mums are but I love the color. These are from the planters on my front steps. You couldn't see them well in the picture above so I took a close up.

This container is on my back porch and was actually my summer planter. Most of the annuals from it died back except for the coleus, zinnias, and potato vine.

This mandevilla has looked great the entire growing season and is still going strong. I'm going to try and overwinter it this year. Wish me luck.
Earlier this year the clemantis died back from fungus. I cut it back to the ground and in late August it started to grow again and is now in full bloom.... imagine that! Boy was I surprised and pleasantly pleased.
The butterfly bush is still blooming. We don't have many butterflies right now because most of them have migrated but the few we still have hanging around are appreciative of this plant.
I was also shocked to see that we had a few strawberries in the berry patch. I have no idea why the chipmunks haven't found this one yet and we've never had strawberries this late in the year.
I planted some bugleweed in the shade garden this year. The foliage is so pretty and looks good all the time it seems.
A few impatients are still hanging on too.
The caladiums are still around, but will probably die back soon.

Well it's a gorgeous fall day and the hubby and I are thinking of doing some kayaking this afternoon. I also want to visit the plant stand again today to purchase some asters. I don't have any in my yard and although it's late and I may get only another 2 or 3 weeks of bloom from them I'll enjoy them next year.

Happy Friday everyone!