Front garden still blooming in late October
My garden is mostly filled with perennials, but I scatter in a few annuals to brighten up the yard later in the year. This year I added a few marigold plants and dahlias to the garden in front of our house. They were not very noticeable during June and July when the perennials were at their best, but by August and September those annuals added a welcome splash of color to the garden.
My goal in the garden has been to have color from earliest spring until frost. For us, the very earliest flowers in spring have been snowdrops. I have them planted close to the house right outside our front door and a few years ago I actually saw the snowdrops trying to bloom during our January thaw. Of course I knew it couldn’t last, ten inches of snow fell on those early bloomers and I thought they would surely die. However, when the snow melted in late March, the snowdrops were still there and bloomed as if nothing had happened. Those early snowdrops are closely followed in our garden by crocus, then daffodils, and then tulips. I find the sight of all those bulbs blooming after our cold gray winters inspiring and cheerful and I think they are worth every bit of the work and expense involved.
In autumn, the flowers that bloom latest for us have been shrub roses, asters, chrysanthemums, monkshood, marigold, and this year, dahlias. The photo above was taken on October 24th at our home in Bayside, Wisconsin (a suburb of Milwaukee). Since we have had only minimal frost to this point, the garden still looks good and we have flowers still blooming.
I know the growing season in almost over and I guess I am ready to let it go, but to the question “How was your garden this year?” my answer would be “Best Year Ever!”