Dynamite Thursday

Above is the pink Woods aster (Aster x dumosus 'Wood's Pink') along our woodland walk garden. This aster can tolerate quite a bit of shade, stays compact at 18" tall and is mildew resistant. There are also other color forms including white, blue and purple. We've planted large drifts of this wonderful perennial along a long woodland edge to great effect. Speaking of wonderful perennials, the shot below really shows how the blackberry lily (Belamcanda chinensis) received it's name. This perennial had orange, tropical looking blooms in mid-summer that have transformed in to these interesting seed clusters. These are frequently used in arrangements and are particulary showy (or more evident) when paired with plants with yellow or chartreuse foliage.
As always, we've had a productive day. The Grumpies hauled plants, swept sand in to the cracks of our newly cleaned brick paths and patios and otherwise did their normal assortment of gardening tasks. Dick H. fixed our John Deere Gator thank goodness and has saved us lots of expense as a result of his handiness. Larry, Jerry and Janice were here as staff and we had a great weeding/cleanup crew of Geesje, Marilyn, Bev and Glenna. They created numerous piles of debris. They left a large garden area looking very tidy and we hope these beds will continue to extend the season until that imminent frost finds us. We're continuing to water as there doesn't seem to be much rain in the forecast and are looking forward to a productive work day this Saturday. The perennial below was new to me a couple of years ago and I'm impressed with its long duration of bloom. The golden valerian or golden lace (Patrinia scabiosifolia)
has been blooming since the end of June and still looks great today (as seen below). The foliage is below 18" but the wispy flower clusters extend up to a total height of 3-4' tall. This is an eyecatcher from a distance and combines well with grasses and other full sun perennials.