The Perfect Autumn Day

Today was perfect weather after a 45 degrees F cool, crisp morning. It was a clear blue sky and 70 degrees F though later in the day. Everyone had a nice bounce in their step today and it was a very busy morning. Nice shot above of the fragrant, Autumn clematis (Clematis terniflora) in full bloom on our pergola. The timing of this vine (on three other columns too) is nice as it offers color and fragrance for the later season weddings. We have outdoor weddings thru the month of October! We are careful to keep as much color in the "wedding gardens" as we can thru the season but Mother Nature will have the final say on when frost will arrive. When in Madison yesterday, I stopped by the West Madison Agricultural Research Station to catch later season plants and trials. There was a worker there removing annuals and most of their seasonal displays had already been removed. However, their grasses and some other plants were still looking pretty good. To the left is one of my favorite grasses. This is the Korean feather reed grass (Calamagrostis brachytricha) that plumes out late and will get an orange/yellow fall color very shortly. This is one of the most under-utilized grasses in the landscape and at 36" tall, is quite showy in sun or part shade. To the right are the inflorescences of 'Positano' maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis). Many of our visitors mistakenly call these grasses "pampas grasses" which aren't hardy but have that plumey look as well. Below are some signet marigolds (Tagetes tenuifolia 'Tangerine Gem') arching over our "ornamental edible" wall planting. This marigold species has edible flower petals and has lots of flower power until frost with masses of small flowers.Marv and Terry started the day hauling out our holiday light show displays from the garage. We'll have to test these shortly and start repairs as soon as possible to make sure we're ready to rock and roll in October. The guys then moved on to watering duties as our containers were quite dry. They also edged, sheared and helped fix a mower issue. Little Jerry was here pruning in the alpine garden and working on some rock work as well near the Japanese garden. Marianne and Janice started the day by testing lights (see below) for our holiday lights show. This is quite early for testing but we've decided to really hit the ground running with set-up for this event so we can have it up, tested and ready to go well before Thanksgiving. The ladies then moved on to watering, planting, the cutting display, etc. I was able to lay out some perennials for planting and did a round of herbicide on some of our areas with perennial weeds. The gardens are looking lush but we'll have to keep up with irrigation as it will be a dry week.This morning included the help of many Grumpies and three "Grumpettes." Shirley and Karen worked in the color rooms, sunken garden, reception garden and our annual beds. Their target job was weeding but also removing any spent annuals that are looking sour. Mary was out doing the same thing. The Grumpies worked on hauling up mums for the plant sale, dismantling our plant sale tables (see below for Ron B., Rollie and Ron W.), cutting back shrubs, fence painting and collecting leaves and debris. We had Del, Dick P., Dick H., Bill, Ron B., Ron W., Rollie, Maury, Gary, Urban, Bob A., Vern, Jim, Dave T., and Big John. Dr. Gredler and Dr. Yahr were here too. Everyone was involved and helpful today. We also saw Mike M., Chuck S., Dave, Joe, Polly and Lori. To the left is one of the switch grasses (Panicum virgatum) that gets an increasingly red fall color. This is the variety 'Rotstrahlbusch' that while having some reddish foliage in the summer, really gets darker towards October and can be quite impressive. Fall color will vary each year but this variety and 'Shenandoah' seem to be the best for a reliable red fall color on a compact (4-5') grass. To the right is the fall appearance of little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) as it flowers and starts to turn a pinkish/red fall color. At the bottom is a nice shot of the arched bridge taken this morning.