Fall favorites

Sometimes I feel like all I do is whine. So, today, I'm making a concerted effort to say something positive about my garden. (And I will refrain from using the old joke, "OK, I'm POSITIVE my garden is a big, brown mess!)

One true late-summer 'positive' is Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks.' I bought the plant two years ago and moved it to its current location just last year. Still, it's already 4-feet tall and wide and, true to its name, looks like a cascading explosion of golden glitter. The plant's dark green leaves are rough, keeping it disease- and insect-free--another definite plus. And, unlike some other goldenrod varieties, 'Fireworks' is never barelegged. It keeps its foliage right down to its toes.

I'm growing my 'Fireworks' in a part-shade area, so it isn't as densely flowered as it might be. I actually think that I prefer it that way, though. Instead of a solid mass of yellow, its blooms look more like sparklers shooting off in every direction. Really cool!

I have to admit that I actually tried to eradicate my next fall favorite, the anemone. I thought that I'd dug them all out, but I missed a grouping of plants along the picket fence. I'm glad that I did because now I realize that all these late bloomers needed was an extra year or so to mature. Their soft mauve flowers float over coarse large (not browned out!) leaves like butterflies on the wind. I'm not really sure if mine are Anemone tomentosa 'Robustissima' or Anemone hupehensis 'September Charm.' Either should do well for you if you decide to try them, too.