Late Season Blooms

Tricyrtis hirta ‘Miyazaki’

While most of the gardens die back, a few very late season blooms are looking rather splendid. Tucked among the now golden leaves of hosta and ferns, Tricyrtis hirta ‘Miyazaki’ and Tricyrtis hirta alba are in full bloom. Aconitum carmichaelii is also just beginning to open as well.

Tricyrtis hirta alba

Aconitum carmichaelii ‘A

Hey, why not wait until the last minute? Why not let all those early ephemeral and mid-summer opportunists march right along and take center stage. The fall beauties we are enjoying now waited patiently for their moment of glory just before the curtains closed. The last finale. They are surely getting a lot of attention from their audience! Bravo, bravo! Very soon, all of these botanical performers will be taking a bow and will bid us adieu, retreating underground for a much-needed rest. And, how lucky are we, the gardeners, to have season tickets and amazing front row seats! We wouldn’t dare demand an encore. No, we understand that just can’t be. Instead, we applaud, take a deep breath, and say goodbye until the next season’s performance.

Japanese Toad Liliy

Tricyrtis miyazaki

Tricyrtis miyazaki is on display in the shade gardens at the moment. Yesterday, I even pulled my intern off the shingling job she was working on to sit and take a closer look at these fascinating blooms. There should be a fancy hat designed after this late season jewel! It has faired well in the border of one of the display gardens here, despite the drought conditions, and is a great companion to the hosta and ferns growing along with it. Even though we are winding down in the nursery, there are still so many things to enjoy in the gardens.