I know, I know, most people write about the end of the year nearer the end of the year. But for us to have plants ready next spring, we have to start planning now! Ordering is in full swing, and my desk is piled high with seed catalogs, nursery catalogs, and nursery supply catalogs. I’m reviewing the year as I plan for 2015. I took a quick walk around the garden this morning to see what’s blooming in mid September. Quite a bit!
Chrysanthemum ‘Mary Stoker’ with a big fuzzy bee.
Achillea ‘Pomegranate’ has been blooming in the garden since late May.
Teucrium ackermanii is a super drought tolerant perennial. Blooms in August and September.
We cut back Phlox ‘Purple Beauty’ in June, and it’s blooming again right now, next to the teucrium.
Agastache ‘Joyful’ with a blurry sphinxmoth.
The first native shrub to show fall color: Ribes aureum, the lovely golden currant.
Origanum ‘Kent Beauty’ starts blooming in early July and it still looks great. Drought tolerant and deer resistant.
I find it helpful to take pictures of the garden every week or two. Then when I’m planning for the next season, I remember what I liked and didn’t like. Here’s a few things that are on my mind as I work on orders:
Native plants is a category that continues to outsell almost all others. This year we sold out of certain desirable penstemons, Indian paintbrush (of course) and milkweed. Columbines were also very popular and we’re out of them, now, too. On the other hand, eriogonums (the wild buckwheat) didn’t sell….what’s up with that?
Sometimes I go off on a tangent and think that something should be way more popular than you do, dear reader. I think we had a few too many salvias this year. I love salvias, not only because of their beauty, but because of their absolute deer resistance, but there might be a limit to how many we need in the nursery. For 2015, we’ll grow the best salvias, but we won’t try to have EVERY salvia on the planet.
In the edibles category….eggplant! I missed eggplant this year. Must grow them next year.
Fruit trees sell out here, every year, and we’re trying to figure out which fruit trees to grow. Apple trees are certainly the most dependable for our climate, but what tree is next in popularity? Are there certain fruit trees that you dream about? Tell us, we’ll try to grow them.
Are you gardening for birds and butterflies and bees? This is another category that continues to sell out, the “plants for pollinators” category. We’ve been lucky enough to have a few Monarch butterflies in the garden this year.
Monarch on native currant.
If you’re evaluating your garden now, I hope you’ll share some of your thoughts with us.
Feel free to make suggestions and tell us what you would like to find in our nursery next spring. You can email us— [email protected], or comment on Facebook— https://www.facebook.com/PerennialFavoritesColorado
