Colorful Autumn Natives

Bidens aristosa also known as Tickseed Sunflower

Grows wild at the side of Paramore park on Fire Tower Road, which is where I collected the seed for these in the Wildflower Garden at the Pitt County Arboretum.

A true Pitt County native annual!

The October 6th tour at 10 am

 at the Arboretum

will feature seed collection

especially in the wildflower garden

http://pittcountyarboretum.blogspot.com

Hardy Ageratum (Conoclinium coelstinum) is another fall flower you see blooming on the side of the road here. An aggressive spreader by root & seed, but the color is something I could not be without.

It seems to go on forever here in the circle.

The trick to having this in your garden is to pull it all out in the winter

Magically it always appears again next year. Not necessarily in the same place!

Pairing this with Muhly Grass

(Muhlenbergia capillaris)

at left, just starting to bloom,

would be a fine sight to see.

Fruitful Autumn Natives

The birds are enjoying the fruits of the Calicarpa americana

I have seen Robins, Mockingbirds, Catbirds, Cardinals & Finches on this shrub this week

They also enjoy the Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana)

This large specimen is several years old

I know people here think this a giant weed but it is really ornamental

Maybe I will start a trend....or not!

Signs of Autumn, at last

A little cooler & less humidity

seems to deepen colors 

The Salvia 'Indigo Spires' with Helianthus maximiliani

I try to pull this sunflower out of the circle but some root always remains

then in a rain storm these tall stalks fall over & mingle creating a perfect contrast.

Unsurprisingly Mother Nature knows better than me

Pollinators enjoy these flowers too

The Self-Seeding Garden

With cooler weather approaching & a break in the searing heat

 my self sustaining garden is showing off.

Above Verbena bonariensis with Coneflowers & the annual Zinnia pauciflora

Below the same Zinnia with it's cousin Zinnia angustifolia 'Star White'

These plants love to germinate in our gravel driveway.

Pollinators love them too

Formosa Lily

Lilium formosanum is from Taiwan, formerly known as Formosa.

These are about 6ft tall in half a day sun under an old crape myrtle tree on the driveway.

This plant has two seasons of interest as the seed heads are rather ornamental.

Beware, if like me, you leave the seed-heads on for more than one year it depletes the bulb so that it does not bloom successfully in following years. 

After I deadheaded it for the next couple of years the flowers came back again.

In Australia this fragrant lily has escaped from gardens & is considered invasive .

It not only propagates by seed but also by increase of the bulb

 I have found the seedlings pop up all over the garden.
At right the dried seed heads in the potting shed.
They make great, tall, dried arrangements
if you like that kind of thing.
I am thinking of using just the pods to make a wreath
so many ideas, so little time.

An enormous number of seeds are stacked like 'Pringles' in the seed pods so no wonder they seed around.
I read that they will bloom in just a couple of seasons.
I usually just dig up seedlings & pot them up for the
Pitt County Arboretum Plant Sale
http://pittcountyarboretum.blogspot.com

Downy/Hoary Skullcap

Wether you call those hairs on the stem, hoary (old fashioned word for grey or white hair)

 or downy (a more charming version) this native skullcap is a great July bloomer in my garden.

2014 North Carolina Wildflower of the Year

I got my start from the Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill & have propagated it by seed.

Planted in 3 different places in my garden & two in the Pitt County Arboretum Wildflower Garden

This plant seems to be very adaptable. Shade to full sun it has bloomed well. 

Mine are about 2ft tall after 2 years but said to get to 3ft.

 I did pinch back a couple of stems & they have yet to bloom but will soon.

Well drained soil in both places but some say it will enjoy nice loamy soil too.

The difference in bloom color here maybe just light at photo time.

I do not water ornamental plants in either garden after they are established, so these are viewed as drought tolerant. I  notice many bees visiting these & another low growing skullcap in my garden. See one in the bottom photo obviously a good pollinator plant, perfect!

Rudbeckia laciniata 'Herbstsonne'

Originally a gift from a friend many years ago, this super summer bloomer embraces our July heat & humidity. Increasing it's clump each year so much so that I can usually dig some divisions for the

 Pitt County Arboretum plant sale each year.

It is the much better behaved offspring of the native Green-headed coneflower

 (Rudbeckia laciniata)which spreads rapidly by underground stems & would be better in a field rather than a garden. Since this variety has a German name (herbstsonne) meaning autumn sun it can only be concluded that those Tuetonic plant breeders whipped that rambling native into garden shape. leaving us to enjoy it's clumping nature.

Six feet tall in my garden I, unusually for me, dead-head it a little bit to keep the blooms coming.

Pollinators are quite as impressed as I am with the flowers.