tidied up the liriope today

Half the row on the lower slope, had mostly healthy-looking older leaves, not much new growth yet though. I felt safe putting those trimmings in the compost. The plants on the upper section (where the ground is higher and flat) on the other hand, looked pretty awful- lots of dried, dead foliage, lots of rust. But when I cut that back (and threw away), there was nice new foliage coming up!

I got a better photo of that ostrich fern fiddlehead, by putting my finger next to it so the camera knew where to focus.

I'm really liking the look of the younger St john's wort plant. Maybe I should cut the older one back hard, to have a flush of new smaller leaves like this.

I cleaned up around the hellebores some more. Meaning, I put my hands between the slightly larger leaves of second and third-year seedlings, and yanked first-year ones out by the handful. There's just too many. Now room for the slightly older ones to grow without competition, then I can move them to new locations out from under the parents' skirts, or perhaps take to the plant swap. The young plants are in foreground here.

fall blooms

More zinnias! 

I still cut a few for inside the house.

Celosia took me by surprise. These sprang up self-seeded after I pulled out the bug-ridden borage. Grew very quickly. 

Some even have the convoluted 'cockscomb' or 'brain flower' look. Might just let them grow on their own every year, instead of painstakingly starting them as seedlings in spring.

Lovely petals like crepe paper, rose-of-sharon

Even though it just got planted a week ago, 

my wandflower bloomed!

Liriope is making purple spires

and japanese salvia softer yellow ones- 

Some of my nasturtium plants recovered from the heat (and I sprayed for bugs)-

a week later-

The cardinal climber has wound all the way up to my deck railing

and one on the other fence is actually flowering now!

Thickets of turtlehead. 

Even the small patch at the very far back of the yard did better this year. Because I swiped off a lot of mealy bugs on stems early in the season? or because more sun reaches them now... 

Pannicle hydrangeas-

'Autumn Joy' sedums. Some are more pink than others.

Summersweet had plenty more flowers this year and occasionally I paused in the very back of the yard to lean into their vanilla scent. 

There's also marigolds and nicotiana of course... . .

digging relocations

I moved some stuff this past week. Not done yet, but it's a start. First was the rhubarb. I think it's my last attempt to relocate it. Went from the corner of rear perennial bed to a blank spot (taking another chunk out of the lawn) in front of the pannicle hydrangea near the nicotiana patch. (Eventually I want that edge of plants among the tree roots to expand so that lawn edge is straight). That sycamore stump (from the neighbors, who gave me some rounds when they cut down their tree) is the perfect height for me to sit on and enjoy part of the garden. 

It was very sad when I first moved it. 

Watered heavily every day for a while, mulched it thickly with compost and grass clippings. Now a few of the younger leaves are standing upright again, so I hope it will recover well.

The empty spot it left behind doesn't seem so large- 

and now I notice one of the hellebores there is yellowish.

Compare to other one on the left. Too much sun? Nutrient overload from me feeding the rhubarb that was next to it? It's growing new leaves from the crown though, so not done for yet, whatever's wrong.

Next thing I did was rip up more grass in the front, to start expanding that perennial bed so it's a straight line across from the little path off the driveway. Edging will go all the way from driveway corner to curve around where the pink sedums are on the opposite end- 

I will get a better photo later when it's a better job done- right now the edging only goes a little ways and it's not the stones I actually want to use, just what I had at hand. But had to start moving stuff so I'm ready to shift my black-and-blue salvia when it goes dormant. First I dug up and moved forward the two cranesbills. Hope they get more sun.

They are very floppy and pathetic looking now, I am a bit anxious they might not survive this (it's better to transplant them in the spring). Yeah, I didn't pull all the grass out but will soon smother it in mulch and fallen leaves for winter, then uproot what's left in spring.

Into the space vacated by the cranesbills, I transplanted my mountain laurel. I'm hoping it will do better here- has lost a lot of lower leaves lately. And the very attractive flowers can be enjoyed more, now that it's by the front porch.

planted

a week ago actually, but I'm only just now getting around to all the pictures. Beautyberry- between the base of the shady sideyard slope and the large holly shrub, against side of the house.

From the other side it's barely visible, but I hope it will grow out and arch over/through the railings, reaching onto the lower deck.

Oakleaf hydrangea to one side of the rear perennial bed-

I'm rather excited to have this plant. I hope it fills in a great blank space back there, and I love its foliage

not to mention the flowers will come. I fenced it against deer and rabbits-

I feel like it's already making a statement in the rear left of that bed

Just in front left of that main oak tree, I put the st. john's wort. 

Looks small now, but already I like its contrast against the hellebore.

View from other angle:

The wandflower went to the side near pannicle hydrangea, between smaller rue and the two jacob's ladder plants 

(all of them rather inconspicuous right now)

Up front I rather ruthlessly dug up all the echinacea that were next to my lilac- it was getting crowded

Also dug up the two hyssop here on the driveway edge- even though it's been doing splendid

I wanted to put these bright bold blanket flowers there instead

(there's still a few rudbeckia and marigold in between)

That meant moving the hyssop- and assuming it's part of the plant scent keeping rabbits from my garden, I figured to use it elsewhere. Replanted on top of the shady sideyard slope- in a curve around edge of the turtlehead patch and yellow salvia.

The two plants divided into four- one I pulled apart and the other broke when I was digging. 

Don't know how well they'll do here- probably not quite enough sun- but I wanted to try

Well now the lilac has all its space. Underneath it I've planted little plugs of bugleweed, but that's coming up.