getting colder

Outside I've cut down all the wilted tithonia, trimmed back the joe pye weed and some pokeweed, cut to the ground most of my peonies.

Most of the coleus are dead from chill now; but these few in the front bed sprouted new leaves during a few warm days after a cold night, so I left them in place for a while- sprigs of brighter green

My two transplanted cranesbill seem to be doing well so far

Other plants I moved this fall: the mountain laurel still looks the same, and rhubarb is flourishing!

Really enjoy the combination of arum and zinnias

Here's that one hellebore that went pale- the crown is growing back slowly, still the normal darker green

Garden is finally starting to die back- it's mostly marigolds now, which have grown even thicker and fuller as the other plants fade

And borage- 

the patch in the first bed is nice and thick

Pole beans are withered now, need to clean those up, and finally cut down the tomatoes, amaranth and sunberry. Still have carrots, chard, and lettuces! 

Tonight I'm going to cut a bunch of lettuce, as in a few days it's supposed to drop below freezing, and that may be the end of them. Maybe I should finally start using row covers to extend the season...

I think of the cuban oregano as a semi-succulent, so I tend to forget how cold-hardy it actually is. The row of them outside the short end of the pole bean bed is doing looking particularly nice right now.

Just noticed today that the bit of ivy on the corner of front yard bed is spreading. Time to cut that one back.

Still have not relocated my black-and-blue salvia. I keep watching for it to wilt; once it goes dormant I'll dig and shift it on the next warm day. But it's still full green and waving blue flags. I'm glad of that, but also kind of wish it would die back already so I can move it.

outside plants

My rhubarb is flourishing since its move. Hope it continues to do well.

One that's not so well is the inkberry. I cut out all the dead branches and it is very reduced. I recently moved all the remnants of my old wild cherry tree- short trunk sections that have been sitting on-end here and there convenient for me to place things on- away from the under-deck area and across the yard for shrubs. They're starting to decay (which is probably why I've see the wren so often flitting about below the deck and through the garden- I bet it's feeding on insects in the old wood). I put most of the wood pieces on the downhill side of shrubs. Idea is that as they continue to decay will feed my bushes, and being on the downhill side, when rain sweeps down the hill maybe it won't push as much mulch down against the fence, but some will get caught and stay in place under the shrubbery. Well, the inkberry got a full circle because it needs the most help.

I do like foliage so I hope it makes it

The bayberry nearby is doing much better.

Pannacle hydrangeas each got a log piece too

and the rhodies

Also the little hollies.

My arum is springing up again in the cooler weather- among zinnia 

Center of that yellowed hellebore definitely looks more normal green, so I hope this one recovers

Joe pye weed had big poufy blooms and I didn't want it reseeding all over the yard, so cut them off. It's so grown through the pokeweed now, hard to distinguish between the them. Soon will cut that back, too.

fall flowers

Still some flowers outside- loads of mairgolds, both the dark red I like 

and also many with bolder yellow (here in the rain)

Nice contrast with their bluish foliage

Still have a few zinnias-

I like this faded pink one

A few borage left near the pole beans

I forgot to do the second pinching of my chrysanthemums, so they are a bit leggy and flopped over already. But thick enough with flowers now, look pretty enough from the street.

Especially the pink one, it's always the fullest.

Nicotiana

The one in pot on porch dropped its flowers last week, but I left it awhile because kinda liked the wavy stems-

Cut it back yesterday; there's new leaves at the base. But we have a freeze coming later this week, so a lot of plants will soon get cut to ground, composted and mulched.

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... . .