“September…what a turnover, what a watershed of the year.”—Vita Sackville-West
Goldenrod, blooming throughout our fields and along our roadsides, is sending a message that the end is near. Elsa Bakalar, my mentor, used to ask me to cut down any goldenrod near her garden in Heath so that she wasn’t reminded of the lateness of the season. A killing frost used to occur reliably by the end of September. Now it is usually a month later, but we are on the waning side of the gardening season.
Most plants have reached their maximum growth by September. There are some annuals and perennials that are impressive for their ability to go from zero to over six feet in a single season. Annual vines, such as morning glories or pole beans, become long, entangled masses reaching for the sky. It is the plants on stalks that impress the most. First grown in the United States by Thomas Jefferson, the annual “kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate,” Polygonum orientale, zooms up to eight feet by August when it flowers with drooping rose-pink blooms that continue until a killing frost. Self-sown seedlings will pop up prolifically in the spring from this year’s seeds and can be weeded out, moved to better spots in the garden, or shared with others.
Another prolific self-sower, Verbena bonariensis, will take off by late summer to a height of six feet or more with fantastic flowering branches on a rigid, skeletal structure. The clustered blooms of magenta with a hint of yellow are attractive to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. The species name, bonariensis, meaning “good air,” comes from the city Buenos Aires, where the plant was discovered.
Sunflowers, Helianthus annuus, native to the Americas, produce cheerful, cherished blooms and seeds in the late garden. Breeders have developed varieties with double flowers, multiple stems, and a range of colors. But it is the tall, single-stalk sunflower that amazes as it evolves from a small seed to a towering, heavy-headed being in the late summer. The cultivar, ‘Russian Giant,’ can reach fourteen feet with a huge flower on top.
Caster beans, Ricinus communis, become handsome, tropical-looking plants in a single season. The variety, ‘Carmencita,’ has dark red leaves and produces stunning, bright scarlet, spiny seedpods. The oil of caster beans is used in the production of paint, soap, linoleum, and ink. Unfortunately, the seed is also the source of highly toxic ricin, so care should be taken when planting.
The salvia family is huge with over nine-hundred species. Two of my favorites are tall, blue-flowered varieties that are most spectacular in the late garden. The hybrid Salvia X ‘indigo spires’ grows from a small cutting into a six-foot woody plant with arching wands of deep blue. Salvia uliginosa, the bog sage, can soar over seven feet with small, light-blue flowers on narrow branches that sway with a breeze. Neither of these salvias are hardy in our climate, but I have success wintering them over in a cool basement. At the end of the season, I cut them to the ground, plant the roots in plastic pots, and store them away.
“We know that in September, we will wander through the warm winds of summer’s wreckage. We will welcome summer’s ghost.”—Henry Rollins
A perennial plant that is well established can become a massive presence, especially when it towers over its neighbors. Given plenty of space, big perennials are spectacular and mark the fullness of late summer.
Joe-Pye weed, Eupatorium purpurpeum, is a common native weed of the wetlands. By August and into the fall, the sturdy stalks are crowned with heads of pink blooms. A cultivar, ‘Gateway’ has dark purple stems and flowers of a deeper rose. Joe-Pye weed will survive in drier soils but will never attain the majesty of the plant in wetlands.
Vernonia noveboracensis, giant ironweed, can tower up to ten feet. The blooms of this big, bold, beauty are surprisingly dainty, deep purple, daisy-like florets. Seen from a distance or as a cut flower, they are a welcome spot of color at the end of the season.
Equally tall, but slender and delicate, is Thalictrum rochebrunianum ‘lavender mist.’ Foliage similar to that of maidenhair ferns and purple flowers from July through September make this meadow rue a valued plant, especially for smaller gardens. It may need staking to support its spindly stems.
Moving on from pink and purple, yellow is a prominent color in late summer. Two varieties of Rudbeckia top out over six feet. Rudbeckia nitida ‘autumn sun’ has showy coneflowers, brilliant yellow with greenish centers. Rudbeckia lacinata ‘hortensia’ is an heirloom treasure known as “golden glow” and can often be found on the grounds of old farmsteads. Its other nickname, “the outhouse plant,” suggests a popular planting site. The pompom yellow blooms have a slight scent, but not enough to mask the smells of an outhouse. Though they provide a nice visual distraction on a trip to the latrine.
Late summer holds the bounty of the season’s labor. It is a time of pleasure. Produce and blooms are abundant. It is a time to let go and to enjoy the garden before it is gone for another year.
"I am working with the enthusiasm of a man from Marseilles eating bouillabaisse, which shouldn't come as a surprise to you because I am busy painting huge sunflowers."―Vincent van Gogh
September 2017
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