Around the corner in my air-conditioner garden, the willow gentian (Gentiana asclepiadea, Zone 5) is in full bloom. I wrote about this plant in a blog post last summer, noting that it was in bud, but hadn’t yet opened any flowers. But the heat of this season has rushed everything along, including the willow gentian. It has six long wands of flowers this year, rewarding me for … [Read more...] about Willow gentian in bloom
willow gentian
Autumn-blooming perennials
The weeks from the end of summer to the first frost are a rich season for late-blooming perennials. I don’t have nearly enough of these plants that flower when temperatures and soil begin to cool, and daylight shortens. But the few I do grow provide real pleasure and spur me on to purchase a wider selection. There are many forms of coneflowers in the rudbeckia clan, all with … [Read more...] about Autumn-blooming perennials