what's left

I did a quick survey in the front garden this morning. The Japanese anemones are still faithfully blooming with their pale pink blossoms. I have them staked (they're over five feet tall). The Brazilian verbena, a prolific re-seeding annual, is still vibrant in its purple. The asters are now mostly gone, with only brown seedheads left. My David Austin English roses are enjoying the cool days. While blooming is over, they are still putting out leaves and looking much healthier than they did in July when blackspot was getting out of control.

I bought two of DA's Mayflower roses at the end of summer. He named them for North America, and supposedly in ten years of testing they've never gotten blackspot. They were a little dried out when I got them, and it took me a few days before I got them into the ground, so I was worried about whether the heat stress had affected them. They look quite healthy now.

My beautyberry, bought two falls ago, is thick with its tightly beaded purple berries.