Gardening in Northern Michigan
This year the colors just haven’t seemed as brilliant as expected. Many trees have sported a gorgeous chrome yellow, but very few had the vivid orange and red I’ve come to expect. Here is my maple two years ago, which only turned yellow this year; very disappointing.
Sugar Maple in late October
Autumn Fields
Goldenrod
I have a blueberry hedge along my brick walk. Their spot is not an ideal location as it is high and sandy. Although blueberries like fast draining soil, they like it moist and acidic. Mine have stayed low in the five years they’ve been planted, and usually produce a few handfuls of fruits in late July which my granddaughter Lizzy likes to eat when she visits. I know they will never produce lots of fruit, but I enjoy their brilliant red fall color so much it makes up the the less than stellar fruiting.
Blueberry in October
I love the colors of autumn, but I hate to see the end of the outdoor gardening season. I’ve moved many plants this summer. (Whenever I put their roots in a hole, I explain they shouldn’t put them down too deep, they might move.) Most of them seem to be prospering, although I moved one coneflower just before a three week drought began. It will probably survive. All this moving makes me look forward to next summer, to see if I placed each plant in just the right spot.
Most of my plants bloomed up to three weeks late this year. My Phlox ‘David’ didn’t bloom until the second week of September. Even my ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum colored late. However, the Canadian geese are flocking, and I’ve been told that is a sure sign of an early and hard winter. Ugh. I’m thinking I better get use to it, but how do the geese know?
Part of my heart garden in September -- Sedum 'Autumn Joy.'
August flowers
The coneflowers and daylilies have been spectacular this summer, and the Russian sage adds just a touch of soothing blue. I also had Liatris spikes adding a darker purple and lavender to the gardens. There isn’t too much blooming left, but I have a lot of Autumn Joy sedum which will carry September and October.
As for our hottest month, it hasn’t been. We’ve had one week of temperatures into the eighties. Very cold night temperatures dropped into the forties several times. My tomatoes may not ripen due to the cold, and even with all the rain we’ve had, my apples are dwarfed. I’m praying for a relatively long and warm September. I’d sure like to can or freeze some tomatoes and make applesauce out of all those tiny apples.
Just returned from an executive board meeting in Battle Creek. Two and a half hour drive from here. Time went fast traveling with a partner. We talked the whole way down and back. Stayed at the McCamly Plaza Hotel and then stayed over to work on updating the state Bylaws. Hard work.
Well, it was supposed to be a traditional mass design. I got the lots of flowers part right, and I think the colors work, but the form of the design and the placement of the flowers is off. See how the orange lily at the top throws off the balance? And the two Liatris next to it destroy the symmetry. The point of interest is too high, and the yellow roses seem static rather than helping to create rhythm. I’ll have to work on this style.
Traditional Mass Design (attempt!)
After daylily season I wonder why I have so many of the plants. When they are in bloom, I wonder why I don’t have more. In my garden they would do better with more watering, but I try to water as little as possible. We’ve had a fairly wet year, except for the weeks preceding daylily bloom, which was bone dry. Daylilies, or botanically speaking Hemerocallis, are very drought tolerant. I try to keep the plants deadheaded so they always look their best, but it is a daily chore.
cultivar 'Dean Day Smith'
cultivar 'Ruby Throat'
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cultivar 'Mary Todd'
Whew! Two weeks and six garden walks in Northern Michigan. Who knows how many in the rest of the state. I, sadly, couldn’t go to all of them. The weather wasn’t extremely hot, matter of fact, it was a little on the cool side. Charlevoix Area G.C. had a bunch of beautiful gardens on their walk, and it is a gorgeous area of Michigan. My Morning Glory’s G.C. stopped for lunch and again at end of day for pies, fresh cherries and jams.
I helped judged the Friendly G.C. of Traverse City’s garden walk. The club treated the judges to lunch at El Dorado on main street, T.C. before the walk. More than I could eat. The five gardens were each distinct but all showed the loving care of a dedicated gardener. Each deserved an award.
Of course, the garden I scored highest didn’t win, but that’s why you have three judges.
Traverse City garden entrance
Besides gardening, I write (check out my books link). Usually science fiction or fantasy, but recently a romantic suspense. Champagne Books just offered me a contract on Stone House Farm, set in Manistee, Michigan and due out April 10 next spring.
Woo-hoo!
After a wet May and a dry June, early July turned cold. Unusual weather. Is that an oxymoron? Doesn’t the weather always seem unusual?
One thing I like about the northern garden is that there is always something in bloom. In my Missouri garden it seemed like there was a lull in summer when the garden went green. Which is a good reason, no matter where you garden, to select your foliage with care so that the garden remains visually interesting even when not in bloom.
Red lilies and blue cat mint, yellow sundrops, yellow and orange butterflyweed and the old-fashion orange daylilies are blooming in my garden right now. The white and pink coneflowers, hybrid daylilies, shasta daisies and the purple Liatrus are starting to bloom.
Early July partial shade garden backing onto pavement.
Hemerocallis 'Stella D'Or'
