Emergence of Color

Penstemon alamosenesis, Artemisia filifolia,
Eriogonum corymbosum (still just a youngen!)
and Amsonia  jonesii

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Space

The temptation to fill up the space is ever-present, both in life and in the garden.  For now I'm practicing delighting in the openness in the front yard, the brand new extra three hundred square feet of it, rather than rushing out to empty my wallet at the local garden center (this sort of emptiness is all to familiar...).  Today I went to the May Day celebration at Harlequin's and had enough self restraint to walk away with three plants.  Tomorrow I'll plant Amelancheir alnifolia, Zinnia grandiflora and another Gutierrezia sarothrae, my favorite native as of late.

Forgetfulness

I can't worry about this too much, the fact that the agave appears to be dead (the leaves are white and floppy at the base). It didn't appreciate having had snow heaped on top of it for several days.  I've known this about agaves, but temporarily forgot.  When I came out of my amnesia, I'd had enough sense to carefully remove about six inches of snow from the top.  The crown did not care for the snow that remained there for several more days, ending up ruined. Good thing the plant had sprouted several pups last summer.

Himalayan Fleece Flower

Some of the most gorgeous color I've seen this fall was spotted a couple of Sundays ago at DBG. Polygonum affine (Persicaria affinis) glowed like fire in the morning sun! I would love to see this plant in its natural habitat (China, Tibet), but of course would settle for a clump of it in my own garden.

Smiling Asters

Next year I will cut this Aster plant back several times to avoid the legginess seen this year, which I've lassoed in with a thick piece of twine. Bees are still afoot in my garden thanks to it. The above shot was taken in the late afternoon shade, the below one in mid-morning light. What beautiful little faces in those flowers!

Veneer of Snow

Things sure do turn on a dime around here.

Autumn Light

Since the arrival of fall, I'm convinced the Porter Plains Garden is my favorite garden at Denver Botanic Gardens (DBG). The grasses, rabbitbrush, broom snakeweed, Helianthus and asters sway in the breeze, relfecting the golden autumn light.