Why do you bloom so late in the year purple flower, whose name I have forgotten ?
This flower grows to about seven feet tall, the blooms come out in late October. Sometimes as late as Halloween. Did I plant something that would be better off in a warmer zone ?
I’ve had this in the garden for about ten years now, so I would think it was doing ok. The single plant i bought all those years ago has spread to at least a dozen. But I know that once it blooms Winter will be here very soon.
Yesterday it was in the mid 70’s, warm and sunny. When I saw that this plant had finally bloomed I knew I had to get out and take a photo before the end of the day. I managed to get a few photos , though it was late in the day and it was already looking like it was starting to fade away.
This morning when I woke up I saw that the outside temperature was 28 degrees. I looked out the window to see yesterday’s purple now a dark shade of bluish black. The leaves were all wilted and entirely black. Several plants had bent over and were lying on the ground.
Several things in the house broke this weekend. That’s just what happens when you have a house that’s over 100 years old. It’s also what happens when you have an active four year old in the house too, I guess.
The worst thing though was having to cut down those plants, that’s the end of the garden this year. Here comes Winter.
Mr. C's Dad 
Love these purple asters, especially when they grow alongside goldenrod. Nice photo!
Thanks ! Asters, that’s the name. The nursery I go to only uses the Latin names for its plants, I keep meaning to get organized enough to make a map with names for each plant, maybe next year.
But just think. Just when you are tired of looking at all the brown and black and mud there will be …. SNOW! And it will be white and beautiful and amazing. Yay winter! (or more specifically Yay snow! Winter without snow just sucks.)
You are right about that. We had a Winter recently with very little snow, gets bleak by mid February with the frozen ground and no snow. And I’d think it would get very boring for a four year old to have no snow anywhere to play in!
Now that you put up the lovely photo of your asters, I realize that I didn’t see ours this year. And now we have about 6″ of snow covering everything. Maybe I’ll see them next year.
They’re very hardy, I’m amazed how much they’ve spread. I should also point out that most of them are shaded by slightly taller clumps of Joe Pye Weed, but they still seem to do fine.
And 6″ of snow already, Wow!
Well, it’s good you got to enjoy a few more blooms before the cold settles. Looks like it’s getting chilly in your neck of the woods. I’d send some warmth from San Diego your way, but there isn’t much of it today, sorry.
I try to wait until November 1 before putting on the heat, but we couldn’t wait that long this year!
I wait until November too and it was about time. It can get to 67 in the house at night and we’re freezing in the morning. I know, we’re wimps.
Every year I vow to try to wait as long as possible, its really just a little competition more than a way to save money. Then once the heat is on I think, oh yeah, heat is good, why didn’t i turn it on yesterday ?