Week of September 15

After our two months at the Keuka Lakehouse, we return to our Florida home in Gainesville with trepidation and concern about how the LATE SUMMER GARDEN has fared through the hot and dry July and August. This year was a rainy one, with almost all the plants putting on lots of new growth, badly in need of pruning.  One might expect the scorching temperatures to have eliminated all the flowers, but not so, with the gingers and other tropical plants adding their blooms when the spring flowers are long gone.  A nice contribution is made from the Ti, ginger, and other plants with colorful leaves.  We planted Ti plants, gingers, and Farfungium amongst the huge grape vines under the oak tree.  The Ti plants have vivid and multiple colors.  The spiral gingers have interesting leaf patterns.  The bird’s nest bush sends out stalks with clusters of green leaves with magenta undersides.  The iron plants, green, variegated, and “starry night-green with white specks, provide a good ground cover amongst the vines and Chickasaw plum trees.  Likewise, peacock and pine cone gingers cover other shady areas, keeping the weeds at bay.  While the flowers of late summer are nice, the foliage really adds to the palate of the late summer garden.