The Whistling Gardener

by Steve Smith

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville, located at 3915 Sunnyside Blvd., and a respected local expert on all things horticultural. You can reach Steve at 425-334-2002 or by e-mail at info@sunnysidenursery.net.

As I walk through my garden, I am realizing that most of the plants I mentioned last month are still blooming with gay abandon. I guess the truth is that we could group these August and September bloomers into the category of "late bloomers," since they normally span a two-month period just before fall. But despite the holdovers from my August list I have managed to find a few more to pontificate on for this month. Here we go.

TREES: It is still too early to get excited about fall color, but once our nights drop consistently into the 40's then the show will begin. I'll save the fall color chapter until next month. In the meantime two trees caught my eye this month. The Golden Catalpa and the Empress Tree both sport large and bold foliage. In my garden I chop my Paulonia (empress tree) down to two feet high in February and by September the following year it is 15 feet tall again with leaves 18 inches across. Now that is what I call drama. The Golden Catalpa has smaller leaves, only 6-8 inches across, but the golden color is striking as the sun shifts south in our northern latitude. Neither one of these trees bloom in my garden because of the way I manage them, but that is a small price to pay for the foliar excitement they create.

SHRUBS: Several come to mind. Smoke trees (which are really large shrubs) have dark purple leaves (yes, there is a golden version as well and, naturally, I have both of them) which offer a spectacular contrast to my golden foliaged plants. And speaking of golden shrubs, the Tiger Eyes Staghorn Sumac is a total drama queen if there ever was one. Sumacs have a nasty reputation of spreading all over the garden but Tiger Eyes has proven fairly well behaved. We don't normally think of Spiraea as being a September standout but if you prune them back after they bloom in June, you will get a second performance this month. That is exactly what my Magic Carpet is doing right now. It has got to be one of the best spiraeas ever developed.

PERENNIALS: Like I said last month, this could be a pretty long list, so in addition to last month's stars, consider a couple more here. Plumbago (leadwort) is a hardy ground cover that is covered in dark intense blue flowers in late summer. The foliage often turns red prematurely so the combination is a nice treat. There is also a golden leaved one called My Love which I just adore but I have had trouble getting it to overwinter.

Hardy fuchsias are another semi-woody perennial that will bloom now until frost and they come in many flavors and sizes. Plant them in light shade or full sun with plenty of moisture. Too much shade will prevent them from blooming.

Helen's Flower (aka Sneezeweed) is a 3 foot tall perennial that actually comes in several forms, some blooming as early as June and others blooming now. The colors are a nice warm yellow to orange to rusty red and so far they haven't made me sneeze in my garden.

For shade my all-time favorite is Cimicifuga (now called Actaea), commonly know as Bugbane or Black Snakeroot. Mine is flowering at 5 feet tall with fragrant white bottle brush flowers against its dark purple foliage. I think the one I have is Hillside Black Beauty but there is also one called Black Negligee with finer, lacier foliage. They will grow just fine in full sun if you keep them moist. And don't forget ornamental grasses, of which there are tons to pick from. More about them next month.

ANNUALS: This is a tricky category because in order for annuals to shine this month, they needed to be planted in June after all the excitement of spring has passed. Some of my best drama this month is coming from non-hardy tropicals such as bananas and elephant ears and golden pineapple sage and lantana and bougainvillea and Mandevilla vines. For those of you who have followed my columns over the years you know how I preach about "save room for the June stuff." Well, if you do, then September is when you get your reward.

September in the garden center is when we transition to fall plants like mums and kale and pansies or hardy ornamental grasses and perennials. This is the month to start purchasing our bulbs for spring blooms. This is when many of us are forced to clean out our beds of those tired summer annuals, but I am here to tell you that while some of my petunias and impatiens are ready to be yanked out, most of my garden is looking fabulous, and it is only because I have incorporated many of my "boring yard busters" into my garden. You can do the same thing one month at a time. It's not rocket science!

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville and can be reached at

425-334-2002 or online at info@sunnysidenursery.net.