Today we’re in Arthur Baugh’s garden in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum, Zones 6–9) grows among wild poinsettia (Euphorbia cyathophora, annual). A relative of the familiar poinsettias used for holiday decoration, wild poinsettia is an annual native to a wide swath of North America. The red pattern on the bracts around the flowers is subtle but beautiful.
Japanese fiber banana (Musa basjoo, Zones 6–10) is the most cold hardy of the bananas and can even overwinter outside in Zone 5 in the right spot, especially if you give it extra insulating mulch over the winter. It grows rapidly in the heat of summer to create a dramatic tropical effect.
Hurricane lilies (Lycoris radiata, Zones 6–9) get their name for their habit of popping up into dramatic bloom in late summer, the peak of hurricane season. They are also called “surprised lilies” because the flowers pop up surprisingly from the bulbs before the leaves emerge. These are tough, long-lived, and pest-resistant bulbs seen commonly in older gardens and around older houses in the Southeast.
Sometimes called autumn crocus (Colchicum species, Zones 5–9), colchicums also burst into bloom from bulbs in the fall without any sign of the leaves that will emerge in the spring. Vigorous and very pest resistant, they are a great way to add fresh floral beauty to the fall garden.
Butterfly ginger (Hedychium coronarium, Zones 7–10) grows tall with lush, tropical foliage and then in late summer starts pumping out masses of white flowers with a strong, wonderful fragrance.
Masses of blue mistflower. This native plant blooms over a very long period from summer into fall. It does spread somewhat aggressively, so it’s not great for a small space, but if you have room to let it run, it will make a great display.
If you do make space for blue mistflower, the butterflies will thank you!
Going by the common names of strawberry bush or hearts-a-burstin’, Euonymus americanus (Zones 6–9) is a native shrub with small, greenish flowers that give way to these incredible colorful fruits in the fall.
If you want to see more of Arthur’s plants, check out his blog.
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Comments
Thank you for showing the Blue Mistflower. I have it growing in the back, but have no memory of planting it or of what it's called. I have to laugh when people talk about a plant that can be invasive, cause I've paid the price for ignoring that, but I just can't help myself. I've never met a plant I didn't like.
Arthur - enjoyed seeing what is growing well for you in Raleigh! Didn't know Euphorbia cyathophora could grow wild in NC and liked the flowers, foliage, (and promise of scent) of the Hedychium coronarium.
Love that mistflower. I am in the deep south & it is blooming now all along the side of the road along with swamp sunflower - a sure sign of fall down here.
I really enjoyed your garden post on the late blooming plants, and shared some of those photos with my sister-in-law I an email, and saved some to my Pinterest page to look back at and consider getting for my own garden!
I'm always so interested to see such unusual tropical plants growing in zone 6, like that Banana tree!
And I recently bought Blue Mist Flower, blooming for first time now, so it was so nice to see how nice yours look in a long border along a path- so beautiful.
That Hurricane Lily has my interest too, love your story about it's name!
Again, so interesting and beautiful, thanks for sharing your information and garden!
Love this garden, and I love everything I learn from these posts! First saw blue mist flower in a post and ordered two and they are doing beautifully in the gardens by my pool. Now this wild poinsettia and the hurricane lilies! Thanks to all of you wonderful gardeners for sharing all of your goodies!
Our blue mist flower blooms at the same time as the earlier goldenrod and the cardinal flower, providing a wonderful primary color palette in late summer. In Missouri, the common name for euonymus americanus is Eastern Wahoo! How can you NOT like a tree with a name like that!
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