Hi GPODers!

We’re back in the garden of Susan Warde in St. Paul, Minnesota. If you need a refresher on Susan’s garden, check out some of her previous submissions: Color Coordinating in Susan’s Front Garden, The Summer That Was at the 45th Parallel, Bath Time! (for Birds), and Rose Family Members in Susan’s Garden. Today, we get to see her space as the growing season winds down, and learn how she prepares for winter. Despite planting in chilly zone 4b, there is still plenty to ogle at in Susan’s beautiful beds.

I have a large garden (by city-lot standards) and a small amount of time (since I take care of my three grandkids part or all of four days a week). And so, contrary to gardening advice, I cut down the perennials prior to winter. Our yard waste pick up ceases at the end of November and the number of containers each week is limited, so I begin the project towards the end of September. There’s no way the two-month job could be done in the spring: early flowers begin to open shortly after snow melt—by the end of March, if we’re lucky—leaving two short a window for clean-up.

The garden in early July vs the garden in late October. It can be a bleak time of year, but there are compensations: the maples are coming into their own. In the foreground is a Japanese-Korean hybrid (Acer x pseudosieboldianum ‘Ice Dragon’, Zones 4–7). These are fully hardy down to -30° F.

The red leaves of ‘Summer Wine’ ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolia ‘Seward’, Zones 3–7) brighten the landscape in the fall. As its cultivar name suggests, its foliage is a colorful burgandy earlier in the season. Another ‘Ice Dragon’ maple (Acer x pseudosieboldianum ‘IsliD’, Zones 4–7) can be seen in the center of the photo. The birdbaths have already been tipped for winter.

Of the seven varieties of mollis azalea (Rhododendron x kosteranum, Zones 4–8) in my garden, this particular one (R. ‘Northern Hi-Lights’, Zones 4–7) is by far the prettiest in fall. In May it sports fragrant white flowers with golden centers.

Though foliage takes center stage at this time of year, there are a few late bloomers. This cultivar of Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota, Zones 4–11) was a volunteer. The seedling appeared late in the summer and by the end of October it was in bloom. Unfortunately a rabbit, aiding in the cutting-down process, got to it before it could set seed.

A clematis (Clematis viticella ‘Venosa Violacea’, Zones 4–10) admires itself in the mirror (“as well it should,” observed my son). It was new in 2023. This season it flowered heavily in late spring and occasionally during the summer. Then in November it produced three more surprise blooms. That’s a Korean maple (Acer pseudosiebolianum, Zones 4–8) making a red splash behind it.

And here is a close-up of the Korean maple’s vibrant foliage. I have two of them. The other turns color earlier and is yellow. Obviously there’s a lot of variation within the species.

Another late-bloomer is this black bugbane (Actea racemosa, Zones 3–8). I’m not sure of the variety. Unlike the July-flowering bugbane, this one is not stinky. In fact its fragrance is heavenly. A grateful bumblebee thinks so too.

Fruit also may brighten up the fall garden. These are the rain-washed pomes of a crabapple (Malus ‘Royal Raindrops’, Zones 4–8). Cerise flowers cover this small tree in May, and its emerging foliage is red.

Looking down can be just as rewarding as looking up. Here are two evergreen perennials whose leaves persist under the snow. I cut them back in April after the new ones emerge. On the left is barrenwort (Epimedium x youngianum ‘Roseum’, Zones 5–8) and on the right is a hellebore, variety unknown. Other herbaceous evergreens, such as European ginger (Asarum europeam, Zones 4–8), Japanese spurge (Pachysandra terminalis, Zones 4–8), heuchera and heucherella, remind me that the garden is alive, even in winter.

And on closer inspection, the ground reveals more treasures. Looking for the dropped green bead, the kids noticed the tiny mushrooms and the even smaller snail shell.

Thank you for sharing this sensational end-of-season tour of your garden, Susan! It’s always a pleasure to see what you’re able to grow and create despite your challenging conditions.

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