The Last of the Flowers for 2019?
October 30, 2019 by New Hampshire Garden Solutions

Though I’ve done it for over 60 years it’s still hard to say goodbye to the flowers in the fall. More and more of them seem to be lasting well into October these days though, so the time without them grows shorter. I was very surprised to see this nice stand of goldenrod in mid-month.

Asters too, still bloomed here and there, usually under trees where they are protected from frost. Though most are gone now many made it well toward the end of the month.

I found this New England aster blooming near a stream. It had been cut down sometime during the summer and that made it bushier, with even more flowers.

There’s that little aster, down in the left hand corner, along with goldenrod and yarrow.

Garden asters also bloomed throughout the month. There were light ones…

…and dark ones. I like the darker ones myself.

When I first saw this plant blooming while snow was falling a few years ago I thought it was a Shasta daisy on steroids, but it turned out to be the Montauk daisy (Nipponanthemum nipponicum) which is a Japanese creation also called the Nippon daisy. It is extremely hardy; I’ve seen it bloom after a 28 degree F. night and it is also a very late bloomer. It would be an excellent choice for a fall garden.

Flies certainly love this daisy.

This ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) was a real surprise. It should have gone to be weeks ago. This much loved flower was originally introduced from Europe as an ornamental in the 1800s. It quickly escaped cultivation and has now spread to each of the lower 48 states and most of Canada. Since cattle won’t eat it, it can spread at will through pastures and that means that it is not well loved by ranchers. A vigorous daisy can produce 26,000 seeds per plant and tests have shown that 82% of the buried seeds remained viable after six years underground.

Black eyed Susans (Rudbeckia) closed up shop early this year and most were missing even during the first week of October, but these garden varieties still bloomed.

I went to a spot I know of where hundreds of knapweed plants grow and I saw only about 4 flowers, so I think it’s safe to say that they’re done for this year. I think this is Brown knapweed (Centaurea jacea.) I’ve always thought that knapweed flowers were very beautiful but unfortunately this European plant according to the U.S. Forest Service is a “highly invasive weed that is capable of forming large infestations under favorable conditions.” The large infestations crowd out native plants including those used for forage on pasture lands, so it is not well liked by ranchers. The brown bracts below the flower are what give the plant its common name.

A few purple morning glories (Ipomoea purpurea) still had their amazing inner light shining from them. They make me wonder, these flowers with their own light. I wonder if all flowers have it and we just don’t see it in all but a very few. I call it the light of creation.

Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota) had a good year but their time seems to be just about over now. Though another name for this plant is “wild carrot” you had better know exactly what you’re doing if you dig and eat the root because there are very similar plants like water hemlock (Cicuta maculata) that are among the most toxic plants known.

Common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) has a period of bloom in June through August and then rests for a while before giving it another go. Mankind has had a relationship with this plant since before recorded history and dried sprigs of it have been found in Neanderthal graves. The ancient Greeks used it on wounds to staunch blood flow and so did Native Americans.

Sweet everlasting (Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium) never looks like a flower until it is gone by and its bracts are all that’s left. The common name comes from the way it lasts for years after being cut and dried. An unusual fact about this plant is how it smells strongly of warm maple syrup. It was and still is used in smoking mixtures by some Native people.

A lone phlox bloomed on the banks of the Ashuelot River. I think it’s probably a garden escapee.

Since I like the color blue so much it’s hard not to like vetch, even though it is invasive and is probably responsible for more than a few gray hairs on this head. Once it gets in a garden it is close to impossible to eradicate by pulling alone, and I know that because I tried many times in many gardens over the years. It’s especially annoying when it gets into shrubs. I think this example might be hairy vetch (Vicia vilosa,) which was originally imported from Europe and Asia to be used as a cover crop and for livestock forage. It’s now found in just about every meadow in New Hampshire.

The monkshood (Aconitum napellus) in a local children’s garden still bloomed. People have died from the sap being absorbed through their skin so this is a very dangerous plant indeed, and though I have touched it several times I would never cut it or pick it without good stout gloves on. Another name for it is winter aconite, so it wasn’t a surprise to see it still blooming.

What bothers me about this particular plant is where it grows. It’s not a good choice for a children’s garden I wouldn’t think. But it all the times I’ve been there I’ve never seen anyone actually working there. The plant gets its common name from the way each flower resembles the hood worn by medieval monks.

This is the first time I’ve ever gotten a photo of the inside of a monkshood blossom. I see what looks like a lot of stamens. Poison or not it’s all about the continuation of the species, just as it is with all plants.

Our native witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) starts blooming sometimes as early as mid-September, so seeing it isn’t a great surprise. It’s doing well this year and each plant is loaded with blossoms.

Witch hazel blossoms are pollinated by owlet moths, which are active in winter and are called winter moths, but this year the moths may have help from several other insects I’ve seen still flying.
Every corny thing that’s said about living with nature – being in harmony with the earth, feeling the cycle of the seasons – happens to be true. Susan Orlean
Thanks for coming by.
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Posted in Nature, Wildflowers | Tagged Black Eyed Susan, Canon EOS Rebel T6, Fall Flowers, Garden Aster, Goldenrod, Hairy Vetch, Keene, Knapweed, Monkshood, Montauk Daisy, Native Asters, Native Plants, Nature, New England Asters, New Hampshire, NH, October Flowers, Olympus Stylus TG-870, Ox Eye Daisy, Phlox, Purple Morning Glory, Queen Anne's Lace, Swanzey New Hampshire, Sweet Everlasting, Witch Hazel, Yarrow | 35 Comments
All our flowers are pretty much done. You still have a lovely selection of asters.
Not any more. We had a freeze last night that pretty much finished them.
A nice display of late fall flowers. Here it is November and we still haven’t had a killing frost. So odd.
Thank you Wendy. I would have been able to say that yesterday but it got down to 24 degrees last night so I’m fairly sure that our flower season is over. Enjoy yours while they last!
Thank you again for another interesting and beautiful post about nature in your corner of the world. I wish I was able to retain all of the information you provide!
Thank you Jane. I hope you are able to get outside yourself and enjoy it. It’s so much more interesting in person than anything I can say about it.
For some reason I was hopping that monkshood might be native, given it’s beautiful but villainous character, but such is not the case.
No, it’s another European import but it’s not exactly invasive.
So many flowers in October! I also was surprised by the monkshood in a children’s garden. The flowers are so attractive and inviting; I can imagine a child wanting to touch them. We have had our first frost and my morning glories have been put on the compost heap. They come back every year despite the gardening books saying they will only germinate indoors in this country!
Thank you Clare. Yes, I would think monkshood flowers would be very enticing, but I hope people leave them alone.
I’ve heard that you have to germinate them indoors too, but I think once you have morning glories you have them forever. I have friends who even have them coming up in their vegatable garden each year.
I’ve never planted rudbeckia, they just come up on their own around the yard (which is more like a meadow than a lawn, I don’t mow). Most years I’m trimming dead flower stocks in September. Today, on Oct 31st, there are many clumps of thriving, blooming rudbeckia still to be seen around my yard. The early bloomers did die back in September on schedule, but instead of going dormant the black-eyed susans have kept coming. I expect these guys will keep blooming until there’s a hard frost.
Which raises another issue. I’ve had a big vegetable garden for 45 years. 40 years ago, I was covering basil and peppers on Labor Day weekend, to guard against frost, and try to eke out another week or two of production. Here we are on Halloween, and my peppers and basil (tender species, the first to succumb to frost) are still going strong. This is astounding, that here in New Hampshire my killing frost date will be sometime in November. Over the last 10 years my first fall frost date has gradually shifted 6-8 weeks later in the season. It’s as if I moved my garden to Virginia.
Hi John. I’ve never planted black eyed Susans but I’ve tried to transplant them and they don’t like it. They’ve always been a “fall flower” to me but it does seem that they’re lasting later each year. Dandelions are a flower I also expect to see in fall but I’m not seeing any!
I can remember Labor day frosts too but I agree that we don’t see many of them anymore. It really makes me wonder what’s going on. If we’re having Virginia weather what is Virginia having-Florida weather? And if so what will Florida see? Though I’m happy to have less winter the whole shift in weather is troubling.
We have a lot of ox-eye daisy here. If mowed, it will stay low to the ground forming small flowers, and even bloom in winter here. Our winters are far milder than New England, although with the current swings in the weather patterns, I think winter may send us some surprises this year.
Thank you Lavinia. Chicory will do the same thing when it’s mowed.
Yes, I think winter will be full of surprises here too, but I hope not.
The monkshood does seem unwise in a children’s garden. I have seen some near a children’s adventure path over here so ignorance about it must be widespread.
Yes I think that’s true. I was always picking flowers when I was young but I hope children no longer do that.
Beautiful flowers and I’m so glad you put that question mark at the end of the post title. I’m sure you will be able to find something blooming into November, maybe?
Thanks Chris! I usually do see flowers here and there in November. Some of them are really tough!
I love New England asters especially the dark purple ones. Years ago I had a garden of around 200 roses. It was gorgeous, but a lot of work. In the back set behind a huge flowering crab was my littlest garden. It consisted of only wild self planted, self caring flowers: New England asters in several shades, 3 kinds (I thought) of goldenrod, Queen Anne’s lace and other wildlings. It was a wonderful spot especially in fall nd no work at all.
I like the darker asters too. They’re my favorites.
I can’t imagine having to care for 200 roses but I’d bet my next paycheck that the garden was indeed very beautiful. I think more and more people are leaning towards low maintenance plants now, which is why hosta and daylillies are the best selling plants. I still see roses in gardens too though.
I love all flowers really, but I do prefer the wild ones. Luckily I get to see plenty of them here!
A very pleasurable foray – enjoyed it very much! And yes, monkshood is a very strange choice for a children’s garden.
Thank you, I’m gald you did.
I keep hoping I’ll see someone working in that park so I can tell them about the monkshood but I’ve never seen a soul there.
You do have a lot of flowers left. In central Maine, not so much. But we haven’t had a hard frost yet. Time was when we had them the end of September. Now, it’s the end of October. A big change for us.
Thank you Laurie. We really don’t have a lot of flowers left but I do still see one or two each day. We’ve had frost but no real freeze yet, so the tougher ones continue on. Our freeze ups seem to come later as well, and that’s fine with me.
Beautiful and so interesting about the native uses of your plants. The way things are, we may have to relearn all that from scratch.
Among my plants originally from Europe, I have a ton of yarrow (the cows keep it eaten down), one stray Scotch broom, daisies of various types (a little later), a patch of stinging nettle (Urtica), lots of mullein, and the common dandelion is being succeeded by false dandelion.
The native luma roja (Amomyrtus luma) is blooming, which enables me to spot it and cut straight branches for tool handles. The wood is practically unbreakable and does not rot easily. Luma blanca (Amomyrtus meli) has the same toughness and hardness. They are both in the Myrtle (Myrtaceae) family. The closest thing in the States with the same useful properties would be Osage orange and yew.
Things are really blooming here (at 40° S we’re in late spring) and I am busy photographing and recording for the HVAA data base, although I’m sorta confined to a 25 mile strip between the nearest cities because of the continued countrywide protests.
What will you post when you run out of flowers and colorful leaves, Allen?
On Wed, Oct 30, 2019, 5:11 AM New Hampshire Garden Solutions New Hampshire Garden Solutions posted: ” Though I’ve done it for over 60 > years it’s still hard to say goodbye to the flowers in the fall. More and > more of them seem to be lasting well into October these days though, so the > time without them grows shorter. I was very surprised to see this nic” >
Thanks Ron. Yes, we lost so much Native botanical knowledge it’s scary. I’m convinced that there is a cure for just about every disease out there but we might never know.
I wish I could afford to live down there for a few months and see spring and summer happen all over again. It sounds wonderful!
I’m surprised to hear that cows will eat yarrow with its pungent aroma. I didn’t know they did.
I hope your 25 mile strip of land can remain wild and free growing the way it was meant to be, and I hope you’ll find many interesting plants on it.
When the flowers and leaves are gone I turn to the small things like lichens and mosses, and also more landscape photography. There’s plenty of beauty to go around no matter what season it is!
Stay safe.
I will. I look forward to your next post.
What a pretty assortment of late bloomers! It’s interesting how we can get confused using common names of plants, because I know eranthis as winter aconite, a bulb with yellow blossoms that blooms late winter or early spring. And I agree with you, monkshood should not be planted in a children’s garden! There’s a new book on Amazon called The Poison Garden that I’m anxious to read – sounds interesting. Have a lovely day, Allen.
Thank you Ginny. I don’t recognize the plant you speak of but after working in several nurseries I agree that common names can lead to much confusion. Thankfully all it took was the scientific name to straighten things out, but now even they are changing.
I’ve been interested in poisonous plants for a long time. so that book title grabs me too!
The books is fiction, but I’m still interested in seeing what plants turn up in this story (if the author has done good research) and how the villain uses them.
Maybe the villain invites everyone over for a nice salad.
Glad you found all that colour to show us, very cheering.
Thank you Susan, I wish I could show you many more months of the same.
Wonderful flowers, thank you. Yesterday was the last day of the golden autumn here in the Ore Mountains. Last night there was the first stronger frost with minus 5°C. Most of the flowers did not survive this.
You’re welcome. It does sound like your flower season is over. We haven’t had a hard freeze here yet but the forecast is for much colder night time temperatures, so I doubt I’ll be seeing many more flowers until spring.