Okay, summer is officially ended. Overnight temperatures in the forties are not summerlike, and now it’s dipping into the thirties. This isn’t quite winter, but it’s clear we’re headed in that direction.

I’d be happy if early October lingered a few extra weeks. The shortened hours of daylight are as much of an issue as the cold, but for now, there’s plenty in the garden to enjoy.

While the few Sasanqua camellias flower irregularly in the garden, long-established pink and white hybrids (above and below) are quite dependable. Two that are shaded delay flowering to begin in December and in periods of mild temperatures (if any) through the winter, but most start by mid-October and continue into December.

A white-flowered Autumn Rocket (below) was planted in a corner by the sunroom that required a columnar form. I was hopeful that it would be happy here so that my wife could enjoy the flowers without getting out into the cold. It’s off to a great start with a few blooms and many buds, and its growth rocketed straight up this year, perfect for this somewhat limited space. I’ve little doubt Autumn Rocket will require pruning in a few years to manage its height, but its upright form and abundant flowering should be ideal.

I suspect that several reblooming Encore azaleas have become too shaded to flower at their best. All have many buds but only scattered blooms. A few rarely flower in autumn.

The best autumn flowering of the Encore azaleas in the garden is Autumn Carnation (above). This bubblegum pink flower was once my least favorite as I evaluated azaleas in my garden center career. I once announced this authoritatively on a tour of the Encore nursery, and until her unfortunate Covid-related death, my favorite sales representative delighted in recalling this on every visit. “Look at those beautiful pink blooms. I wonder what azalea that could be?” 

Plants can be more than beautiful flowers and foliage. Autumn Carnation reminds me of a wonderful person, but also that the long winter season is near.