I thought I’d walk around my garden and take a good look at what it looks like now in late October.  I thought the spent flowers and plants might have their own kind of beauty (or not).  For this tour I’m including my whole yard, not just the official “garden.”

First there actually are a very few “spring” flowers still in bloom.  A couple of late black-eyed Susans and some daisy fleabane:

But most plants in the garden are long past blooming.

The green-headed coneflower is long past its glory days.  But the green leaves at the bottom show it’s still alive and waiting for spring to come again.

Green-headed Coneflower

The goldenrod has gone to seed.

Goldenrod Gone to Seed

The Monarda fistulosa and sweet joe pye weed are long past blooming but still have some green leaves.

Monarda Fistulosa

Sweet Joe Pye Weed

Here’s what the Liatris looks like now:

And here are the penstemon and the culver’s root:

Penstemon

Culver’s Root

I’m afraid the boneset did not survive the summer’s drought — the plants  look too black and just plain dead to me, so I don’t know what will come back next year.  It did produce a lot of seed, as in this picture, so maybe it will be able to reseed itself.  I’m having to dig up so much wire grass, though — I’m afraid I’m eliminating reseeding.

Boneset Gone to Seed

My common milkweed did very well for itself.  My one plant transmogrified itself to at least 10 plants at last count.  Here are some of them:Finally, the trees in the rest of my yard are all looking ready for upcoming winter.

Dogwood with Next Year’s Flower Buds

Redbud with Pods

Hawthorne with Red Berries Waiting for Cedar Waxwings in the Spring

Pin Oak Starting to Change Color — Most Leaves Won’t Fall until Spring