Well, the end of October is not the end of the garden this year. After a prolonged drought we have had a first month of the fall season that is wet and sunny and warm (not hot). I've emptied the rain gauge of two, three and five inches several times. And the plants show it! They held back during the drought, but are giving it their all with some increased rain, clear and sunny skies and moderate temperatures,
I've been emptying the planters as they look bedraggled or slipping in some mums to keep then looking full. We've had a couple light frosts but nothing has been hit hard. The stars of the planters this year have been:
Fishnet Stockings Coleus, a Proven Winner. It hit 3 feet high and the burgundy veining was outstanding. https://www.provenwinners.com/plants/plectranthus/fishnet-stockings-coleus-plectranthus-scutellarioides
Each planter had Salvia, two different colors. Ember's Way Salvia bloomed coral and grew to at least 3 feet tall also. Its texture was a nice contrast to the coleus leaves.
But the absolute stunner of the planters at the clubhouse entrance were the
Praetoria classic Cannas. They great at least 6 feet high in the 2 foot high planters, towering over the other showy plants. The variegated leaves looked great with the tangerine blooms which slowed during the drought but not much, only to give a blast of bloom with rain in September and October.
https://www.provenwinners.com/plants/canna/pretoria-canna-hybrid
Uh, oh! I just read that I can keep the tubers for next spring. I let them die back naturally and then dig the tubers out. Rinse them well with water to remove all dirt. Air dry them. Then wrap them in newspaper and store them in peat moss. That's a "no! no! No Go! " so I'll need to find a substitute. More reading will help solve that dilemma. I guess I should give it a try. I'll be visiting the compost pile to retrieve them tomorrow. All the plants came out in a solid mass!
