What the Short Toothed Mountain Mint is Doing

Short Toothed Mountain Mint, Pycnanthemum muticum, looks good all season.  The butterflies, and a number of other insects frequent the blooms in the summer.  I've managed to keep the clump a decent size over the 4 or 5 years I've grown it.

Last week, when I was finding a path for Larry to put the pots into the egress window, I made a discovery.  

Can you see what's on the ground?

I've shown the runners I've discovered in the spring before, that I pulled to keep the plant from spreading.  I thought the stems had lain down and roots grew from them.  Now, I'm wondering if the new runners were already there in other autumns, and I just didn't find them until spring.  Well, silly me!  I just looked at other posts I've done on this, and confirmed my self diagnosis of being scatterbrained.  I have discovered runners in the fall before, and posted on it.  Oh, well, this post is about finished, so it's going up anyway.

The new growth looks more like mint than the older growth.

Here's what I pulled up.  I will still check the ground in the spring to make sure it hasn't sent more runners out.  I really don't want it to get out of hand, because I love the plant, and don't want to have to give up on growing it.

It's 44 degrees, and raining.  It's supposed to get down to 36 tonight.  The western part of Nebraska is expecting snow.  We watered plants with what was left in the back yard rain barrel, and Larry took it down, but the front one will probably be full again after the rain stops.  I am only managing to get a little outdoor work done at a time.  I still haven't pulled up the spent tomato and pepper plants. I hope the weather holds out so I can get that done, and get more compost spread so we can put the neighbors' leaves in them.

I hope your week is going well. 

Bloomin' Tuesday

This is Jean's last Bloomin' Tuesday of the season.  It has been mild for the last week, but they say cold weather is on its way.   There are still quite a few blooms, but I've been showing them a lot, so I tried to find the ones that I may not have shown as often. 

I took the first group of photos Saturday, and the rest, today.

The several nights in the 20s we've had have finished the season for a number of annuals.  I got some of them pulled and put on the compost pile.  The front yard looks different without the gomphrenas.  The perennials seem happy to have all the space.  Next year, I won't give them the competition of the annuals, not as many, anyway.   

I took Larry's weird vine off of the trellis, and collected as many of the just as weird seed pod dealies as I could, but know I missed some.  They look like 1/4 to 1/2 inch potatoes.  I used to think the vine was a perennial, but figured out it reseeds.  Now that the grass is gone, I ended up weeding it out of areas beyond where it normally grows.  

The dianthus in the washtub in the center of the new front yard area has new blooms.  Some of the plants would just keep blooming away if the weather allowed.  Like me, they aren't ready for winter.

The black and blue salvias have frost damage, but are still blooming.

The petunias have a new flush of blooms.

I did show these clematis in front of the porch recently, but they are still looking pretty, so I included them in this post.

This clematis is on the trellis against the front of the house.

This rose plant got put into the egress window this evening.  The plant got eaten by something, and does not look very healthy, but it has survived in a pot for a number of years.  Hopefully, it will come through this winter.

These are the mums that I showed the buds on recently, and have finally opened in the last week.

The delphinium is still blooming.

The 'Wichita Mountains' goldenrod is about finished blooming.

I think this is a campanula of some kind.  Its main bloom time is in the spring, but it has a few new ones.

'Immortality' iris held up well this fall.

It seems like pineapple sage starts blooming here just in time for the freezing temperatures to take it down.

I've shown these irises recently, too, but I had to show them again because they are lasting so long.

I went for quite a long time without growing mums.  I was not a fan of them because they either wanted to spread too far, or else they would die after a year or two.  Larry talked me into getting more, and the ones I'm showing in this post were just planted last year.  The 'Debonair' ones I've had several years, and they seem to do well, but not try to take over.  I don't remember the names of the new ones.  These are starting to turn pink as they fade.  I like that.

Here's the picture I was able to take before the camera's batteries died.  We got pots of lavender and a few others tucked in for the winter, and watered after work today.

I hope those of you who got so much snow have been able to dig out and get your power restored.  I hope Texas gets more rain.  I saw the news coverage of the horrible dust and dirt storms in Texas.

As we get ready for daylight savings time to end, I am looking forward to it being lighter when I go to work in the mornings, but not to it getting dark so early in the evenings. 

Wildflower Wednesday and the Next to the Last Bloomin' Tuesday for the Season

I have mostly foliage to show for this month's Wildflower Wednesday, hosted by Gail, of Clay and Limestone.  

The first ones I'm showing are in the new front yard area where the tree used to be.  I am excited to see how these plants grow and do next year.

When I cut back the gomphrena plants, I accidentally cut most of the wild quinine seed heads.  I brought them in and put them in a vase.  I'm glad some of the dried blooms are still there.

The Culver's Root has some new blooms that I hadn't noticed until I went to take the photo.

I was not able to catch the ray of light that made this clump of little bluestem shine the other evening.  It was beautiful!  Next year, it should be taller, and the three in this area should put on quite a show.  One of them may be something else, though.  I got it from a different place, and it is looking different.

Rudbeckia Maxima:

The prairie smoke geums I divided and placed around all are doing well.  There are some other small natives around and about that I am hoping do well in the spring.  I think I'm ready for spring right now.

Some of the liatris plants are trying to put on a few new blooms.

This is a new discovery that I am excited about.  It's called pussytoes.  It's an Antennaria of some kind.
 

The next couple of plants are in the curb bed.  I've had this black eyed Susan for awhile.  I don't remember if it's a native one, or 'Goldstrum'.

The ironweed looks good to me dried and dead looking.  I wonder if birds will eat the seeds.

This is the threadleaf ironweed, growing in the bed on the east side of the back yard.  I wish I could remember where I got it so I could see if I could get some more.  I am reading a book on native plants, and found out this will probably get taller next year.  I'm thinking it has a tap root, so it wouldn't be a good idea to try to move it.  I want some in the front!

The lead plant looks OK so far.  I planted one on the far west side of the front yard, and I will have to be patient until it gets to a larger size.

Eupatorium 'Prairie Jewel':

Some kind of mountain mint:

When I went to get Gail's link I saw she had a post on switchgrass, so I went and found a photo of 2 of mine that I put in this spring as tiny little starts.  I wonder what they will look like next year.  These are 'Prairie Wind'.  I have a total of 5 switchgrass plants, 4 different kinds.  I got them after Gail suggested they would be good plants for my new planting area.  Thanks, Gail!  I love them, and you did a better job photographing yours than I've been able to so far.

Maybe there are enough blooms to also participate in Jean's Bloomin' Tuesday.  I hope you all are having a great week.  The cold temps are on their way back to our area.