As the late summer days roll by, Iowa gardeners can’t help but ponder on what is quickly approaching. The morning dew is heavy, the air cool and noticeably less humid. Ornamental grasses and dainty, orchid-like Toad Lilies strut their stuff as summer shifts into fall. We normally expect our first frost sometime in the first half of October and I was hoping the weathermen would be wrong (as usual) when they predicted frost for the middle of September. As luck would have it, we woke up to frosty patches on the lawn on September 15. The first frost of the season came about three weeks early. Technically, it was still summer!

It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, though. The Hostas and other perennials appeared un-phased. Impatiens and coleus were pretty well intact and even the water hyacinths were fine. The edges of taro and lotus leaves were nipped a little, but the ornamental sweet potato vines took the biggest hit. Most all of them throughout the garden are done for.

The month of August was strange, but not necessarily in a bad way - for us, anyway. Normally August is very hot and dry. The rain began falling in early August…and it fell, and fell, and fell. We probably received 6 inches of rain or more in less than a week. No harm was done here, but not far to the north and east floods shut down entire towns. It has continued to rain at just the right times, in just the right amounts since. This is the time Hostas need water the most, as they store up energy for next spring. We should have some exceptionally big, lush Hostas in Iowa next year! Let’s hope for no late freezes.

Within the last week, the garden has quickly gone down hill. Many Hostas are turning shades of yellow, orange, and brown. The corn field across the road is straw-colored and rustles in the breeze and from a distance, you can see hints of color in the tree tops. The garden is going to sleep and so, too, we are wrapping up the nursery for another year - tucking in the leftover Hostas and perennials, planting a few late comers in the garden, and soon we’ll have to fire up the furnace and banish the tender tropicals to the greenhouse.

Check out some late summer pictures from the garden in the August 2007 Garden Gallery.

It is difficult to focus on the holidays already, but it will soon be time for our Christmas Open House. We’re trying to pin down the details now and will share more information in the next few weeks.

In the mean time, you might take a look at a couple new articles I’ve added to our website recently:

• Hosta of the Year - Past, present, and future Hosta of the Year selections and how and why they were chosen.
• Streaked Hostas - Streaked Hostas make beautiful and unusual collector plants, but they also serve an important purpose in hybridizing. To keep them streaked requires proper maintenance, though.