"Pay attention to the world." -- Susan Sontag
 
Autumn Mix: Goldenrod, Coneflower, and Anemone (1 of 2)

Autumn Mix: Goldenrod, Coneflower, and Anemone (1 of 2)

From Seeing Seeds: A Journey into the World of Seedheads, Pods, and Fruit by Teri Dunn Chace, with photographs by Robert Llewellyn:

“Autumn is the season of seeds, from acorns to grape seeds to windblown fluff from milkweed, goldenrod, and fireweed. If no one eats a seed, does it automatically grow into a new plant next spring? What is inside a seed? How does it all work? Does it all work, or is there a lot of wastefulness? These are good questions.”

From “A Gardener’s Thanksgiving” in One Man’s Garden by Henry Mitchell:

“Gardeners, as a caste, are usually grateful for blessings. Indeed, it is wonderful how little it takes to make a gardener happy. A rooted sprig of some uncommonly pretty goldenrod will do….”


Hello!

I often overlook goldenrod when I’m out in the neighborhood plant-hunting, but it got my attention recently. Some of goldenrod’s best blooming takes place in late September through mid-October here in the southeast, and a couple of weeks ago I happened on the mix of goldenrod and coneflower (or black-eyed Susan) featured in the first galleries below. Because we’d had some colder nights, much of the growth behind the goldenrod was starting to turn dark aqua-green, so perhaps that gave the goldenrod an extra punch to my eye, and made the yellow and gold in it and the coneflower look especially fine in the foreground.

Anemone — a tiny flower with perfectly-shaped spherical unopened buds — is always a delight to come across, and photographs nicely close up. The purple/violet color — contrasting with the orange and light green center of the flower — was especially vibrant on these late-bloomers; and even though the petals are a bit ragged around the edges, they still, in my opinion, look pretty good!

Thanks for taking a look!







4 Comments

  1. It does take so little to make a gardener happy. I can identify with that. I love Goldenrod and Black Eyed Susan. But then again I think yellow flowers are just about the most beautiful things I have ever see. Love all your pictures they’re beautiful.

    1. Dale

      Yellow and gold (or orange) colors always catch my eye — certainly right now when there’s a lot still hanging out in the autumn leaves. They photograph well too — not sure why, I should find out! — and it often seems like the camera captures them more accurately than some others.

      Thanks for the comment!

    1. Dale

      Thank you!

      It is very nice, the individual flower buds were large for goldenrod, and made a big puffy flower cluster. The color was pretty intense too, a rich yellow-gold. I made a small attempt to narrow down the variety, but stopped trying when I realized I would just be making an uneducated guess.

      🙂

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