It’s time for new year’s resolutions. It’s not the end of the year, but it is the end of the gardening season. Bulbs have been planted, perennials that need it have been cut back. There’s nothing left to do but review the past season and look ahead to spring.

Fru Dagmar Hartop rose in fall
Fru Dagmar Hartop rose in bloom
Mystery Peony

Keepers

• Hyperion Daylily

  This is one of my favorite new acquisitions this year. I picked it up at a local plant sale last spring because it was cheap. Hyperion is a late bloomer with narrow pointed petals and a lovely buttery lemon yellow color. I’m an heirloom plant buff, so the fact that it dates to the 1920s adds to its allure for me. According to the plant sale proprietor, it does well in light shade, so I’ll be spreading this one around my garden in the years to come.

• Fru Dagmar Hartop Rugosa Rose

  I planted two of these two years ago, one on either side of my front steps. They are my first rugosas, but certainly not my last. The thick, dark green leaves are untroubled by insects or disease. The long, pointed buds are more like those of a modern rose than an old garden rose, but the fragrant simple blossoms open a pretty clear pink with a halo of bright yellow stamens, and are followed by large red hips. Fru Dagmar Hartop blooms sporatically through the summer and in fall, the folliage turns a lovely gold.

• Mystery Peony

  When we moved into this house 16 years ago, there was a double white peony in the front garden that produced only a few buds each spring, most of which turned brown before opening. I finally pulled it out. A year or so later, a volunteer appeared where the old peony had been. I wasn’t sure, but it appeared to be a peony too. So I left it. A few more years went by. The seedling reappeared each spring, each year a little bigger than the last. This spring, it bloomed. Wow, did it bloom! Three single magenta blossoms with glowing yellow stamens.

Not So Much

In this painful recession, it’s hard to get rid of anything. I feel like I’m laying someone off if I yank a plant from my garden. But there are a few denizens of my garden that I’ve left too long. Next spring, I’m finally going to pull them.

Razzmatazz Daylily
Diseased lungwort leaf

• Johnson’s Blue Geranium

  I’ve had two of these in my front garden for at least 10 years. They are a floppy mess in bloom. So I cut them back and try to enjoy the foliage. Sometimes in September, they bloom again, this time with less scraggly abandon, but those few blossoms don’t make up for the unattractive unruliness in June.

• Razzmatazz Daylily

  Arbitrary, I know, but I just don’t like the color. Maybe I’ll give them another shot tucked in with something yellow…

• Lungworts

  A friend gave these to me a long time ago. They bloom nicely in spring, but are always overtaken by powdery mildew and some other leaf-rotting ailment in midsummer. I’ve moved them around the garden, hoping to find them a spot where they might do better, but to no avail. This year, I’m moving them out.

A Final Batch of Antique Apples

For the last time this season, I’m back with an edition of American Apple. I’ve got four antique varieties of apple to share with you this week, but not a lot of information. With the exception of Golden Russet, I seem to have chosen three less well known apples: Rosemary Russet, Red Cortland, and Westfield Seek No Further.

Here’s what I was able to learn about each of them:

Golden Russet
Rosemary Russet
Red Cortland
Westfield Seek No Further

Golden Russet

The history of this apple is a bit hazy. Apparently, it was grown in New York state as early as 1845 and perhaps before. It is considered one of the best cider apples, however. The flavor was described to me as honeyed. Like the other russets I’ve tasted this year, the flesh is sweet, and this one has a distinctive flavor. Would I describe it as reminiscent of honey? I don’t know. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. I don’t particularly like sweet apples for eating out of hand, though. The golden russets I brought home were beautiful apples — small, perfectly shaped, very round, very gold. Even more than the Sweet Russets I tested last time, they looked like Christmas tree ornaments.

Rosemary Russet

This apple has been around since the 1830s, but I was unable to find anything out about its origins other than that. Rosemary Russets are big apples, irregularly shaped, and bumpy. Like the Golden Russets, they are sweet raw and a bit soft.

Red Cortland

Cortland apples were introduced in 1900, and are the child of the well-known McIntosh apple. I couldn’t quite figure out if “Red” Cortlands are a distinct variety from Cortlands. These Red Cortlands are a much darker red than the Cortlands I bring home from the grocery store, however. Their flesh is a beautiful clear white that browns very slowly. I suspect they’d make a great salad apple.

Westfield Seek No Further

This comically named apple comes from Westfield, Massachusetts and dates to 1796. The fruit is pale red, pretty, and on the small side. Seek No Further is an excellent dessert apple — very crisp and tangy. The flesh is a pale yellow. Even if it doesn’t bake up well, I will pick this one up next year!

The Results

Since I was feeling a little bit lazy, I peeled, cored and sliced just one apple of each variety and dropped the slices into a custard dish. I topped each dish with flour, sugar, butter and a touch of cinnamon, then baked for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F. My four tasters placed the apples as follows:

As you can see, the results were far from unanimous. Tallying up, Rosemary Russet came in first place, followed by Red Cortland. Golden Russet and Westfield Seek No Further tied for last place. I must confess I was surprised by the results. I expected the tangy Seek No Further to do much better and never anticipated that the lumpy Rosemary Russet would carry the day. Although the tangy flavor of Seek No Further raw did remain when it was baked, one of our tasters adamantly disliked the flavor. Our fourth taster found Rosemary Russet, Golden Russet and Red Cortland bland, while two of us really liked the flavor of the Rosemary Russets. I have enough Rosemary Russets left in my apple bag to try something else with them. I’m looking forward to see how they’ll do in pie or pancakes. I’ll keep you posted.

Thanks for joining me once again. If you have a favorite antique or heirloom apple variety, please let me know! Comments are always welcome.

In south-central Wisconsin, we can expect our first fall frost sometime in early to mid-October. The morning after is always something of a shock. Tomato plants, annuals and tender perennials are suddenly wilted and dead or dying. In the following weeks, as I trim away black stalks and carry mushy tomatoes to the compost pile, I come to appreciate the perennials that can withstand some cold and still look beautiful, even if they’re not in bloom. Here are a few of my favorites.

Striatum Geraniums (Geranium sanguineum)
Winterberries (Ilex verticillata ‘Red Sprite’)
Siberian Tea (Bergenia cordifolia)
Yellow Fumitory (Corydalis lutea)
Pinks (Dianthus deltoides ‘Arctic Fire’)

Gas Plant

I remember gas plants (Dictamnus albus) from my childhood, not because my parents grew them, but because Norma Kassirer writes about them in what was then one of my favorite books, Magic Elizabeth. On hot summer evenings, Elizabeth’s family would light the gas plants in their garden. The gas plants in my garden don’t work as candles, and I’ve never quite believed the legend that a lighted match will cause them to emit sparks. But they look good all summer and in fall turn a lovely gold. Frost doesn’t seem to bother them at all.

Striatum Geranium

I have several of these Striatum Geraniums (Geranium sanguineum) growing in the front of my borders. They bloom prolifically in June and repeat continuously all summer long. The frost turns their leaves a beautiful dark maroon-red.

Winterberry

Winterberries (Ilex verticillata ‘Red Sprite’) are new to my garden this year. I first noticed the berries in late summer, while leaves still clothed the shrubs. Now that the leaves are gone, the glowing red berries add welcome color to my border.

Siberian Tea

Cold weather seems to bring the best out of Siberian Tea (Bergenia cordifolia), too. Their leathery leaves develop a purple tinge after the first frost and carry the color into winter. In early spring, they send up long-lasting spikes of small magenta flowers.

Yellow Fumitory

Yellow fumitory (Corydalis lutea) has been one of my favorite plants in the shade garden this year. It has bloomed prolifically all summer, and is still in bloom today. Its leaves have never shown any signs of fatigue or wear. And it has reseeded itself, so I can look forward to a spectacular performance from its progeny next season.

‘Arctic Fire’ Pinks

I planted these Pinks in my rock garden three years ago. After they bloom, I have been shearing them fairly harshly. They come right back, bloom sporadically throughout the summer and hold their healthy foliage well into fall. This one is still blooming in November!

Comments are welcome! Please share the best of the cold-tolerant plants from your garden!